Longtime Wilmington builder dies at 89

Longtime Wilmington builder Paul Gregory died Monday evening at the age of 89.

Officials with the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association issued a statement about Gregory’s lengthy contributions during his more than 35-year career in housing in the Wilmington area.

“Paul was a legend in our industry and a mentor to many,” Donna Girardot, executive officer of the home builders association, said in a release.

He was one of the three contractors who started the home builders association, which was chartered in 1965, and led the hiring of its first executive officer.

The organization inducted Gregory into its hall of fame in May during the Parade of Homes Banquet.

Gregory served as the association’s president for three terms and also served as president of the Wilmington Contractors’ Association.

He was part of the team of local builders that lobbied the state legislature for New Hanover County’s first building inspector, according to the home builders association’s release.

Gregory was a member of the Lions Club and served on the New Hanover County Airport Authority. About a decade ago, a foundation was established in his name that contributed to a number of community nonprofits and groups, including a construction scholarship at Cape Fear Community College, donations to Elderhaus and funding to the Pender County Health Department for inoculations and eye glass for low-income families.