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Bean Heiress Donates $3 Million for New LifeFlight Helicopter

PORT CLYDE, Maine -- Linda Bean's Maine Lobster is donating $3 million to LifeFlight of Maine, which will cover roughly half the cost of a third helicopter for the statewide service.

LifeFlight has two helicopters right now, based in Lewiston and Bangor. Executive Director Tom Judge says what they plan to get is the next generation of aircraft.

"We'll have a lot more performance in these aircraft," Judge says. "All these aircraft cover every corner of the state, every community in the state, every hospital, EMS service - every community depends on these aircraft."

During a ceremony Thursday in Port Clyde, Bean said that Maine's natural resources industries, such as fishing, farming and forestry, have inherent dangers, and many coastal fishing families live on remote islands.

Ed is a Maine native who spent his early childhood in Livermore Falls before moving to Farmington. He graduated from Mount Blue High School in 1970 before going to the University of Maine at Orono where he received his BA in speech in 1974 with a broadcast concentration. It was during that time that he first became involved with public broadcasting. He served as an intern for what was then called MPBN TV and also did volunteer work for MPBN Radio.