Paul J. Koessler, business executive, philanthropist and civic leader
Jan. 15, 1937 — July 17, 2008
Paul J. Koessler of Buffalo, a philanthropist and civic leader, died Thursday in Sisters Hospital, his family said. He was 71.
In recent years, he was best known for his work as chairman of the Peace Bridge Authority. Upon joining the board in November 2000, Mr. Koessler listed as his main goal “getting us a good bridge as quickly as we can.”
But his influence reached far beyond the controversial bridge project.
The former president and chief operating officer of Greater Buffalo Press, he helped raise millions of dollars for Canisius High School and the Buffalo Seminary, among other institutions.
In May, he was on hand as ground was broken for Canisius High School’s new $20 million wing and field house. A 1955 graduate of the school, Mr. Koessler led the fundraising campaign.
“He loved Canisius High School with all of his heart,” said John M. Knight, the school’s president. “He was an outstanding example of what we’re about. It’ll be a long time before his like will be seen again.”
In 2006, the Paul J. Koessler Foundation awarded 40 grants worth nearly $300,000 to schools, churches and charities. Among those he helped were the Food Bank of Western New York, Catholic Charities, Cradle Beach Camp, the Bison Scholarship Foundation and the Sisters of Mercy.
“From the success he achieved in business, to his many community and philanthropic causes, Paul Koessler was a true man of Buffalo,” Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N. Y., said in a written statement. “He always had his finger on the pulse of the city that he loved and never stopped giving back, from Canisius High School and College to the Peace Bridge.”
“Paul Koessler was incredibly devoted to Buffalo and Western New York,” Mayor Byron
W. Brown said. “He was a very involved civic leader and contributed greatly to the community and will be sorely missed.”
Mr. Koessler had served as both chairman and vice chairman of the Peace Bridge Authority.
Three governors — one a Republican and the others Democrats — named him to the Peace Bridge Authority board over the years.
Former Buffalo Mayor Anthony
M. Masiello said he often met with him as the authority and City Hall tried to move past the failed twin-span plan.
“At a time when there was chaos and controversy, he was a calming and reasonable voice,” Masiello said.
“He was a consummate gentleman,” Masiello added. “Very respectful and knowledgeable. I enjoyed dealing with him even when we disagreed on things.”
“Paul Koessler was widely respected because he was always respectful — to anyone and everyone he came in contact with,” added Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo. “Paul was a strong and effective advocate for groundbreaking projects important to Western New York and will be especially missed as a leader and a partner in the effort to construct a new Peace Bridge.”
Setbacks beyond his control have delayed the project. But local government leaders credited him for opening and improving the process to select a bridge design.
“It’s a huge loss,” said Ron Rienas, the Peace Bridge Authority’s general manager. “It’s a sad day for the authority.”
“He was always a gentleman, a true professional and consensus builder, always striving to ensure that the interests of the Peace Bridge and the community were treated equally,” said Anthony Annunziata, the authority’s vice chairman.
Mr. Koessler confronted challenges in his role at the bridge authority. The collapse of a shared-border plan to put U. S. inspection facilities in Fort Erie, Ont., means more West Side properties would be needed for a Buffalo plaza. And that has led to neighborhood opposition. More recently, doubts have grown over whether a recommended cable-stayed bridge can be built because of how it would impact migratory birds.
“He found the politics of the process frustrating, but he never showed that,” Rienas said. “He always believed the project could be done in a way that the interests of the community could be addressed.”
Mr. Koessler received the Canisius College Board of Regents Distinguished Citizen Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to the social, cultural and economic welfare of Western New York.
He served on the boards for Canisius High School, the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, Buffalo Niagara Partnership and Buffalo Venture. He also served on the boards for Contract Staffing, Dunn Tire Corp., Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Niagara Lutheran Health Foundation, Sisters Hospital Foundation, Roswell Park Alliance Foundation and WNED.
He served as chairman of the Canisius College board of trustees and was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Business Administration Society in 1985.
Canisius College officials considered him “a key volunteer for important fundraising initiatives at Canisius.”
Born in Buffalo, Mr. Koessler graduated from Canisius High School and the University of Detroit, where he majored in mathematics.
He soon joined Greater Buffalo Press, which had been founded by his father, J. Walter Koessler Sr., and uncle, Kenneth
L. Koessler Sr., in 1926.
Mr. Koessler, who graduated from Harvard Business School in his 40s, was company president and COO, working alongside his brother, John W. “Jack” Jr., its chairman and CEO, from 1980 to 1989, when it was sold to Sullivan Graphics. Jack Koessler died in 1997.
Under their leadership, Greater Buffalo Press became the world’s largest printer of Sunday comics and a top printer of advertising inserts, with seven plants in the United States and one in Canada. At its height, it employed 2,100 people. After the sale, Paul Koessler moved to Nashville as vice chairman of Sullivan Graphics. He returned to Buffalo in the 1990s.
Surviving are his wife, Niscah; three daughters, Susan Santandreu, Joanne Koessler- Lana and Gretchen White; two sons, Joe and Eric; a stepdaughter, Kimberly R. Lupkin; and three stepsons, Robert E. Rich III, Theodore W. Rich and Brian M. Benatovich.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a. m. Monday St. Benedict Catholic Church, 1317 Eggert Rd. at Main Street, Eggertsville. — Patrick Lakamp and Tom Buckham
