Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors is proud to feature families, groups and individuals who make a difference in our community. This month, we turn our attention to Paul Seligson. We are excited to highlight Paul’s tireless work, dedication to supporting and preserving our community’s natural
resources and his unwavering commitment to our small business community. We are excited to honor Paul as our 2026 Newtown Square Friend & Neighbor of the Year!
Some people leave a mark on a community through a single accomplishment. Others do it through years of quiet consistency, showing up again and again to make life a little brighter for everyone around them. Paul and Suzanne Seligson have spent nearly three decades doing exactly that in Newtown Square.
From the hanging flower baskets that welcome residents and visitors to town, to volunteer initiatives, neighborhood gatherings, tennis courts and community organizations, the Seligsons have woven themselves into the fabric of the area they proudly call home. Their story is one built on adventure, resilience, humor, friendship and an appreciation for the power of community.
Paul’s path to Newtown Square was anything but ordinary. Originally from San Francisco, he lived in cities and regions across the country and beyond before eventually settling in Delaware County. His journey took him to New Orleans twice, Chicago, Washington, D.C. twice, Houston, Miami, Hawaii and Switzerland, among other places. Along the way, he built a successful career in the hotel industry, a profession that matched his energetic personality and love of constant movement. “I loved the rapid pace and the constant changeup,” Paul shared. “No two days were alike.”
After graduating from Colorado College with a degree in philosophy and art history, Paul completed his final diploma at the Lausanne Swiss Hotel School, one of the world’s most respected hospitality institutions. It was there, in Switzerland, that his life changed forever.
Suzanne was working as a cosmetologist at the elegant Hotel Beau Rivage Palace in Lausanne while Paul was completing an apprenticeship assignment as a room-service waiter. Their paths crossed when he regularly delivered refreshments to the beauty salon. What began as a simple workplace interaction gradually grew into a relationship that would span both decades and continents.
The couple lived together in Lausanne for about a year and a half before circumstances unexpectedly pushed them toward marriage. Paul had accepted a final apprenticeship position in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but Suzanne could not enter the United States without the proper paperwork. “Neither of us was particularly keen on marriage at the time,” Paul joked. “But if Suzanne was going to join me in the Virgin Islands, we needed to make it official.”
Their wedding story is just the beginning of their more-than memorable journey! “Only six people attended our ceremony at the Lausanne Palais
de Justice,” Paul said. “Suzanne requested white flowers for the wedding, so I had 12 white gladiolas delivered that morning, to which she quickly
informed me that my choice of flowers would never do.” So, on the way to the courthouse, they stopped at a florist shop where the only white flowers
available were two white carnations and one pink. During the scramble, Paul accidentally snapped one flower stem while rushing back to the taxi.
As if that were not enough, Suzanne and Paul were running late. “My best friend from Belfast and his girlfriend were waiting outside for us and told us to hurry up or the Judge was going to marry them instead of us,” Paul said. “Our entry into the hushed chambers became a 15-minute lecture about
punctuality and how our marriage would never last.” Fortunately, the judge could not have been more wrong.
The newlyweds skipped a honeymoon entirely because they had neither the money nor the time. Instead, they headed directly to St. Croix in the U.S.
Virgin Islands, beginning married life with the same adventurous spirit that still defines them today.
Not long after arriving in St. Croix, the couple discovered a transportation problem. Suzanne had an international driver’s license but could not
drive a stick shift. Paul could drive a stick shift but did not have a license. Determined to solve the issue, Paul headed to the local motor vehicle office, where the process quickly spiraled into chaos involving long waits, a required blood test administered through an OB-GYN office and an unforgettable driving exam in someone else’s wildly modified Volkswagen.
Another memorable experience involved a storm-delayed flight through Puerto Rico that turned into a night of flooded runways, complimentary cocktails, candlelit dinners in a powerless hotel and a terrifying seaplane malfunction the next morning. Through every chapter, the couple learned to adapt, laugh and lean on each other.
Eventually, Paul’s hospitality career brought them to Newtown Square in 1988. He had joined the team preparing for the opening of the Rittenhouse Hotel and Condominiums in Philadelphia, and while house hunting, the couple kept finding themselves drawn to the rolling hills surrounding Malin and Goshen Roads. “We kept ending up in the same area,” Suzanne recalled. “Something about it just felt right.”
After the successful launch of the Rittenhouse as General Manager, Paul became vice president of operations for RockResorts, a role that required extensive travel to the Caribbean and Hawaii. When that chapter ended, he shifted gears once again, launching three companies, including two catering businesses and another focused on improving patient satisfaction in medical settings.
Suzanne also built a career centered around helping people feel good about themselves. She first worked as a hairstylist before later moving into real estate. What she loved most about both professions was simple. “I really enjoy seeing people smile, laugh and be happy,” she said.
