BizJournals Portfolio

Bleak House

Aug 01 2008

Back to: Cold Case

Carvel Ice Cream Stand
Tom Carvel
Agnes Carvel
Mildred Arcadipane
Pamela Carvel
1 of 12
carvel-ice-cream-stand-slide.jpg
With his death from a heart attack in 1990, Tom Carvel left an ice cream-built fortune of $67 million—sparking a feeding frenzy among his heirs and associates. Eighteen years and three more deaths later, the estate’s future is still unresolved. Here are some of the key players in this ongoing drama.
Tom Carvel
With a $15 loan from his future wife, he bought an ice cream truck in 1934 and built a fortune that has been in dispute since his death by heart attack in 1990.
Agnes Carvel
Tom's widow was meant to receive the income generated by the Thomas & Agnes Carvel Foundation—yet since its formation in 1990, she has received payments inconsistently. She joined her niece Pamela's fight for the Carvel fortune. But a contingency that included two of Tom's former associates fought Agnes until her death in 1998, at times calling her demented or under the influence of her niece.
Mildred Arcadipane
Tom's corporate secretary of 38 years gained immense power within the organization. She joined with Tom's lawyer, Robert Davis, to win control of the Carvel Foundation. In her battle against Agnes and her niece, she hid Carvel's will and shredded key documents. She died in 2002.
Pamela Carvel
The Carvels' niece, who spent summers with her aunt and uncle, has made a career of battling Arcadipane, Davis, and others for control of the Carvel estate on her aunt's behalf. Some of her opponents described her as a Svengali who won her aunt's support through deception.

Related Content

Cold Case

Cold Case

Tom Carvel's ice cream empire churned up a substantial estate and a bitter, Dickensian fight over his money. Now a lawsuit asks, was he murdered? Read more
God Wants Me to Be Rich

God Wants Me to Be Rich

Joel Osteen preaches the virtues of prosperity—for himself as well as his congregation. A look at the man who may well be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the slumping economy. Read more