Necrology
Bruce Churchill Nichols '58
Aug. 20, 1935-Feb. 8, 2014
Bruce Churchill Nichols ’58, an international banker who became a private financial consultant to multinational banks, was born on Aug. 20, 1935, in Glen Cove, N.Y. The son of Frank C. Nichols ’26, a physician and surgeon, and the former Ethelyn L. Anderson, he prepared for college at Friends Academy on Long Island. While on the Hill, he joined Alpha Delta Phi and played varsity football and lacrosse. He left the Hill after these years to study at the University of Madrid, where he earned a certificate in Hispanic studies. On Dec. 7, 1957, while in Spain, he and Gloria de Moya, a fellow student, were married at the British Embassy in Madrid. After his return to the States, he transferred to Columbia University and there acquired his B.S. degree, majoring in economics, in 1960.
That year, Bruce Nichols began his banking career as an executive trainee in the International Division of Manufacturers Trust Co. (which later merged with Hanover Bank), in New York City. He left Manufacturers-Hanover in 1968 but continued in banking until 1980, including a stint with the Bank of California in Los Angeles. By that time he had acquired an M.A. in international finance from New York University and became a specialist in Central and South American banking.
In 1980, Bruce Nichols established his own bank industry consulting firm. As president of Charter Consulting Services, he traveled frequently and extensively in Latin America. Among his clients were the Central American Banks for Economic Integration and the Inter-American Development Bank, as well as the World Bank.
When at home on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where he owned a large horse farm in Galena, Bruce Nichols was busily and happily involved for many years in breeding for sale and racing thoroughbred horses. He found that “planning for the next Kentucky Derby winner” could be a fascinating business and occasionally quite rewarding. He continued to engage in horse breeding as well as business trips to Latin America until sidelined by a long battle with cancer.
Bruce C. Nichols was still residing in Galena when he died on Feb. 8, 2014. He is survived by his wife of 27 years and his partner in the horse business, Margaret Cowan. Also surviving are two sons, Frank C. II and George B. Nichols, from his first marriage, which had ended in divorce, as well as two stepdaughters, three grandchildren and a sister.
