Roger Pasquale Vacco (1944-2026) was an American lawyer and partner at the Boston firm Palmer & Dodge, where he led the municipal bond practice. He served as bond counsel to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority for about twenty years and advised hundreds of cities, towns and other political subdivisions in New England.
Background
Roger Pasquale Vacco was born on April 7, 1944, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Mary and Pasquale Vacco. He grew up in Bridgeport with his brother, Richard. Both parents had died by 2026, when Vacco's obituary was published.
Bridgeport is an industrial city in Fairfield County on Long Island Sound. During the early twentieth century it expanded rapidly, and its growth created a need for more and modern public schools, including the high school Vacco later attended.
Vacco's upbringing in Bridgeport placed him in a city whose schools, industries, and population were growing at mid-century, and his early education there led to his scholarship to Yale University.
Education
Vacco attended Central High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he met his future wife, Ellen Dorkin. The school was founded in 1876 as Bridgeport High School, and its present building was dedicated in 1964.
He then attended Yale University on a full scholarship and received a Bachelor of Arts in 1966. Yale, founded in 1701, is a private university in New Haven, Connecticut, and is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States.
In June 1966 he married Ellen Dorkin and moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to attend Harvard Law School, where he earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1969. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. In 1969 Vacco was also admitted to the Massachusetts bar.
Vacco was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1969, the year he completed his law degree at Harvard. After law school he joined the Boston firm then known as Palmer & Dodge, and he became a partner in 1976. The firm's history in Boston was long: Robert Gray Dodge, a Boston lawyer who practiced for sixty-seven years, was a senior partner of Palmer, Dodge, Gardner and Bradford, a firm associated with the same name.
At Palmer & Dodge, Vacco led the firm's municipal bond practice, which advised cities, towns and other political subdivisions across New England. A 2026 obituary described him as one of the most preeminent municipal bond lawyers in the region. Bond counsel renders a legal opinion on whether public bonds were validly issued and whether their interest is tax-exempt, so the work required specialized public finance knowledge. For about twenty years he served as bond counsel to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the public transit agency created in 1964 to serve the Boston area.
In 2005 Palmer & Dodge, then a firm of about 180 lawyers, merged with Edwards & Angell, which had about 340 lawyers, to form Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge. Palmer & Dodge had become known for its representation of life sciences and technology companies. Vacco retired in 2009, and his obituary describes the law firm as formerly known as Palmer and Dodge.
Vacco and his family lived in Stow, Massachusetts, where he served on the Board of Selectmen. Selectmen serve as the executive officials of many Massachusetts towns, and the position placed him in local government alongside his legal career.
Achievements
Led the municipal bond practice of Palmer & Dodge and served as counsel to hundreds of cities, towns and other political subdivisions in New England. Municipal bond lawyers advise public borrowers on the legal and tax requirements of their debt, a specialized field within public finance law.
Served as bond counsel to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority for about twenty years, advising the public transit agency on the legal aspects of its bond financing.
Politics
Vacco's documented public service was local: he served on the Board of Selectmen in Stow, Massachusetts, where he lived with his family. Selectmen are the executive officials of many Massachusetts towns, and town elections in Massachusetts are conducted on a nonpartisan basis, so his public office was nonpartisan.
His political role therefore developed through local civic service rather than through a party organization. Nonpartisan town government emphasizes local administration, budgets, and public services rather than the platforms of national or state parties.
Personality
A 2026 obituary described Vacco as having a quick wit and a fondness for challenging riddles and puzzles.
Interests
Vacco enjoyed biking, running with the family dog, travelling with friends and family, playing with his grandchildren, playing and listening to music, and attending the theatre. He appreciated the peacefulness of nature while gardening and hiking, and he liked challenging riddles and puzzles.
Sport & Clubs
Baseball. He was an avid New York Yankees fan throughout his life, although he willingly attended Boston Red Sox games.
Connections
Vacco married Ellen Dorkin on June 16, 1966. The couple had met at Central High School in Bridgeport, and they moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, after their marriage so that he could attend Harvard Law School.
The couple had three daughters, Sara, Laura, and Elizabeth. Their husbands are Evan, David, and Tim, and the couple had three grandchildren, Abigail, Max, and Maeve. Vacco's brother, Richard, grew up with him in Bridgeport.
Vacco and Ellen made their home on Cape Cod, where they often entertained friends and family.
Father:
Pasquale Vacco
Mother:
Mary Vacco
Wife:
Ellen Dorkin
Married Vacco on June 16, 1966; the couple had met at Central High School in Bridgeport.
Roger VACCO Obituary, Boston Globe
Boston Globe obituary covering his education at Central High School and Yale, his Harvard Law School training, his partnership at Palmer & Dodge, his municipal bond practice, and his service on the Stow Board of Selectmen.
2026
Roger Pasquale Vacco profile, Martindale-Hubbell
Professional profile for a Boston lawyer named Roger Pasquale Vacco, identifying his municipal bond and tax-exempt finance practice areas, his Yale B.A. of 1966, his Harvard J.D. of 1969, and his Massachusetts admission in 1969.
