Biography

The education fund established as a memorial to Eleanor Cook Graham Nichols was initiated by gifts made at the time of her death in early January, 1985. She was Canadian-born but became a citizen of the United States about 1941. Her family, which included many Christian educators and pastors, were members of the Methodist Church prior to the creation of the United Church of Canada, in which the Methodist Church was the major component.

In 1938 Eleanor married John Bransford Nichols, a scholarly Methodist pastor from Alabama who had just graduated from Yale Divinity School.  They met when her father was teaching at the American School for Oriental Research in Palestine.    Eleanor and J.B. had four daughters and several grandchildren.

Eleanor Nichols possessed a splendid mind, a loving spirit, and was an inveterate reader.  A great teacher, she also had gifts of leadership that took her into offices in district and annual conference work among Methodist women. She served five years as President of the Alabama-West Florida United Methodist Women.

Recipients

1987 Todd Carnley
1988 Barbie Replogle
1989 Leigh Galloway
1990 Amy Pote
1991 Dan Lovelace
1992 Courtney Floyd
1993 Katherine Talley
1994 Emily Harshbarger
1995 Allyson Ashmore
1996 Sarah Eleanor Moseley
1997 Sarah Eleanor Moseley
1998 Anne Tyler Harshbarger
1999 Matthew McWilliams
2000 Mary Creighton Mosley
2001 Julia McMath
2002 Margaret Claire Mosley
2002 Julia McMath
2003 Allison Irvin
2004 Julia McMath
2005 Madeline Moseley
2006 Ron Alyn MacBeth
2007 Ron Alyn MacBeth
2008 Amy Blackmon
2010 Brad Bullock
2011 Brady Schmidt
2013 Katie Wachob
2014 Richard Trawick