Bruce Nichols: One Chance to Bring it all Together
United States senators get six years to prove themselves, Presidents have four, even congressmen have two. But there's one office that gives its holder scarcely more than a year to put it all together. Its jurisdiction spreads far beyond the U.S. boundaries, its skills are those not only of a legislator but also of an impressario, CFO, and field general—all wrapped in one. The office: organizing that one-time event, a 25th Reunion, and it takes a rara avis to do it right. For the class of 1963 Bruce Nichols is our rare bird.
What most classmates don't know is that Bruce has been working away for better than a year on the incredibly complex, volunteer-run event we're going to enjoy from June 16-19. Probably Bruce's biggest contribution is his sure-footed ability to delegate assignments to as many members of the class as possible while maintaining a firm hand on the controls. It's a talent Bruce perfected during 13 years as founder and head of the 100-person Chicago office of Bankers Trust, one of the top ten banks in the country, and as a segment chairman for the United Fund.
"A lot of classes have run their reunions in the past with a chairman and a finance guy," says Bruce, "but I've learned that a group is a lot smarter than two people, and the best way to make a reunion of this proportion succeed is to make the class as active as possible in the planning."
After successfully building its Chicago office, Bruce was asked to move to Bankers Trust headquarters in New York. Instead he joined the Chicago branch of Cleveland's Prescott Ball & Turben, the billion-dollar investment arm of Kemper Insurance.
Despite all his responsibilities, Bruce maintains an active family life with his wife, Penny, son Clark at the University of Utah, and daughter Courteney in high school. Golf and tennis are important, and this former glee clubber still harmonizes—in community musical groups. Just as he's doing with our 25th, Bruce keeps it all together—with style.
The '63 Reunion Committee Meets in Hanover. Clockwise from left, David Schaeffer, John Lehman, Alan Davies, chairman Bruce Nichols, Dave Orr of Alumni Affairs, Bill Courtney, and Martin Bowne. Not shown: committee members Harry Zlokower and Bill Breetz.
