FORT KENT – An insurance man who has given countless hours of volunteer time to community projects was named Fort Kent’s Citizen of the Year on Friday night at the annual meeting of the Greater Fort Kent Area Chamber of Commerce.

George Dumond was cited for work in skiing, Jaycees, the Lions Club, his church and veterans organizations, and for re-introducing Soap Box Derby to the St. John Valley.

The recipient is selected by former honorees. Twenty-three of the 44 people who have received the award since its inception in 1962 are eligible to assist in making the selection.

In a legislative sentiment presented at the ceremonies, Rep. Troy Jackson, D-Fort Kent, cited Dumond for the “endless amount of time and energy” he has devoted to his community.

“I am deeply humbled and really honored by this award,” Dumond said to the 200 people in attendance. “I accept this on behalf of all volunteers of this community, and there are so many.

“We have made a mark in the world, and that is a wonderful, wonderful thing,” Dumond said of the community. “I remind young people often that we have an obligation of leaving our community in better shape than when it was given to us.”

Dumond started his community involvement with the Jaycees from 1978 to 1983, and then moved on to the Fort Kent Lions Club and their projects. He was an officer and project chairman for several events while working with those civic organizations. He was a member of the Lions Club Memorial Christmas Tree lighting project for eight years.

Dumond has been a longtime member of the Lonesome Pine Trails, and served as president from 1989 to 1992. He became logistic chief for the first Class A State Ski Championship at Fort Kent in 1991.

He was credited for bringing Soap Box Derby competition back into his community in 1996 and 1997.

Those attending the supper also found out that Dumond is the man who gingerly steps out onto the Fish River each year to place the monument that serves to highlight when the ice is officially out.

He also was involved in the 1997-98 expansion of Lonesome Pine Trails and has been deeply involved in the initial development of Maine Winter Sports and the Fort Kent venue, 10th Mountain Division Lodge, and trails.

Dumond was chief of logistics for the 2004 International Biathlon Union World Cup in Fort Kent in 2004, and still assists at the MWSC venue.

He was chairman of the Portland Diocese Catholic Youth Winter Carnival in Fort Kent in 2002 and has been a member of the St. Louis Parish Endowment Committee for the past two years.

Dumond worked to get new ceremonial rifles for the American Legion Post in Fort Kent and is a volunteer bugler for military funerals.

He also assists with the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races and is a member of the Aroostook County Chapter of the Maine Community Foundation.