As the newest recipient of the Borradaile Alumnus Award for outstanding achievements, perhaps the most astonishing thing about Paul Ignatius, Southern California ’39, is that he had not yet won it.
Ignatius was born to first-generation Armenian parents in Glendale, CA, on November 11th, 1920. After joining the Pi and graduating from Southern California in 1942, Ignatius served in World War II as a Commissioned Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, primarily as an Aviation Ordnance Officer in the Pacific.
Upon his return, Ignatius attended and graduated Harvard Business School with an MBA in 1947. Ignatius has had a varied and remarkable career, including Secretary of the Navy under President Lyndon B. Johnson, Assistant Secretary of Defense, Under Secretary of the Army, and Assistant Secretary of the Army. He has served as Chairman, President, and CEO of the Air Transport Association, President of The Washington Post, and Executive Vice President of The Washington Post Company. He founded Harbridge House Inc., a Boston-based consulting and research firm.
Now nearing his 100th birthday, Ignatius is retired. He has authored two books “On Board: My Life in the Navy, Government, and Business” and “Now I Know in Part: Stories of My Growing Up.” Ignatius has been inducted into both the Phi Kappa Tau and the USC Hall of Fame and received honors at the Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center. His wife of 72 years, Nancy, passed away in 2019. Together they had four highly successful children. His grandson, Isaac, is now a member of the Pi colony.
On May 23rd, 2013 the Navy announced that an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer would be named after him. The USS Paul Ignatius was commissioned at Port Everglades, Fl on July 27th, 2019 with Ignatius in attendance.
