August 24, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD — If any one person would be the face of the fishing industry during the last half century or more, it could well be John F. Linehan, who died Aug. 14 at the age of 94.
Not a fisherman himself, the Lewiston, Maine native arrived in New Bedford in 1951 after serving in the military and graduating from Bates College, class of 1953.
Linehan wore many hats in his long career, first as general manager of the New Bedford Seafood Producers Association, a fisheries adviser in Korea, and the first director of the Harbor Development Commission.
He was later operations manager at Frionor Corp., vice president and general manager of Maritime Terminal, Inc., and 12 years as the industry liaison officer for the National Marine Fisheries Service.
His friends, who visited him regularly until the end of his life, say they admired Linehan for being not only intelligent but funny, always ready with a wisecrack.
Linehan was twice the president of the New Bedford Port Society. Member Philip Beauregard, an attorney and Port Society board member, said of Linehan, “He was was chock full of integrity. He was the classic deep-throated Maine Yankee, perfect for his New England surroundings, and he brought a dignity, I thought, to the waterfront.”
“New Bedford was very fortunate to have him as one of its own,” Beauregard said.
Roy Enoksen, a former scalloper who today own Eastern Fisheries, was a close friend of Linehan. “He was a great guy, always the same. John never had highs or lows. He was the same guy all the time.” His life experiences made him the way he was, Enoksen said. He was thoughtful, just very professional at the same time.
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times