Descended from graduates in the classes of 1851 and 1922, Fred Nichols ’60 had an easy choice for college. While at Hamilton, he says, “the two most important influences on my life and career were learning how to write a paragraph and to speak in public.”
Reflecting on his own education, and as a career university professor himself, he realized his college experience was becoming unaffordable for most families. In support of Hamilton’s need-blind promise, he resolved to establish the Lorrel B. Nichols (in honor of his father) and Frederic H. Nichols Scholarship.
“It is a great feeling knowing that I can help young students on their journeys.”
Fred’s multiyear commitment earned a James D. MacLennan ’58 match. As he builds his endowment to reach the threshold for generating scholarship aid, he did one more thing: he pledged to make an additional annual current-use gift to ensure a student receives assistance immediately.
Fred has also included Hamilton in his estate plan with a provision that will further augment his scholarship, ensuring that students will continue to benefit from his far-seeing philanthropy for generations to come.
A MacLennan-matched endowment commitment, plus a current gift for financial aid, all reinforced with a bequest: Fred Nichols has leveraged his giving for maximum effect with characteristic modesty. “It is a great feeling,” he says, “knowing that I can help young students on their journeys.”
