Devoted Bangor man Charles Bragg dies

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BANGOR – Charles Bragg II, one of the city’s oldest and most civic-minded residents, died Tuesday. He was 96.

Bragg, well-known for his trademark bow ties and cardigan sweaters, dedicated his life to his family, to the family business – N.H. Bragg and Sons – and to the Bangor community.

He was born at his family’s home on Elm Street in Bangor in 1910. After graduation from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1928 and from Amherst College in 1932, he went to work at the company started by his great-grandfather in 1854.

He served as president of the company from 1951 until his retirement in 1981.

But Bragg was best known for his unwavering dedication to the Bangor area. Since the 1930s, he sat on and served as chairman for countless boards of nonprofit agencies and institutions that serve the area. Until recently, Bragg still was devoting about 20 hours a week to community boards.

Bragg came to his community service naturally, following in the footsteps of his father, Franklin E. Bragg, who also was president of N.H. Bragg and Sons and one of the city’s “go-to-people” when something needed to be done.

Charles Bragg II served on the board of the Bangor Public Library for 45 years, succeeding his father and his grandfather. He retired from that board in 1996, and his son Frank Bragg sits on the board today.

“I don’t know that anyone loved the library more than Charlie,” said Robert Woodward, who served as the library director for 28 years. “He showed us that at every board meeting. He truly understood what we were there for, and he made sure at every meeting that we, as a board, did what it took to make ourselves accessible to the residents of this city.”

In a statement released Tuesday evening, Gov. John Baldacci said, “Charlie was a wonderful man to me and my family, not only in business dealings but also as neighbors. He contributed greatly to his community, state and family. He will be sorely missed.”

Ken Hews, president of Eastern Maine Healthcare System’s Healthcare Charities, recalled Tuesday how Bragg’s son John “once said that ‘before there was Google, there was Charlie Bragg,’ and that struck me as so true. Charlie was so knowledgeable in so many areas that it’s no wonder he became invaluable to so many people and organizations within his community.

“For the past 25 years Charles Bragg II dedicated his time and talent to Healthcare Charities and it was through his leadership and inspiration that we were able to take the organization to new heights. He was the very definition of generous – a mentor, a leader, and above all a friend, and I will miss his leadership and wise counsel.”

Interviewed at his home five years ago, Bragg chuckled at the thought that he was considered a powerful force in Bangor. His philosophy was that leadership was the responsibility of any citizen.

“Civic leadership,” he said, “has much more to do with commitment and duty than power. … It’s simple really. You want to have nice things in your community, and someone has to do the work to get those things done.”

He was critical to construction of the new Bangor High School in the early 1960s and expansion of the Bangor Public Library. He played a crucial role in securing the financial future of some of the city’s largest nonprofit agencies.

During one interview, he smiled when asked of his reputation as a stickler for details.

“I’m a pain in the neck to every secretary of every board I serve on,” he said. “I confess that I’ve been known to mention the omission of a comma in the minutes of a meeting, but I truly believe the devil is in the details and I was raised that it is important to get things right. … At the same time, I don’t think I make a habit of fussing over something that’s not important.”

Bragg also was a man of record. Well into his 90s he could recall vivid historic details of the Bangor he grew up in and the people who made things happen. Since 1935 he had kept a diary in which he jotted down notes about the weather and people he had met. Trips, births and deaths are noted as well as his thoughts about the endless number of meetings he attended throughout the decades in Bangor.

He was a virtual encyclopedia on the life of his dearest friend, G. Peirce Webber, one of Bangor’s greatest philanthropists who passed away nearly six years ago.

The two men grew up together, went to Phillips Exeter Academy together, sat on boards together and, until just before Webber’s death, met for weekly card games.

Last year on June 24, Bragg wrote his own obituary – in detail.

He mentioned the physician who attended his birth and not only the boards he served on but whom he served on them with and who did the majority of the work. While a man of few words, Bragg would speak his mind, only if asked, when he saw something as wasteful or foolish.

But it was more than his keen intellect and attention to detail that made him one of the most sought after board members in the city.

Bragg did not just attend meetings. He participated and put in the work needed to get things done. He also passed on that philosophy to his children.

“For example, as a kid each year I received the attendance award at Sunday school,” Bragg’s son John once said. “I very distinctly remember learning that if you sign up for something you do it. If it’s a weekly meeting then you are there every week. If you raise your hand and agree to do something, then you do it. It’s not just about belonging, it’s about commitment and active participation.”

There was never a hint of boastfulness in Charles Bragg. But there is a distinct difference between boastfulness and pride.

If you met Bragg and asked him the right questions, it would become evident that his family’s dedication to this community made him proud.

He was proud of his ancestors and of his sons because of the Braggs’ past and future commitment to Bangor.

Judging from his life, Charlie Bragg was never afraid to die. He was a spiritual man.

Charlie Bragg’s worst fear was that he would become useless. He never did.