Donald F. Gaston (August 5, 1934–June 11, 2021) was an American businessman who served as an Executive Vice President of

Gulf and Western Industries Gulf and Western Industries, Inc. (stylized as Gulf+Western) was an American conglomerate. Originally, the company focused on manufacturing and resource extraction. Beginning in 1966, and continuing throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the company ...

and Chairman of the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

Early life

Gaston was born and raised in

Nacogdoches, Texas Nacogdoches ( ) is a small city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Nacogdoches is a sister city of the smaller, similarly named Natchito ...

. In 1954, he graduated from Stephen F. Austin State College with a degree in accounting. On December 21, 1953, Gaston married Paula Boynton, daughter of Stephen F. Austin president Dr. Paul L. Boynton. They had three children together and resided in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

until 1967, when they moved to

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast, Greenwich is home to many hedge funds and othe ...

. From 1953 to 1962, Gaston served as an assistant manager of Ernst & Ernst in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

Gulf and Western

In 1962, Gaston became treasurer and controller of Gulf and Western Industries, and in 1966 he was elected to the company's board of directors. In 1967, he was elected to the board of directors of

Famous Players Famous Players Limited Partnership, DBA Famous Players, is a Canadian-based subsidiary of Cineplex Entertainment. As an independent company, it existed as a film exhibitor and cable television service provider. Famous Players operated numerous m ...

, a Canadian theater chain owned by Gulf and Western subsidiary

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. Later that year, he was elected Executive Vice President of Gulf and Western. He also served on the board of Gulf and Western subsidiaries

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

Roosevelt Raceway Roosevelt Raceway was a race track located just outside the village of Westbury on Long Island, New York. Initially created as a venue for motor racing, it was converted to a ½-mile harness racing facility (the actual circumference was 100 fee ...

, and the Providence Washington Insurance Company. In 1979, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accused Gaston and company Chairman

Charles Bluhdorn Charles George Bluhdorn (born Karl Georg Blühdorn; September 20, 1926 – February 19, 1983) was an Austrian-born American industrialist. Early life Bluhdorn was born in Vienna, Austria, to an Austrian Jewish mother Rosa Fuchs and father Paul ...

of a number of securities violations. The case was settled in 1981 and Gaston and Bluhdorn were not required to pay any restitution.

Richfield Holdings

In 1982, Gaston formed Richfield Holdings Ltd., an investment group that purchased Providence Capitol International Insurance Ltd. and Famous Players Realty Ltd. from Gulf and Western for $350 million. He resigned from Gulf and Western once the sale was completed.

Boston Celtics

In 1983, Celtics owner Harry T. Mangurian, Jr. was on the verge of selling the team to

Steve Belkin Steve Belkin is an American businessman who is the founder of Trans National Group, travel and other services, especially to affinity groups. And a former owner of Atlanta Thrashers and Atlanta Hawks. Biography Belkin was born in East Grand R ...

. However, when it was revealed that two of Belkin's business associates were convicted bookmakers, the negative publicity led Belkin to withdraw his bid. Twenty-four hours after the Belkin deal fell through, Gaston, who desired to purchase either the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

or the Boston Celtics, began negotiations to purchase the team. On August 9, 1983, Mangurian sold the team to Gaston, Paul Dupee, and

Alan N. Cohen Alan Norman Cohen (December 19, 1930 – August 10, 2004) was the former co-owner of the Boston Celtics and the New Jersey Nets, and chairman and CEO of the Madison Square Garden Corporation, owner of the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers. ...

for $15 million. During Gaston's tenure as owner, the Celtics won two championships (

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...

). Gaston's ownership group also began offering public stock in the team on the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its liste ...

. The team also branched out into media ownership by purchasing WFXT-TV and WEEI in September 1989. In 1993, Gaston's son, Paul Gaston, took control of the team. It was sold to Boston Basketball Partners in 2002 for $360 million.Investment group buys Celtics for $360 million
sportsillustrated.cnn.com September 27, 2002. Retrieved September 12, 2009.

Later life

Gaston and his wife resided in the same home in Greenwich, Connecticut until Paula's death on April 11, 2021. Don died exactly two months later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaston, Don 1934 births 2021 deaths American business executives Boston Celtics executives Boston Celtics owners National Basketball Association executives People from Nacogdoches, Texas People from Greenwich, Connecticut Stephen F. Austin State University alumni