In Honor of Mr. Nicholson

On Monday, October 12, Kingswood Oxford students will have a day off, as they have for many years, in honor of Mr. George Nicholson.

Who is Mr. Nicholson they may ask?

George R.H. Nicholson was the first Headmaster of our very own Kingswood School since its founding in 1916. He was born in England in 1885. He attended Kingswood School in Bath, England, where he excelled in academics and sports, particularly Cricket, as the team’s Captain. After studying at the University of Manchester, he returned to Kingswood as a housemaster and history teacher. He came to the United States as a private tutor in 1914.

In 1916, a small group of men from Hartford decided to found a country day school in the area and Nick was asked to head the organization as he came equipped with a private school background. Our Kingswood School was opened in the fall of 1916 on Farmington Avenue. Mr. Nicholson was a beloved Headmaster until 1947. He introduced many of the traditions he loved so much as a student at the Kingswood School in Bath, such as the school mascot-the Wyvern, the leadership role of Prefect, honor name boards and much more.

A number of days before he passed away at the age of 62 he wrote the following from his hospital bed

“I am 62 years old today, with more
things to be glad for than a man could
deserve or expect… My chiefest
blessing is the loyalty and affection
of Kingswood Boys and Masters…”
(Kingswood Fifty Years)

Mr. Nicholson’s ashes are buried under the rock in the circle, near the building so named after him.