Linking the Private and Public Sectors

Many Dartmouth graduates have the satisfaction of seeing their dreams take shape as buildings. Typically it's a private house or perhaps a commercial enterprise. But a few get involved with developments that have broader community impact and a different sort of reward. Ask Paul O'Connell '64, who's been called "a role model for the private sector." For five years he has been the driving force behind a pan to stimulate growth in Worcester, Mass., by guiding the city from an industrial past toward a new role as a center for biotechnical research and production.

A native of Worcester and a practicing attorney specializing m real estate, Paul devotes a third of his time to exchanging the city's blue-collar for a white lab jacket. The first step was getting Gov. Michael Dukakis's help in transferring ownership of 75 acres of state land to the newly created Worcester Biotechnology Research Park. Then Paul and his team raised $150 million in financing. Plans for four buildings comprising a million square feet were drawn up. Two are finished and operating near capacity, two more will be started this spring.

"Because of Paul's leadership," says Gov. Dukakis, "Biotech Park is destined to be a key to economic development, not only for Worcester but also for the entire

O'Connell describes his participation this way: "At Dartmouth I developed a strong sense of loyalty, a sense of commitment, that taught me how rewarding servicewhether to your college or community—can be. I was the eighth in my family to attend Dartmouth and tradition is important. It has carried over into other aspects of my life. For example, I'm with the law firm my father helped establish, and my grandfather was a developer in Worcester.

Paul, who's also been a selectman and member of the town planning board, adds, "I believe in giving back a little to the community in which I was raised." Dukakis says, "A lot of things happened that might not have, without him."