Activities
FDAAA Mourns the death of J. Paul Hile, former FDA Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs
Joseph Paul Hile, of Fairfax County, Virginia, former Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs of the Food and Drug Administration, died Tuesday May 25, 2010, at the Capital Hospice Halquist Memorial Inpatient Center. He was 79.
Paul, as he was known to family and friends, served as Associate Commissioner for the FDA from July 1976 to June 1986, the third ranking position within the agency at that time, behind the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner. He joined the FDA as an investigator in January 1958 at its Denver District and served as a supervisory investigator at the Seattle District. He was transferred to FDA's Washington D.C. area headquarters in Rockville, MD in 1964 and became Executive Director of Regional Operations in 1970, overseeing field investigations until 1976. He managed the field organization again as Associate Commissioner from 1983 until his retirement. During his tenure as Associate Commissioner, he managed the agency's regulatory response to the first and second Tylenol tampering incidents. Known as a tough, but fair regulator by members of the Food and Drug Bar, he was also recognized within the agency as a progressive and effective manager. He was a four-time recipient of the FDA's highest honor, the Award of Merit. He also received the Health and Human Services Departmental Distinguished Service Award, and the Presidential Executive Rank Award for Meritorious Service. He was recognized for his contribution and commitment to the agency's Equal Employment Opportunity program and was awarded both the FDA and HHS EEO Achievement awards.
Upon his retirement from FDA, he became the Corporate and Division Director of Regulatory Affairs for Hazleton Laboratories, where he established a successful food and drug regulatory consulting business for the company. In May of 1991, he, along with his longtime associates C.K. (Carolyn) Gund and Clyde Takeguchi, formed the consulting firm of Phoenix Regulatory Associates, Ltd., where he continued his work with private industry in the field of food and drug regulatory affairs. He served as chairman of the board and president of Phoenix until he began a gradual retirement in 2001, remaining on the board of directors and acting as a senior advisor to the staff of Phoenix until the time of his death. As a consultant, he continued to be recognized within the industry, receiving the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society's Regulatory Professional of the Year Award in 1989; the Food and Drug Law Institute's Distinguished Service and Leadership Award for Consulting in 2003; and the Food and Drug Administration's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2001 "for many years of exemplary senior executive leadership and outstanding contributions, and for being a lifelong trusted friend and colleague of the Food and Drug Administration."
Paul was born June 11, 1930 in Denver, Colorado, the son of Joseph Nicholas Hile and Anne Laura Mayer Hile. He graduated with High Distinction from Colorado State University in June 1952 with a Bachelors Degree in Animal Production, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Phi scholastic, Alpha Zeta agricultural and Kappa Kappa Psi band honorary societies. He served in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict and received an honorable discharge from active duty as a First Lieutenant, Artillery. He met his wife, the former Helen Hermina Neu, at the FDA Denver District office where they were coworkers. They were married in Denver on October 14, 1961 and had two children, daughter Karen and son John.
He and his wife had a keen interest in genealogy and researching both his own and Helen's family history. As part of their family research, he and is wife became lifetime members of the National American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, which traces her family history. He was on the Society Foundation's Board of Trusties from 1993 until 1999, serving as president of the board for three years beginning in 1996. He served the Society again as a member of its Board of Directors for two years from 2004 until 2006 and received the Society's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, in 2004.
He had a lifelong interest in trains, and enjoyed the hobby of prototypic model railroading. He was also an accomplished artist and enjoyed oil painting. He was recognized for his service to his neighborhood civic association and served as President for the 1992-93 term. He was an active member of King of Kings Lutheran Church.