A quarter century ago, Bob Bell came to Special Olympics Maine Executive Director Mickey Boutilier with the idea to transplant to Maine a fundraising event he had heard about from a police chief in Kansas.
“Mickey thought he was crazy and maybe he’d be around for three weeks and get about $100,” said Lisa Bird, public relations director for Special Olympics Maine. “Twenty-five years later, Bob remained the director of the Torch Run, and they have raised well over $1 million.”
The Law Enforcement Torch Run, which covers 900 miles and marks the opening of the Special Olympics in Maine each year, is in many ways a testament to the will and personality of Bell, the former Bridgton Police chief and selectman who died April 8 at the age of 72 after a brief battle with melanoma.
It was Bell’s idea to bring the Torch Run to Maine, after learning at a conference about a similar event held in Wichita by Police Chief Richard LaMunyon. And it was his drive to do good, to bring police officers out into the public in a positive way, that made it a reality.
The Torch Run has now spread to all 50 states, and Bell is one of its heroes. He was the first inductee into the Torch Run Hall of Fame, and the only New Englander elected to the International Law Enforcement Hall of Fame. Bell was also the first person given the highest award from Special Olympics Maine, an award that now bears his name.
“He was one of the originals. He just absolutely loved the Torch Run,” said Bird, who will now go about planning the 25th annual event without Bell, who was unsurpassed in his ability to get people involved. “He just saw no reason why you shouldn’t be involved,” she said.
Officer Bernard King worked under Bell in Bridgton for 27 years starting in 1977, and once the Torch Run got going, King was convinced to help out. Not by force, King said, but by persuasion alone.
“He had a certain way of presenting it. Everyone could see his passion,” said King.
Bell carried the same demeanor and sense of purpose in Bridgton, where he served as Chief of Police from 1972 until his retirement in 2004. As a boss, Bell always told his officers to put their families first, King said.
“Between the job and family, family came first. If something popped up, he’d say, go take care of it and we’ll cover it,” said King, who like other Bridgton officers was a coach for kids athletic teams around town. “He always wanted that done, to do something for the community.”
When on a case, Bell was tireless, said King. Such was the case of the 1994 murder of Crystal Perry, who was found dead in her Bridgton home. Bell worked countless hours on the case with investigators from the Maine State Police, and as with any case, the department, not the individual, got credit when credit was due, King said.
“It was the Bridgton Police Department that did it, not any individual officer,” said King, adding that it was always best to shoot straight when talking with Bell. “He held us accountable. That was his big thing, honesty and integrity.”
After Bell’s retirement, he was elected to the Board of Selectmen in April 2006, where he was known as a tough questioner and a tough sell when it came to spending.
“Bob was a stickler for finance and an overseer and watchdog for how we spent our money,” said Town Manager Mitchell Berkowitz, who said he and Bell often disagreed, especially on how to run a police force. But Bell’s disagreements usually came from a place of service. “He always felt he was doing what he was elected to do.”
Bell asked a lot of questions, and held people accountable for their decisions, said King. That could cause some tense discussions, especially when it came to budgets, King said.
“He had reasons for his questions, and he expected to see where the money was being spent,” he said.
If he was abrupt, it was in service to the community, King said. It was the same spirit that drove him year after year to push and promote the Torch Run. Earlier this year, he announced that he would step down from running the event after this year, the 25th, was complete.
Quoting a letter just received from LaMunyon, the Wichita police chief that first planted the idea, Bell may already be on to his next project.
“If there isn’t a Torch Run in heaven right now,” LaMunyon wrote to Bird, “there will be in a matter of days.”
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