William G. Nicholson of Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, passed away at his home on December 4, 2022 after a short illness. He was 87. Born in 1935 to George and Sophia Nicholson in Greenfield, Massachusetts, he was raised in New London, Connecticut. He was a graduate of the Mount Hermon School and Brown University and received his M.A. from Ohio State University.

His entire career was spent as a teacher of English and history, first at Columbus Academy in Columbus, Ohio, then at Cate School in Carpinteria, California, and Charlotte Country Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina. He then returned to Connecticut, to The Taft School in Watertown, where he remained for 28 years until his retirement in 1997 and where he held the Independence Foundation Chair for excellence in teaching. He was the author of three books: Pete Gray: One-Armed Major Leaguer, Those Who Served, and The Taft-Thatcher Letters, as well as countless articles, many on baseball history. He was a founder of the Boston Braves Historical Association.

During his retirement years on Cape Cod, he volunteered with many organizations including Literacy Volunteers, the Housing Assistance Corporation, and Habitat for Humanity. He was also a popular lecturer on poetry at the Academy for Lifelong Learning. A lifelong baseball fan, he avidly followed his beloved Atlanta Braves and the Cotuit Kettleers. His passion for teaching, poetry and baseball was matched only by his love for the Cape’s shellfish beds, where he spent countless happy hours clamming and oystering.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Cornelia Downes Nicholson, and three children: Alexandra Nicholson of New York City; Christopher D. Nicholson of Concord, Massachusetts; and Hugh R. Nicholson of Chicago. He leaves behind five grandchildren: Caroline and Nicholas Silber of Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, and Samuel, Tadeo and True Nicholson of Concord. He also leaves behind sisters Frosine Spicer of Noank, Connecticut, and Maria Murphy of Ellsworth, Maine, along with nieces and nephews.

A memorial celebrating his life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Literacy Volunteers of Massachusetts (lvm.org) and Housing Assistance Corporation of Cape Cod (haconcapecod.org).

Dear Connie -- I learned about Bill Tues. night at a Taft event in Dallas. Willy MacMullen informed me. I am so sorry for your loss. You and Bill have been good friends to me, dating back fifty years, I told Willy, and also befriended my wife and daughters in our adulthood. What a wise and wily mentor Bill, a fellow Brown graduate, was for me. I shall miss him, as I am sure you, Allie, Chris, and Hugh will. Kathleen joins me in sending our best wishes to all of you. -- Bobby Gene, as Bill liked to call me.