Born Nov. 5, 1933, in Norwich, Conn., to André Charbin and Simone Eymard, Paul lived a long and colorful life. He died peacefully Nov. 1, 2017, in East Hampton, N.Y.

Paul came to us from Portsmouth Abbey in 1951. Though an engineering major at Princeton, Paul’s great love was the arts, in particular literature and philosophy. Paul was also an active member of Charter Club.

After Princeton, he spent two years at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency as a scientific professional in Huntsville, Ala.

Paul then joined the family company, JB Martin — founded in 1832 in Lyon, France, where Paul’s family originates. It’s headquartered in New York City, where Paul was based throughout his career. One of Paul’s simple yet effective guiding principles throughout his career at JB Martin was “Take care of the people and make a good product.” Once retired, Paul alternated between East Hampton and Lyon.

Devoted to his family above all else, Paul was married twice, resulting in three sons, to whom he passed along a love for nature and appreciation of the written word. Paul was an avid reader, constantly fascinated by global current affairs, and a loyal supporter of all New York sports teams.

Paul is survived by his three sons, Cedric, Andrew, and Adrian; and two grandchildren, Alexandre and Annabelle.

Class Year: 
Undergraduate Class of 1955