Local attorney gives $1 million gift to Northern Maine Community College

    At a dedication ceremony for a new gazebo situated on the Northern Maine Community College campus in memory of his late wife, B. Jean Harding, Floyd Harding announced the $1 million gift to NMCC. The charitable remainder trust, established through the NMCC Foundation as part of the Campaign for the County’s College, will benefit student scholarships, specifically the Jean and Floyd Harding Scholarship Fund.
“Floyd and Jean were an outstanding couple. As I have gotten to know Floyd, I have been amazed at the history he has lived and the contributions he has made. He has met presidents and leaders, and has given to his community in many ways,” said NMCC President Timothy Crowley. “The donation to the college is very significant and it will help hundreds for years to come. It is his commitment to his fellow human beings that we should be most impressed with. It is an honor and a pleasure to know Floyd and to know that he believes in the work that has been done and is being done at NMCC. The people of the county will be forever in Floyd and Jean Harding’s debt. We are grateful and humbled by your generosity.”
College officials anticipate more than 150 deserving students will receive financial assistance annually as a result of the gift.
“My announcement is both an investment in the future of this college and the generations of future students who will benefit from it, as well as a payback,” said Harding. “It is an investment made possible by a wise investment of my own many years ago and some wise advice concerning investments along the way.
“The first bit of advice, from my father, was to never invest in something you cannot see. The second, from a friend, who cautioned to never throw down a winning hand,” he said. “This college has proven, time and again, that it is a ‘winning hand,’ and the very visible proof is found with the thousands of men and women who contribute to our communities every day.”
Harding said the gift is also a payback because “anonymous people made a contribution to Colby College that made it possible for me to attend that wonderful school.”
“The generosity of those wonderful benefactors has made it possible for me to better serve my community, county, state and nation,” he said.
A native of central Maine and one of 12 children, Harding grew up on a dairy farm before attending Colby College in Waterville in 1941, where he earned his first degree. In 1949, he graduated from Boston University Law School and subsequently passed the Maine and Massachusetts bar entry exams.
Between his years at Colby and Boston University, Harding served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II in Europe. In the early days of the Battle of the Bulge, he was captured by the Germans and became a prisoner of war. During his internment, he was held in Dresden and was present during the fire bombings of the German city.
He first came to Aroostook County in 1950, after being hired by Clifford McIntire, assistant general manager of Maine Potato Growers, to work as the cooperative’s credit manager and assistant general counsel. After working for MPG for four years, Harding established a private law practice and began an active life of civic involvement and leadership.
In 1950, Harding became one of the charter members of the Presque Isle Kiwanis Club. He was elected president of the organization in 1957, and continues to be an active member today. He also served on the board of directors of the Presque Isle Hospital for many years, including serving as its president from 1963 through 1964.
Another organization benefiting from his involvement is the Presque Isle Chamber of Commerce, of which Harding has been a member since starting his law practice, serving as president in 1958. He has also been involved in raising funds for his church, Grant Memorial Methodist.
A respected attorney and former State Senator, who was elected to three terms in the Maine State Senate beginning in 1964, Harding served as both majority and minority leader in the chamber. He has long been known as a leader and activist in the Democratic Party, having served as chair of both the Presque Isle and Aroostook County Democratic Committees and as an active adviser and campaigner for many  elected officials in the party.
The establishment of the scholarship fund is not the first significant contribution Floyd Harding has made to the Presque Isle college. In the early 1960s, he was among the driving forces and member of an ad hoc committee established to bring, what was referred to at the time as, vocational education to Aroostook County.
As a result of the civic group’s efforts and those of area legislators, including Rep. Harold Stewart and Sen. E. Perrin Edmunds, a bill was passed in 1961 to establish the Northeastern Maine Vocational Institute, a forerunner of NMCC.