Boston Scientific co-founder and former CEO passes away at 80

Photo | Boston Scientific Peter Nicholas

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By Alexander MacDougall

Peter Nicholas, one of the co-founders of Marlborough-based Boston Scientific, passed away on May 14th.

Nicholas, who died just two days shy of his 81st birthday, was born in Maine and served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy before co-founding Boston Scientific with John Abele in 1979. Nicholas served as CEO of the company for 20 years, from 1979 to 1999. He remained active within the company afterward, serving as chairman of the board until 2016, according to the tribute posted by the company in May, shortly after his death

“As a pioneer who helped shape the field of minimally invasive surgery, Pete Nicholas is remembered worldwide for his contribution to vastly improved patient outcomes and equally impressive increases in healthcare efficiency,” said Mike Mahoney, the current CEO and chairman of Boston Scientific, in a statement put out by the company. “Within the Boston Scientific family, Pete was also a lifelong mentor, motivator and friend to hundreds of employees.”

During his tenure as CEO, Nicholas helped take the company public, being first listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1992. Though many other tech startups were listed on the Nasdaq at the time, Nicholas pushed for the NYSE to show Boston Scientific was in it for the long haul, according to the release put out by the company.

A graduate of Duke University in North Carolina, Nicholas served as chairman of the university’s board of trustees andfounded the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke and the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy and Solutions, which were named in his honor.