Mark and George Nicholson Endowed Scholarship

Founded in 1996, the Nicholson Family Foundation supports non-profit organizations, from San Francisco to Santa Cruz in Northern California.

Wilmot Joseph “Bill” Nicholson, the son of a pioneering family that came to California in 1850, was born on the family pear ranch in Alviso in 1914. He attended Bellarmine College Prep and Santa Clara University, graduating in 1936 with a degree in civil engineering. That began a long relationship with the university, where he would later teach and serve on the board of regents. He was honored in 2001 with the school’s Ignatian Award for service to humanity.

He married his high school sweetheart, Ruth Russell, and the two had what family members called a 64-year romance until her death in 2001. The couple had six children: sons George, Bruce, Mark and John Nicholson, and daughters Kathleen Hull Gisvold and Martha McAllister.

Their sons George and Mark died before their parents, but the couple refused to succumb to misery. To honor the memory of their two Nicholson sons, the Nicholson Family Foundation would establish this scholarship in their name.

Among his many accomplishments, Bill became the mayor of Santa Clara, founded the construction firm W.J. Nicholson Co. and spent 20 years on the engineering faculty at Santa Clara University.