The ideal philanthropist, according to Henry David Thoreau, imbues their charity with selflessness, and acts without concern for renumeration or recognition. “His goodness must not be a partial and transitory act, but a constant superfluity, which costs him nothing and of which he is unconscious,” Thoreau wrote in “Walden.”

Thoreau could have been describing Harold Alfond.

Alfond, the benefactor for innumerable community, athletic and benevolent projects and programs across Maine, died Friday. His passing was universally mourned, a reflection of the numerous lives Alfond touched, influenced and improved during his 93 years.

In an era where naming rights are swapped and bartered as part of marketing schemes, the attachment of the Alfond name to a facility, like athletic arenas, educational buildings or health care centers, represented the gold standard of generosity, and real caring for the betterment of Maine and its people.

To borrow from Thoreau, there was nothing “partial or transitory” about Alfond’s dedication to Maine. Whenever, or wherever, the needs arose, Alfond used the wealth he earned as the pioneering proprietor of Dexter Shoe to support myriad causes, giving more than $100 million over the years.

The latest product of his vision, the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care, opened last summer at MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta.

It’s a tribute to his wisdom, and acumen as well, that Alfond’s legacy and legend will carry into the future. The Harold Alfond Foundation is well-positioned to continue its charitable works, a final blessing from a legendary Mainer who left those who knew him feeling privileged for the opportunity.

He was a philanthropist and man for the ages. Alfond gave away millions, yet it cost him nothing.

We join all of Maine in mourning his passing.