Paul Charles Gignilliat & Ellen Cash Gignilliat  

He is probably the grandson of Gen. Leigh Robinson Gignilliat of Culver Military Academy

1940 Census
Paul C Gignilliat
Age 8, born abt 1932
Birthplace Illinois
Gender Male
Race White
Home in 1940 615 Ridge RoadNew Trier,Cook, Illinois
Household Members Age
Head Leigh R Gignilliat Junior 41
Wife Charlotte Gignilliat 34
Servant Betty Jennings 31
Son Leigh R Gignilliat Junior 12
Son Paul C Gignilliat 8
Daughter Charlotte Gignilliat 4

Gignilliat Pfaff Bailey McCannon Group Paul C. Gignilliat Managing Director - Wealth Management Financial Advisor Private Wealth Advisor Senior Portfolio Manager

He made his career in the stock market as a broker and investment adviser, primarily with Kidder Peabody. Today, he is vice president of UBS Global.

Paul joined the securities business in 1955 after two years of serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy. In 1961, he transferred to Kidder Peabody & Co., which subsequently evolved into UBS in 2000. His specialty is analyzing stocks, with an emphasis on the quality of management to increase a company’s value.

He graduated from Yale University in 1953 with a degree in history. Paul holds Series 3, 7 and 66 securities licenses

Beyond his professional experiences, Paul’s generosity and commitment to giving back are reflected in so many ways.

Paul Gignilliat is chair of the Chicago Humanities Festival Development Committee and vice chair of the CHF Investment Committee. He is a member the CHF Special Events Committee.

He is a trustee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Culver Education Foundation, and a director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Paul Gignilliat graduate of CMA ’49. Ellen & Paul Gignilliat Foundation, Inc.

He and his wife, Ellen, have been married 55 years, and have three children and two grandchildren.

Under information of the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago is found:

ELLEN GIGNILLIAT,active in numerous cultural and community organizations, is a member of Ravinia Festival Board of Trustees and Women’s Board, a member of the Goodman Theatre’s Women’s Board, and the Women’s Board of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She is a Trustee of McCormick Theological Seminary and has served as an Elder and Trustee of Fourth Church, Co-Chair of the Habitat for Humanity Benefit and a member of the Partners in Education Board. Ellen is Co-Chair of the Capital Campaign.

Paul GIGNILLIAT, a stockbroker, is also active in the community and serves as a Trustee for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has served as an Elder, Trustee, and Chair of Fourth Church’s Stewardship Committee and Investments Committee and as Major Gifts Committee Chair for the 1994-95 Capital Campaign. Paul is Co-Chair of the Capital Campaign.

married Indiana Ellen Jane Cash Gignilliat was raised in East Chicago, Indiana. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Indiana University

Ellen Cash To Be Among Summer Brides Mrs. Frank E. Cash of 4115 Baring Ave., East Chicago, is announcing the engagement of daughter, Ellen Jane, to Paul Charles Gignilliat, son of Mr. and Mrs. Leigh R. Gignilliat Jr. of Chicago.

Miss Cash is a graduate of Roosevelt High School and Indiana University, where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority. She received a B. S. degree in education and is teaching at the Franklin Elementary School in East Chicago.

Her fiance is a graduate of Culver Military Academy and Yale University, where he received a liberal arts degree. After serving two years with the U.S. Navy, he is employed with the investment firm of Glore, Forgan and Co. in Chicago.

The couple plan a June wedding in the First Methodist Church of East Chicago. The Times Hammond,

Her husband, Paul Charles Gignilliat graduated from Yale University .

As a student at IU, she was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority and actively involved with the YWCA and is now a life member of the IU Alumni Association. Serving in numerous community organizations, including the Women's Board of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and as a trustee of Ravinia (the summer home of the Chicago Symphony) and a member of the Ravinia Festival Women's Board. In 1990 demonstrated her commitment to music by the establishment of the Gignilliat Music Scholarship Fund which is awarded annually to deserving students at IU School of Music. "Music is such a joy, and the Indiana University School of Music stands out worldwide. I wanted to do something for my alma mater, and I think it's very exciting tohave a part in making a difference in young lives."