After an exhaustive search, Paul and Suzanne eventually found their forever home on historic Mill Hollow Lane, where they have lived for over 20 years. Their renovated mill house sits beside Crum Creek, creating a setting that feels almost storybook in its charm. “Mill Hollow Lane is steeped in history. Originally containing a few mills, it was bought by the Thayer Family in 1928. When Mrs. Thayer died in 1991, the estate was broken up,” Paul
explained. “Friends of ours bought the Manor House and introduced us to the Johnsons, who were living in what is now our renovated mill house.” When the Johnsons suddenly decided to move to Florida and put the cottage on the market, Suzanne and Paul submitted an offer without hesitation.
“Crum Creek gurgles along 10 feet from our house,” Paul said. “We’ve found the bucolic, rural living here magical.” He added that you’ll often find him and Suzanne in their kitchen. “A significant part of my experience in Lausanne involved delicious cuisine, and Suzanne learned to cook as a child growing up in Zurich. We both paddle around the kitchen, cooking up Italian and French dishes as best remembered.”
Suzanne and Paul describe their neighborhood as unusually close-knit. Friends gather for impromptu porch parties, meadow get-togethers and creek-side celebrations that often include multiple generations. Over time, their neighbors have become their extended family. The sense of connection they found there helped shape the next chapter of their lives, especially Paul’s growing passion for volunteerism.
In 2003, after years in the corporate world, Paul approached Newtown Township looking for ways to get involved locally. He was directed to the Environmental Advisory Committee, where he eventually became Chair. Later, he joined Parks and Recreation and again rose to Chairmanship.
Then came one of the projects most closely associated with his name today. When Newtown Township joined America in Bloom as Pennsylvania’s only participating community at the time, judges encouraged local leaders to form a beautification committee. That suggestion led to the birth of Newtown Square in Bloom.
Paul became Chairman, helping spearhead initiatives that transformed the community’s appearance. The hanging flower baskets now seen throughout town became one of the organization’s signature accomplishments. The Newtown Square Business Association provided crucial support during the first year, helping fund the original basket and bracket hardware after Paul presented the idea to its board. Today, the flowers have become a recognizable symbol of local pride. These days, Paul is actively involved in a “street tree” initiative to plant trees along our business district streets. “We will soon begin our campaign to ask our local businesses to allow us to plant the trees on their properties,” he explained. “We have the funding from generous donors; we just need permission to start planting.”
Paul also serves as Vice President of the Newtown Square Business Association and, during his term as President from 2016 until 2024, he introduced the idea for the street banners that still line the area today. His community involvement extends further through service as Vice Chair of the Democratic Party and a Trustee of the Newtown Library. “Suzanne and I devour books from Newtown Library, have two each on our night tables at all
times and find the whole organization so much fun to deal with.” Paul also joins the French Conversation group at the library on the first two Saturday mornings.
For Paul, volunteering eventually became more rewarding than the corporate career he once loved. “When working for corporate, we’re conditioned to get paid for work,” he explained. “It took some time for me to get into the swing of volunteering. I never imagined how rewarding and fulfilling it could be. It’s like taking a mega vitamin every day.”
Sports and fitness also play a major role in the Seligsons’ lives. Paul serves as captain of the Senior Men’s Tennis group at Delaware County Community College, where players gather almost daily throughout the year. He is also the head tennis coach for Delaware County Special Olympics, a role he has held since 2010 after previously serving as an assistant volleyball coach. The position clearly means a great deal to him, especially because of the relationships built through the program.
Suzanne and Paul are both longtime members of Ellis Athletic Center, where they can often be found participating in classes, workouts or simply catching up with friends. Suzanne enjoys spinning, Zumba, yoga and dance classes, while Paul gravitates toward spinning, HIIT workouts, pickleball and yoga. They also enjoy tennis, pickleball and social events at Radnor Hunt, where they have been members since 2008.
Family remains at the center of everything they do. Their sons have built successful lives of their own while staying closely connected to their parents. Tony and his wife, Trina, live a short drive away in Eagleville. Alex and his wife, Ashley, the former Mrs. Alabama 2012, and founder of Little Hands Serving Hearts, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating and providing volunteer service opportunities for children, live in Mountain Brook, Alabama, with Paul and Suzanne’s grandchildren, Braxton and Brooklyn.
The Seligsons love spending time as a family outdoors and staying active. Tennis and pickleball matches are common whenever they gather, and they often travel together for ski trips in Colorado or vacations in Europe and Brazil. Thanksgiving is typically celebrated in Alabama, and the family is already dreaming about a future trip to Lake Como.
After decades of travel, career changes and countless experiences around the world, Paul and Suzanne found exactly what they were looking for in Newtown Square: connection, purpose and community. Their impact can be seen in local organizations strengthened through their volunteer leadership, and in the welcoming spirit they bring everywhere they go. For the Seligsons, community is not just where you live. It is something you actively help create every single day.
Thank you, Paul, for your incredible commitment to our community and our environment. Your story, hard work and dedication are both admirable and inspirational. Our hope in sharing your story is that more of our friends and neighbors get involved so we can all do our part to preserve and protect our valuable resources.