LEWISTON — Ralph Tuttle, the former chairman of the L-A SCORE chapter and a fixture in economic and community development in the area, was recognized for his decades of public service by the U.S. Small Business Administration and the state and national offices of SCORE.

The recognition was part of the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of community service.

Marilyn Geroux, district director of the SBA in Maine, presented Tuttle with a special Certificate of Appreciation and Ronald Dillon, SCORE district director for Maine, presented him with a plaque in honor of his nearly 23 years of volunteer service to the Lewiston-Auburn small business community.

Tuttle, an Auburn native, has had many commitments to numerous organizations in Lewiston-Auburn, including the Auburn Library and the Auburn-Lewiston Sports Hall of Fame. He was president of the board of the L-A Chamber of Commerce in 1976, where he led the efforts to establish the “9-1-1” emergency response service.

He had a 35-year career at Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., retiring as an executive in 1993; then volunteered with SCORE. Tuttle was the chapter chairman in Lewiston-Auburn from 2001 to 2006. Under his leadership, the chapter was recognized as the Maine Chapter of the Year.

In 2005, he received the Platinum Leadership Award from the chairman of the board of the National Office of SCORE, in Washington, D.C. He achieved certified mentor status and continued to counsel entrepreneurs, as well as serving as chapter secretary and media relations director until his retirement as mentor emeritus, Dec. 31, 2015.

The award was presented to Tuttle at the offices of Community Concepts Finance Corp., a lending partner of the SBA and a collaborator with SCORE.