Paul C. Gignilliat is chair of the Chicago Humanities Festival Development Committee and vice chair of the CHF Investment Committee. He is a member the Chicago Humanities Festival Special Events Committee. He is senior vice president of investments at UBS, a trustee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Culver Education Foundation, and a director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

Ellen and Paul Gignilliat were honored at the Merit School of Music Gala 2007 on Thursday, May 31, 2007 at Four Seasons Chicago

Paul Charles Gignilliat Obituary

You would be forgiven for concluding that the world which survives Paul Charles Gignilliat is a colder, grimmer place for his absence. Yet such a verdict misses the full measure of his influence on those fortunate enough to know him and to feel his boundless affection. Paul had an almost supernatural ability to transform any room with his unique combination of warmth, humor, and generosity. That gift drew the widest smiles from his friends and family in each moment of his 93 years and will continue to live on in the hearts of all who loved him.

The roots of Paul's unshakable optimism can be traced to a chance meeting with Ellen Cash in 1955 in Culver, Indiana. Their connection sparked a joyous partnership that lasted seven decades. They married in 1957 and built a life in Oak Park, Illinois, where they raised three daughters: Suzanne, Bibby, and Mary. From that home, Paul's presence radiated outward, touching an ever-expanding community of people and institutions enriched by his kindness and involvement.

To know Paul was to witness his passion for learning and his deep loyalty to his alma maters, the Culver Military Academy and Yale University. He often said that these schools had provided every tool he needed for a meaningful life. In return, he worked tirelessly to promote access to their programs and to enhance their campuses, ensuring that future generations could share in the opportunities that shaped him.

A steadfast believer in service, Paul followed his family's footsteps into the ROTC and, after graduating from Yale in 1953, was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. He served two years at Great Lakes Naval Station aboard the USS Daniel A. Joy. The discipline he gained during that period stayed with him, and he frequently spoke of those days as among the most formative of his life.

After completing his service, Paul began his professional career as an investment adviser at Glore Forgan in Chicago. He joined Kidder, Peabody & Co. in 1961 and remained through its subsequent acquisitions- rst by GE, then PaineWebber, and ultimately UBS. Over six decades, Paul's intellect, insight, and grace made him an essential gure within each new chapter of the rm, an achievement few can claim.

Yet it often felt as though Paul's true work began in the evenings, when he poured his energy into the civic and cultural life of his community. During his three decades in Oak Park, he raised funds for the Oak Park Community Chest, helped lead the restoration of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, and served as head of the Oak Park–River Forest High School Board, which his daughters attended.

Paul's involvement in and impact on the lives of his children cannot be overstated. He was a constant reading companion, carpool captain, mischief co-conspirator, game partner, and emotional anchor.

After relocating to downtown Chicago in 1985, Paul became a founding member of the Chicago Humanities Festival and served on the boards of Hubbard Street Dance, the Chicago International Film Festival, he Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fourth Presbyterian Church, and numerous others.

Theaters and concert halls across Chicagoland-from the Goodman Theatre to the Merit School of Music-are well acquainted with the generosity and steadfast support of Paul and Ellen Gignilliat.

His inextinguishable love of the arts was perhaps matched only by his passion for knowledge and language. He filled his home with novels and histories, quoted Shakespeare in conversation (with varying accuracy), and planned travel around his ever-evolving intellectual interests.

Athletics were another enduring joy. He rowed and boxed at both Culver and Yale, later ran two New York City marathons and multiple triathlons, biked long-distance routes, swam, and played squash, golf, and tennis. (His longtime tennis and squash partners will never forget his unusual and formidable ambidexterity.) Paul even took up tap dancing at the age of 80.

Ever the gentleman and gentle man, his greatest gift may have been conversation. Blessed with an endlessly inquisitive mind, Paul delighted in new ideas and unexpected viewpoints. Time spent talking with him was always a pleasure; he had a rare ability to take in the world's constant changes with genuine interest, re ection, and gratitude. And of course, his verbal quips and expressions will live on in countless future conversations.

Paul often quoted Psalm 23:5, noting that his cup "runneth over" with blessing and good fortune. Those who survive him-his wife of 68 years, Ellen Cash Gignilliat; his daughters Suzanne (Tom Hinkes), Bibby, and Mary; and his grandsons Paul Sylvester Hinkes (Carolina Trombetta) and Philip Edward Hinkes-know that they were, in truth, the ones entrusted with that over owing cup.

Memorial services will be held in Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. (CST) at Fourth Presbyterian Church, and in Culver, Indiana on Thursday, December 18, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. (EST) at the Culver Academies.

In lieu of owers, donations may be made to the Culver Academies, Chicago Lights, or the Chicago Humanities Festival. - Legacy. com by Michalik Funeral Home on Nov. 29, 2025.