Paul Donnelly Paganucci

Paul Donnelly Paganucci (April 18, 1931 – February 26, 2001) was a prominent American investment banker, university educator, college financial administrator and businessman.

Early life and education Paganucci was born in Waterville, Maine to Romeo J. and Martha (Donnelly) Paganucci. After completing Waterville High School in 1949, he went on to graduate summa cum laude from Dartmouth College (A.B., 1953), where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa; he also received degrees from Dartmouth's Amos Tuck School of Business Administration (M.B.A., 1954), and Harvard Law School (J.D., 1957). At the college, Paganucci joined the fraternity Kappa Kappa Kappa where he served as president.

Career After service in the United States Army, In 1961, he founded an investment banking firm with classmates from Dartmouth; the firm was ultimately called Lombard, Vitalis, Paganucci and Nelson, Inc. (members, New York Stock Exchange), of which Paganucci was president, treasurer and a director.

He returned to W. R. Grace and Company in 1986 and served as executive vice president, vice chairman and ultimately, chairman of the executive committee and director. Initially, three executives — Paganucci, J.P. Bolduc and Terrence D. Daniels — had been appointed vice chairmen by then 77-year-old CEO J. Peter Grace in a leadership competition. Bolduc ultimately won out and was designated as Grace's successor, Paganucci having already relinquished the race; Paganucci became chair of the executive committee. (Bolduc was later terminated after allegations that he had engaged in misconduct with five female employees. ) Paganucci remained an officer of Grace until 1991.

In 1991, Paganucci helped found Ledyard National Bank (Hanover, New Hampshire), and from inception chaired its board of directors. He is credited with helping to grow the school's endowment twelvefold during his term.

Paganucci served as a director of numerous corporations, including Ambase Corporation, State Mutual Securities, Inc., Filene's Basement Corp., Urstadt Biddle Properties Inc., Grace Foundation, Inc. and Sherman Fairchild Foundation.