Date: 03/25/2024
Harry Konkel
Through their generosity and strong commitment to philanthropy, Harry Konkel and his late wife, Susan, along with their children, Jim and Susan, helped change, save, and improve countless lives in Maine and the communities across the county where they lived. A United States Naval Academy graduate, Harry had a distinguished naval career and settled in Maine following his military retirement. Harry and Susan Konkel were committed to providing the best healthcare possible for the people of Maine and were generous supporters of Mercy’s care team, patients, programs, and capital campaigns. We are pleased Mercy’s new Emergency Department entrance and one of the patient floors is named in honor of Susan D. Konkel.
Dr. Robert McAfee
On December 16, 2023, Mercy’s former Chief of Surgery and former president of the American Medical Association, Dr. Bob McAfee, passed away after a brief illness. A Portland native, Dr. McAfee earned his undergraduate degree from Bates College and his medical degree from Tufts University. For more than three decades, he served as attending physician at Maine Medical Center in addition to his leadership role at Mercy. He held teaching positions at Tufts University and the University of Vermont.
In recognition of his leadership and extraordinary work, Dr. McAfee received several honorary degrees as well as awards from the American Cancer Society, Maine Lung Association, and Emergency Services Board and he was appointed to public service positions by every Maine governor from 1968 to 2011 including chair of Dirigo Health Plan. Dr. McAfee was a longtime member of the University of New England Board of Trustees, and he worked on the Partnership for Tobacco-Free Maine, Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence, Maine’s Communities for Children initiative as well as the Mercy Fore River II capital campaign.