Peter Nicholas (businessman)
Encyclopedia
Peter M. Nicholas co-founded medical device firm Boston Scientific
with partner John Abele
.
Nicholas earned a B.A. from Duke University
in 1964 and an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania
's Wharton School. Nicholas is Chairman Emeritus of the Duke Board of Trustees. In 2005 he was ranked #78 by Forbes magazines list of "The 400 Richest Americans", with an estimated worth of $4 billion.
Born to Greek-American parents, he met scientist Abele at a kids' soccer game in 1979. They borrowed $800,000 to start Boston Scientific, a manufacturer of medical devices. He helped grow the company through a series of astute acquisitions. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/16/8390284/index.htm
In 1996, the Nicholas family gave $20 million to Duke University
for the School of the Environment
, which subsequently renamed the school in his honor. In 2000, Nicholas was a recipient of the Ellis Island
Medal of Honor. In 2004, Nicholas and his wife Ginny made another large pledge to Duke, totaling $72 million. $70 million of that donation was to go to the Nicholas School of the Environment, while $2 million was to go to Perkins library. However, as of September 2010, much of the $72 million pledge has not been paid to Duke, far past its December 2008 deadline.
Prior to co-founding Boston Scientific, Nicholas worked with Eli Lilly and Company
. He currently serves on the Board of Advisors of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions
.
Married to Virginia (Ginny) Lilly, the great-great-granddaughter of Eli Lilly
He is of Greek originhttp://www.thenationalherald.com/pdf/50wealthiest2005.pdf and divides his time between Natick
, a suburb of Boston, and Woods Hole
, a village on Cape Cod
.
Boston Scientific
The Boston Scientific Corporation , is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices whose products are used in a range of interventional medical specialties, including interventional cardiology, peripheral interventions, neuromodulation, neurovascular intervention,...
with partner John Abele
John Abele
John Abele is an American businessman and the co-founder and a director of Boston Scientific, a medical device company.His father, LCDR Mannert Lincoln Abele, USN was Commanding Officer of the submarine USS Grunion when the vessel was lost in the Aleutians on July 31, 1942 presumably to enemy action...
.
Nicholas earned a B.A. from Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
in 1964 and an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
's Wharton School. Nicholas is Chairman Emeritus of the Duke Board of Trustees. In 2005 he was ranked #78 by Forbes magazines list of "The 400 Richest Americans", with an estimated worth of $4 billion.
Born to Greek-American parents, he met scientist Abele at a kids' soccer game in 1979. They borrowed $800,000 to start Boston Scientific, a manufacturer of medical devices. He helped grow the company through a series of astute acquisitions. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/16/8390284/index.htm
In 1996, the Nicholas family gave $20 million to Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
for the School of the Environment
Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences
The Nicholas School of the Environment is one of ten graduate and professional schools at Duke University. The Levine Science Research Center is home to the vast majority of its programs, while a secondary facility is maintained in the coastal town of Beaufort, North Carolina...
, which subsequently renamed the school in his honor. In 2000, Nicholas was a recipient of the Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
Medal of Honor. In 2004, Nicholas and his wife Ginny made another large pledge to Duke, totaling $72 million. $70 million of that donation was to go to the Nicholas School of the Environment, while $2 million was to go to Perkins library. However, as of September 2010, much of the $72 million pledge has not been paid to Duke, far past its December 2008 deadline.
Prior to co-founding Boston Scientific, Nicholas worked with Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...
. He currently serves on the Board of Advisors of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions
Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions
Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions is one of seven interdisciplinary research institutes at Duke University located in Durham, North Carolina...
.
Married to Virginia (Ginny) Lilly, the great-great-granddaughter of Eli Lilly
Colonel Eli Lilly
Eli Lilly was an American soldier, pharmaceutical chemist, industrialist, entrepreneur, and founder of the Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical corporation...
He is of Greek originhttp://www.thenationalherald.com/pdf/50wealthiest2005.pdf and divides his time between Natick
Natick, Massachusetts
Natick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Natick is located near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 33,006 at the 2010 census. Only west from Boston, Natick is considered part of the Greater Boston area...
, a suburb of Boston, and Woods Hole
Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands...
, a village on Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
.