[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 92 (Thursday, June 18, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO HOWARD NICHOLS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 18, 2009

  Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Howard 
Nichols, an Army veteran, a distinguished teacher, and the Headmaster 
at The Harker School in San Jose, California. Mr. Nichols passed away 
from esophageal cancer on December 31, 2008.
  During his 32 years as Headmaster of The Harker School, Howard 
Nichols played a critical role in helping so many young people and his 
presence is greatly missed today. The following obituary was published 
in the San Jose Mercury News on January 1, 2009:
  ``To describe Howard Nichols as the heart and soul of Harker School 
barely captures the magnitude of the role that the retired headmaster 
played at the San Jose private school.
  ``Mr. Nichols also was the visionary, architect, recruiter and 
administrator who built Harker into a prestigious academic powerhouse. 
He got to know each child and family, helped teachers find housing and 
seldom saw a piece of litter on campus he didn't pick up. A product of 
Harker's predecessor, the Palo Alto Military Academy, Mr. Nichols was a 
passionate educator who, without a teaching credential, created the 
largest K-12 independent school in California.
  ``Mr. Nichols died Dec. 31 of esophageal cancer. He was 68.
  ``His door at Harker always was open to staff, parents and students 
and visitors--who, while stopping by to talk, often could help 
themselves to a chocolate chip cookie, perhaps still warm from the 
school kitchen, said his wife, Diana Nichols.
  `` `Howard was one of the most compassionate people I've ever met,' 
said John Near, a Harker history teacher whom Mr. Nichols hired 30 
years ago. Mr. Nichols considered Harker a family, and instilled that 
sense of caring in students, Near said.
  ``Mr. Nichols was born in Bremerton, Washington, and moved to the 
Oakland area as an infant. In second grade he moved to the Peninsula 
when his father, Major Donald Nichols, took over the Palo Alto Military 
Academy. The young Mr. Nichols was a boarder at the Parkinson Street 
campus, and went home to Los Altos on the weekends. His mother, Jean 
Fisher, ran a restaurant in Los Altos.
  ``Mr. Nichols attended Palo Alto High School and Stanford University, 
graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. He served two years 
in the Army, then joined the staff at his father's school. But in the 
Vietnam era, the military and military schools were falling out of 
favor. The Palo Alto Military Academy merged with neighboring Miss 
Harker's School for Girls and moved to San Jose. Mr. Nichols became 
headmaster in 1973.
  ``In 1981, Mr. Nichols married Diana Olsen, then a principal at 
Harker.
  ``The school expanded to three campuses, one for each level, and 
eliminated its dormitories to accommodate the high school expansion. 
Today, it has about 1,750 students in grades K-12.
  ``Mr. Nichols' skill as a listener, understanding parents' needs, 
informed his vision for the school, Diana Nichols said. With more dual-
worker families, Harker offered after-school programs in sports, art 
and music, then uncommon among private schools. `The complaint that 
people have about private schools in general was that it wasn't a 
neighborhood school. This created the neighborhood,' Diana Nichols 
said.
  ``Mr. Nichols also believed that the heart of a good school lies in 
good teachers, and he recruited nationwide for Harker staff.
  `` `He really made everybody feel valued. He used to put his hand on 
your shoulder and say, `We're lucky to have you,' ' said Chris Nikoloff 
who took over from Mr. Nichols as head of school. The Nicholses retired 
in 2005, but continued to consult for the school and serve on the 
board.
  ``Mr. Nichols also believed in having fun. He'd challenge students to 
a contest, such as raising funds for a charity, and if students won, 
teachers and administrators would pay off by, for example, jumping 
fully clothed into the school swimming pool. He also created a culture 
of respect and caring at school, staff recalled.
  `` `He was a generous and kind man,' said graduate Sehba Ali 
Zhumkhawala, founder and principal of KIPP Heartwood charter school in 
San Jose. `Certainly he was one of the inspirational folks who made me 
want to go into education.'
  ``Mr. Nichols also was an athlete, who did 100 push-ups a day until 
he became too ill three months ago.
  `` `He was a really noble man,' Diana Nichols said. `He's 
irreplaceable.' ''
  Madam Speaker, I ask that the entire House of Representatives join me 
in extending our sympathy to The Harker School and the Nichols family. 
The work of Howard Nichols at The Harker School will never be forgotten 
and will continue on in the lives of the many students he inspired as a 
teacher and Headmaster.

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