On Friday Global Custodian CEO Charles Ruffel, publisher Meredith Hughes and colleagues from the company headquarters in Greenwich, Connecticut attended the funeral service of Paul Schofield, the former media relations adviser to State Street and long time friend and adviser to Global Custodian magazine. Paul died on Tuesday at his home in Hingham, Massachusetts, surrounded by his wife, family and friends. He was 64.
The youngest of five children of Canadian parentage, Schofield spent his life seeking professional and personal outlets for his love of language, literature and communication. A career that spanned teaching, journalism, editing, corporate marketing, public relations, speech and screenplay writing and numerous entrepreneurial endeavors was bound by a common thread of optimism, mastery of detail and independent thinking.
A talented writer, he pursued a career in newsprint after graduating from Bridgewater State Teachers’ College in 1964. As a general assignment reporter and editor with The Brockton Enterprise, he covered everything from the police beat to court and city hall happenings. He subsequently applied his interpersonal skills and flair for discovering the essence of a story or idea to a series of management positions in public relations and government affairs with General Dynamics and the Boise Cascade Corporation.
Schofield then earned an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration as a full-time student, while also supporting his young family as a night editor of The Boston Globe.
After spending several years in advertising with Business Week magazine, he founded Schofield & Company in 1981. As the asset management business entered a phase of explosive growth in the 80s and 90s, he was instrumental in establishing high-profile clients such as State Street Bank, State Street Global Advisors and Alliance Capital as premier providers of investment services in the public and professional eye through his close relationships with financial journalists and trade publications.
He was widely respected for his ability to interpret and explain sophisticated financial concepts and products to reporters, investors and the general public, and his knack for distilling the strengths and vision of his client base and communicating it to the public made him an invaluable resource within the industry.
Those who worked for him remember chofield with respect and affection. Throughout his career, he befriended and mentored many young men and women who went on to achieve professional successes of their own.
“Although Paul came from a modest background, he was a successful individual who built a career counseling senior executives at some of the world’s most influential financial organizations. That experience endowed him with a unique ability to instill in those who worked with him a great confidence in their own skills and capabilities, regardless of their background and circumstances,” says Scott Sacco, one of his many protgs.
Schofield’s professional achievements nonetheless took a backseat to his family and friendships. Whether it was attending rock concerts at Cape Cod Coliseum, serving as Commissioner of Hingham’s John Barker Youth Basketball league, or leading lengthy excursions to college campuses across the east coast and deep south to evaluate educational options for his children, Paul was consistently involved in their lives as a friend and enthusiastic guide and mentor. He was also inspired by a lifelong interest in politics, history and the cross-cultural camaraderie he uncovered during his travels. He made frequent trips to Germany and other countries to study World War II and its impact on European culture and society – and named Berlin as his favorite city. These travels prompted he and his wife to purchase a home in southwest France, where he could indulge his love of history, his affection for fine wines and his enjoyment of epic-length family meals.
During his varied life, Schofield maintained a close connection to his hometown, Abington. At the time of his death, he was working on a book about the history of the Thanksgiving Day football game between Abington and Whitman-Hanson High Schools. One of the state’s oldest and most storied rivalries, the classic contest and its participants were the source of great childhood memories for him. Over time, he came to view the game and its place in the cultural fabric of the three communities as a metaphor for the small-town values and work ethic of the town and time in which he was raised. The book will be completed and dedicated in his honor within the next year, with all proceeds going to the two schools.
In addition to his wife of 42 years, Sheila, Schofield is survived by his daughter Valerie Schofield and granddaughter Melaina of Hanover; his son Mark, daughter-in-law Mercedes Tort, and granddaughter Julia of Barcelona, Spain; and 23 nieces and nephews.
A scholarship has been established at Abington High School in Paul Schofield’s name. Contributions may be directed to: Paul Schofield Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Citizen’s Bank, 36 Washington Street, Norwell, MA., 02061.