William Copulsky

William Copulsky, 90, a retired W.R. Grace executive, died on Sept. 16 in Raleigh, N.C.

Born in Zhitomir, Russia, Copulsky immigrated to the U.S. with his parents as an infant. After earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from New York University in 1942, he enlisted in the Army, serving as a staff sergeant stationed in Newfoundland, Greenland, and Iceland during World War II.

After being honorably discharged from the Army in 1946, he earned an M.B.A. from Baruch College in 1948 and a Ph.D. in business economics from NYU in 1957.

Copulsky joined W.R. Grace in 1950, remaining with the firm for most of his career. He rose through the ranks and ultimately became group vice president of development, a position that involved extensive travel to South America and Australia.

After retiring from W.R. Grace in 1986, he became an associate professor of marketing at Baruch College, which is now part of the City University of New York system. Copulsky authored several business books, including “Practical Sales Forecasting” and “Entrepreneurship and the Corporation,” and wrote articles for numerous business publications. He was an emeritus member of ACS, joining in 1943.

In retirement in Raleigh, where he moved in 1993, Copulsky was a prolific writer of poetry and short stories as well as an accomplished watercolor artist.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Ruth; sons, Steve, Jonathan, and Lewis; and four grandchildren.