The story of Jewish occupational success in Maine would be incomplete without mentioning the contribution of Harold Alfond.
Raised in Massachusetts by Jewish immigrants from Russia, Alfond moved to Maine after high school and quickly moved from "odd shoe boy" to plant superintendent by the time he was 22.
Within a matter of decades he founded two successful shoe companies, including Dexter Shoes in 1956. In 1950, as he was becoming a successful businessman, Alfond established the charitable Harold Alfond Foundation and over the next 50 years gave more than $100 million to colleges, youth centers and charities throughout Maine.
