Former Twins media relations director Tom Mee dies at 88

Former Twins media relations director Tom Mee died Friday at age 88.

Mee was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame in 2013.

Mee starting his career with the St. Paul Saints in 1957. He won the Robert O. Fishel Award for public relations excellence in 1988.

"Tom Mee was a pioneer in the field of Sports PR," said Twins media relations director Dustin Morse. "He was an invaluable resource to not only the Minnesota Twins but me personally as I grew and advanced in the world of sports. He always made time, cared about others and shared his love for the game of baseball. I am proud to lead in the same department he built; I am a better person for having Tom in my life."

Mee started with the Twins in 1961 and retired following the Twins' first World Series title in 1991; he later was the team's official scorer. He also earned the Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 and the team's communications office at Target Field contains the Tom Mee Library.

The team issued a statement Friday that read: "The Minnesota Twins are deeply saddened by the loss of Tom Mee, who was widely regarded as the organization's first employee. He was a professional who dedicated his life to Twins Baseball. The club, like many of his friends throughout the game, are thinking of his wife Noreene and the entire Mee family during this difficult time."

Funeral arrangements are pending.