Maine philanthropist and world-renowned map collector Harold Osher has died at the age of 99.
Osher was born in Portland, attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick and went on to medical school, returning to Maine and opening a private practice, according to an obituary from Temple Beth El. He would later serve as director of Maine Medical Center’s division of cardiology and hold several faculty appointments at medical schools around New England.
Osher also served as president of the Maine affiliate of the American Heart Association.
As he was winding down his medical career, Osher rekindled a childhood interest in maps, which over a decade grew to become one of the finest map collections in the world. In 1989, Osher and his wife, Peggy, gifted their collection to the University of Southern Maine, combining it with other collections to create the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education.
Osher died Saturday. Funeral services will be Thursday in Portland.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
