Note: This article appeared in the BANGOR REGION CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2005 ANNUAL REPORT which was published as an advertising supplement to the Bangor Daily News.

The industrialist Andrew Carnegie proposed a novel concept in 1889 that he believed was essential to the maintenance of a healthy modern society.

In his essay, which would come to be known as “the Gospel of Wealth,” Carnegie argued that people of substantial means and influence were duty-bound by their enviable positions to play a broader role in the welfare of mankind and the enrichment of its cultural and social institutions.

William C. Bullock Jr., the director of Merrill Merchants Bank in Bangor, suggests that while the principle is probably little known outside of American civics classes these days, its latter-day practitioners can still be found, often working quietly but effectively to enhance the cities and towns in which they live.

And to Bullock, there are no finer examples here in Maine than Richard J. Warren, the publisher of the Bangor Daily News, and his wife, Beth.

“I think they epitomize that old idea of prosperous people giving back to the community, both financially and in the investment of time and energy, more than have taken from it,” he said of the Warrens, his long-time friends. “Because they feel the community has contributed so much to their success, they feel an obligation to its welfare in return.”

The Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce has also recognized the Warrens’ tireless commitment to the city, region and state by selecting them as co-recipients of its highest annual honor, the Norbert X. Dowd Award, for community service and the advancement of business.

Tom Palmer, the Chamber’s vice chairman who is organizing the Jan. 18 award event, said choosing the Warrens from a list of other qualified candidates was not a difficult decision for the selection committee.

“As we talked our way through the process, we just kept coming back to Rick and Beth,” said Palmer, general manager of the Best Western Black Bear Inn in Orono. “Among the criteria for the award is the general advancement of business, community service, creative ability and personal integrity, and they fit all of that perfectly. There are plenty of great people in our community, thank God, but the Warrens just rose to the top of the list.”

His only concern, Palmer said half-jokingly, was that the Warrens, who typically prefer to take a behind-the-scenes approach to philanthropy and civic involvement, might be reluctant to accept such a high-profile award.

“Rick certainly does not seek the limelight, but he’s extremely effective in getting things done,” said Dr. Robert Clough, the Bangor heart surgeon and friend and fishing companion of the Warrens for nearly 20 years. “He leads by example.”

For Rick, that leadership role has been extensive and varied over the years, encompassing the fields of health care, education, the arts, economic development and natural-resource conservation. He has served on the boards of the Bangor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and the Easter Maine Medical Center as well as the Mitchell Institute, which each year extends 130 scholarships to Maine high school seniors who aspire to post-secondary degrees.

A passion for the natural world led to his involvement with the Forestry Society of Maine, the Land for Maine’s Future Board, and to his current role as finance chairman for the Penobscot River Restoration Project, which seeks to raise $26 million to purchase dams on the lower section of the river and restore the original flow of the waterway.

He recently was named chairman of the Atlantic Salmon Federation, a challenge well-suited to his lifetime love of fishing for that fabled species.

“And it’s important to note,” Palmer said, “that the National Folk Festival (now the American Folk Festival) would not have happened without the incredible support from the Bangor Daily News.”

Aside from her years of service on the board of the Bangor Theological Seminary, Beth has worked in support of the Maine Center for the Arts, EMMC, Acadia Hospital, the Salvation Army soup kitchen, Meals for Me and other social organizations.

“Growing up in Caribou,” Beth said, “I have always had a strong and proud sense of place, a sense of community that has kept me centered. Just knowing everyone, being connected with the lives of people around you, makes you care more deeply about them. It comes from the understanding that we’re all in this together.”

Working at the grass-roots level, she said, affords her abundant opportunities to make those personal connections with she finds so rewarding.

“In Maine, it’s easy to make a difference by the little things you do,” Beth said. “When you deliver meals to people, you may be the only person they see that day. And no matter who they are or where they live, they appreciate that small gesture so much.”

Rick said that his roots in Bangor – he is one of five generations of Bangor Daily News publishers in his family – instilled in him early the need to be of service to the community that has nurtured and sustained him both personally and professionally.

“I have always felt that same close-knit feeling for Bangor and its people, that groundedness that Beth had growing up in Caribou,” Rick said. “I’m proud of the community, and I want to help it prosper and grow in any way I can.”

To Palmer, it is precisely that kind of generous dedication to the greater good that makes Bangor different from other cities he’s lived in during his career.

“Bangor depends on community service more than any other place I’ve known,” he said. “That’s what makes it so special, and why we’d be lost without people like the Warrens.”