AUBURN – The new residence hall at Central Maine Community College is being named for the late David Rancourt, an Iraq war veteran, a graduate of the college and an Androscoggin County sheriff’s deputy who died in the line of duty.

The Maine Community College System board of trustees voted Wednesday unanimously to approve the building’s new name, said system spokeswoman Helen Pelletier. CMCC President Scott Knapp made the recommendation to the board.

Effective immediately, the residence hall will be called Rancourt Hall, Knapp said Thursday.

CMCC names residence halls after students who have distinguished themselves, Knapp said. This is the second named after a student. The other is Fortin Hall, named for outstanding student, Student Senate president and residence assistant Jacques Fortin, who died in a motorcycle accident.

When Rancourt died on Nov. 4, 2006, he was 40 years old and the captain of the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s dive team. He was diving in the Androscoggin River for criminal evidence when he suffered a heart attack.

His death came one week after he retired from the Army.

Rancourt, of Leeds, had been a county deputy for 10 years. In addition to serving as captain of the dive team, he was a defensive tactics instructor. He was also a former police officer in Mechanic Falls.

His military service included being a member of the 619th Transportation Company of the Army Reserve. He retired after 20 years, and served in Desert Storm and two tours in Iraq. He received a Bronze Star during his last tour. After he died, Rancourt was remembered as a devoted family man and police officer.

His widow, Dawn Rancourt, was delighted by the news Thursday that a building is being named for her husband. “It’s wonderful. It’s a nice compliment,” she said. The two met when both were in the Army Reserves. She is a former Lewiston police corporal now employed by the 911 communications center in Auburn.

“He would be honored” by having a building named for him, Dawn Rancourt said. “He wasn’t the type of man who liked a lot of attention, but I think he’d be pleased.”

Their two sons, Jeromey, 8, and Brock, 7 months, will be proud to see their father’s name on the building, she said. “Especially my oldest son. He knew his dad more.” The couple were expecting their second child when he died.

The decision to name the building after Rancourt came from a committee formed after the building opened last year, Knapp said. Members of that naming committee included members of the administration, faculty and students.

The committee only had one candidate, Rancourt, to name the building after. “Once it was suggested, everybody felt it was a good idea,” Knapp said. Buildings are named for someone who distinguished themselves in serving others, Knapp said, adding that Rancourt fit that bill. Listing all that Rancourt did in his short 40 years, Knapp said Rancourt “dedicated his life to serving his community.”

The $5.4 million residence hall was built to keep pace with the growing number of students. Today 148 students live there.

Soon, the words “Rancourt Hall” will appear on the outside of the building. A plaque in memory of Rancourt will be inside the main entrance. This spring, the college will formally dedicate the building and unveil the name, Knapp said.