THOMAS A. OSBORNE, V.M.D., 40, a veterinarian in the Philadelphia area, died of a brain tumor Aug. 27, 2005. He received a degree from the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania and had practiced in Washington State until 2002. He is survived by his wife, Natasha Kassell, a son, a daughter, his parents, two sisters, and a brother.
ROBERT S. NICKOLOFF, an attorney and venture capitalist who was instrumental in starting several television stations in Minnesota, died June 22, 2007. He was 78. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he received his law degree from the University of Michigan and served in the US Marine Corps during the Korean War. He was involved in numerous organizations and companies throughout Minnesota. Survivors include his wife, Anne Nickerson Nickoloff, three children, nine grandchildren, and a sister. (For more information, see the Pioneer Press of June 23, 2007.)
JOHN M. NELSON ’53, the retired chairman of the board of the TJX Companies, Inc, and a former Wesleyan trustee, died Jan. 21, 2013. He was 81. The son of Martin H. Nelson of the class of 1926 and the nephew of John D. Nelson of the class of 1931, he was a member of Delta Tau Delta and received his degree with honors. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he received an MBA from Harvard University. He joined the Norton Company as a sales trainee and rose through the ranks, becoming Chairman and CEO in 1988. After the company was acquired by Saint Gobain, he joined the Wyman Gordon Company, the second largest manufacturing firm in Worcester, Mass. In 1995 he became chairman of the board of the TJX Companies, after which the company acquired the Marshalls stores and started its European expansion.
He volunteered extensively in the Worcester community, served on many boards, and won numerous awards for his service. The recipient of several honorary degrees, he was also a co-founder and chairman of Commonwealth National Bank. He was a trustee of the University from 1978 to 1981, and he had also been chairman of the Alumni Council. In 1988 he received Wesleyan’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. Among those who survive are his wife, Linda Nelson; his daughter, Murrey E. Nelson ’81; his son; two stepdaughters; and six grandchildren. retired statistician with Uniroyal, died Nov. 15, 2012, at age 91. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. After his retirement he became an active community volunteer. Predeceased by his wife, Betty McFarland Norton, five children, eight grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and a sister survive.
TIMOTHY E. NOBLE, a retired newspaper editor, died Feb. 11, 2012. He was 74. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was the son of Francis O. Noble of the class of 1917 and the grandson of Eugene A Noble of the class of 1891. During his long career in journalism, he won five first-place awards as an op-ed page editor, was the sole editor responsible for the Watergate coverage his newspaper’s readers received, and rewrote a book for a Nixon apologist. He also served six years as president of his fraternity’s alumni chapter and 22 years as a trustee of the organization, years characterized by a feud with the international body of the group over coeducation.
PETER D. NIXON, a retired manufacturer’s representative, died Dec. 13, 2009. He was 76. A member of Chi Psi, he received his MBA degree from Northeastern University and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was also an enthusiastic basketball player and coach. He is survived by one son; his friend and companion, Alyce Carella; his former wife; his brother, David L. Nixon ’53; and many nieces and nephews.
David L. Nicholl, 56, a lawyer who specialized in communications regulations, died of brain cancer Oct. 25, 2006. A College of Social Studies major at Wesleyan, he received his master’s degree in communications from the Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania and his J.D. from Catholic University. Early in his career, he worked for the Justice Department, on the team that prosecuted AT&T for antitrust violations, which resulted in the divestiture of the Bell System. He then joined the Federal Communications Commission in its cable TV and common carrier bureaus. For the past 22 years he was an attorney for the National Cable and Telecommunications Association on policy issues, serving as general counsel. Among those who survive is his cousin, Dr. Andrew R. Ganz ’62.
DARYL G. NICKENS, a screenwriter, former vice president of the Writers Guild Foundation and the faculty chair of the screenwriting department at the American Film Institute, died July 10, 2006, at age 57. He also taught screenwriting in the graduate program at the University of Southern California and was perhaps best known for writing the first feature film written by an African-American to open number one at the box office: House Party 2. He produced and wrote for film and television, and his essays appeared in professional journals. He also served on the boards of professional writers’ organizations, including the Writers Guild of America, west, and the Writers Guild Foundation. His was nominated for numerous awards throughout his career. Survivors include his wife, Sally Travi, and two children.
ROBINSON K. NOTTINGHAM JR., 46, an attorney who founded a residential real estate firm in Washington, D.C., and in Palm Beach County, Fla., died July 18, 2007. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia and practiced law in New York and in the District of Columbia for 12 years, including seven years as a prosecutor in the US Justice Department’s Criminal Division. He is survived by his parents; one brother, Charles D. Nottingham ’89; and two nephews.
DAVID L. MOORE, who retired after a 37-year career with Moog, Inc., died Dec. 31, 2011. He was 81. He was a member of Eclectic and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. The son of Raymond L. Moore of the class of 1912 and the nephew of Alfred D. Moore of the class of 1910, he was also the brother of the late John N. Moore of the class of ’41. Among those who survive are his wife, Anne Ingalls Moore, three children, six grandchildren, and his sister.
CLYDE D. MCKEE JR., a professor of political science at Trinity College for 44 years, died May 24, 2011. He was 81. A member of Beta Theta Pi, and a stepson of William E. Bray of the class of 1919, he served in the U.S. Air Force. He received an MAT from Wesleyan, and a master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut. An authority on local government in America, he published numerous articles and contributed to various publications. For more than 30 years he served on the faculty of the New England Municipal Clerks Institute and Academy. He was also involved in various civic and political activities in Old Saybrook, Conn. Among those who survive are his wife, Mary Gwudz McKee, six children, 11 grandchildren, two siblings, and a niece, Kathryn Flynn ’77.
