John Irvin Nichols was born in Rocky Mount, N.C. He graduated from high school in 1941 and attended Atlantic Christian College until he joined the U.S. Navy in 1944. He was assigned to a Landing Craft Support Group which went to Hawaii and practiced assault tactics before he received a Captain's appointment to the V-7 program at the University of Pennsylvania. At the completion of that program the war with Japan was ending, so he was transferred to the Active Reserves and allowed to enter Duke University for completion of his AB Degree. In 1948 he enrolled in Yale University. After a year there he accepted a job with the National Tuberculosis Association and trained in New York and Kentucky before accepting a job jn Louisville, KY. There he worked as a Field Representative until he earned a Masters Degree in Public Health at the University of Michigan and became Executive Director. In 1957 Nichols accepted the job as Executive Director of the Michigan Tuberculosis Association , and he and his wife, Christy and two sons under 4 years of age moved to East Lansing.

 

After 25 years with the Tuberculosis Association, he worked 3 years as Director of Substance Abuse ServiceHealths with the Michigan Department of Health, three years with the American College of Emergence Physicians, and ten years with the American Red Cross.  He retired in 1990.  His wife of 61 years, Christy Clark died in 2013.  The couple had 3 sons and 8 grandchildren.  Irv stays busy with volunteer activities.