Paul P. Gwyn ’57

Described by his family as “a small-town boy from the foothills of North Carolina,” Paul became a path-setting plastic surgeon. He died Oct. 13, 2025, in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Paul came to Princeton from Woodberry Forest, with a scholarship from Chatham Manufacturing Co. He majored in chemistry, sang in the Chapel Choir and the Glee Club, served on Orange Key, and joined Elm Club. Senior year he roomed with Jack Bittig, Bill Booker, Fred Greear, and Jim McCutchan.

Following graduation Paul earned a medical degree from Columbia and did his internship at Duke, where he met and married a nursing student, Nancy Byrant Hooper. His medical studies were interrupted by service in the Air Force, where he attained the rank of captain. Thereafter he was involved in a general surgery residency at North Carolina Baptist Hospital. Having spent time doing plastic surgery in Liberia during his time at Columbia, Paul embarked on a career as a plastic surgeon in Winston-Salem, establishing Forsyth Plastic Surgical Associates and serving as president of that firm and of many plastic surgery societies until he retired. He received numerous honors during his career and founded Physicians for Peace in the 1980s.

After retirement, he spent time as a photojournalist, traveling the world with his wife and his children and grandchildren, as well as many hours at a vacation home in Duck, near Kitty Hawk, N.C.

Paul is survived by his wife of 62 years, Nancy; their three children, David, Kelly, and Marya; and their families.