Due to his father's transfers, the family had to change residences often. They lived in Illinois, Hawaii, New Mexico and Alaska. As a teenager, Paul worked part-time jobs including as a paperboy and as a clerk at a convenience store. He graduated from Anchorage High School in Anchorage, Alaska in 1954. He lived on the military base there with his parents. He received a bachelor's degree in Economics from California State University, Fresno, studied economics at Claremont Graduate University in 1961, and received a Master of Public Administration from Indiana University.