Calvin R. Paris passed away at 86 years young, in his adopted hometown of Delray Beach, Florida, on May 3, 2019. He is preceded in death by his parents (Sam and Nellie), sister (Doris), one son (Calvin, Jr.), and a host of ancestors. He is survived by his wife (Arlene), four children (Priscilla, Theodore, April and Sam), one stepchild (Alisson), ten grandchildren, and a multitude of extended family and close friends.
Calvin was born to Samuel and Nellie Paris on September 5, 1932, in New Haven, Connecticut. He grew up with his elder sister, Doris (deceased), in New Haven, Connecticut’s tightly knit West Indian Community, alongside many others who had also recently emigrated to New Haven from the Island of Nevis in the Caribbean. Calvin continued to be proud of his roots throughout his life. In 1952, upon graduating from Hillhouse High School, Calvin moved to Washington, D.C., to attend Howard University. In his years after college, Calvin only ever held one salaried job, and that was for a duration of just nine months. From May 1957 onward, he was a non-salaried entrepreneur in a career that spanned over six decades. He began working with Field Enterprises Educational Corporation, selling World Book Encyclopedias door-to-door in Washington, D.C. He quickly rose through the ranks within the organization to become the Assistant Vice President and General Manager, supervising 725 others. Calvin worked for over 25 years with World Book Encyclopedia in New Jersey, Tennessee, D.C., Maryland, and eventually, Chicago. He moved to Chicago in 1973, where four of his five children were raised, and that same year, he ran the top operation in North America at World Book.
In 1980, Calvin left Field Enterprises, purchasing and running a Baskin Robbins franchise, where, for over ten years, he was recognized as having the top U.S. operation. Calvin then purchased nine NutriSystem stores, transforming those weight loss franchises into the most successful in the Midwest territory. He would often joke that he sold customers ice cream, and he would then help them loose those extra pounds from his Baskin Robbins store through his NutriSystem stores. In 1990, Calvin moved to Delray Beach, Florida, where he purchased a mango farm, that he named Estates Mango de Paris. Calvin subdivided and developed the land with million dollar homes – transforming the property into an important part of the thriving Lake Ida community. His youngest son was raised in Delray Beach, Florida. Calvin continued to work in real estate, and although he held no formal license, he had sold over 49 properties by the end of his life. Although Calvin Paris had theoretically retired at the age of 76, hard work was inherent to who he was, and anyone who ever visited Calvin, toward the end of his life, never knew whether they would find him atop a 30 foot tree cutting down branches or sitting at his desk, absent of any computer, using traditional general ledger worksheets to manage his real estate and financial holdings.
Calvin was deeply committed to that which he cared about. He donated generously to organizations and scholarship funds that helped to give young men and women access to higher education, including the Howard University Scholarship Fund and the Kappa Alpha Psi Scholarship Fund. He received many accolades for his philanthropic endeavors, such as the Kappa Alpha Psi Excellence in Honor to all Human Endeavors Award, and the 2018 Bison on the Vineyard Truth and Service Award. Calvin Paris was a lifelong member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., as well as the NAACP. Throughout his lifetime, he watched the landscape of America, a country which he loved deeply, change. He put himself at the forefront of that change, participating in the March on Washington in 1963, supporting organizations throughout his adult years that were committed to helping all people access the bounty and promise of America, and in his later years, functioning as a Precinct Inspector for the Palm Beach County Board of Elections during highly contested Presidential elections in that district. Calvin was an avid traveler who relished discovering the beauty and diversity of America by road. He was also a natural adventurer, who tried his hand at skiing for the first time at age 77, in Madrid, Spain. His indomitable spirit will live on as will his voice bellowing that “life, experiences, success are there for the taking, but you gotta wanna.”
A celebration of life will take place on Saturday, June 29, 2019, at 11:00 AM at St. Luke’s Church, 111 Whalley Ave., New Haven, CT 06524.
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