Lives of Consequence
Dr. B. Nichols '70
Physician
As a physician and volunteer, Dr. David B. Nichols '70 dedicated his career and his personal time to making a difference in the lives of others. For more than 30 years, Nichols made weekly helicopter trips to Tangier, a town located on a remote island in the Chesapeake Bay, to provide medical treatment to the members of this isolated community.
Nichols was in his residency at the Medical College of Virginia when he fell in love with the people in the small fishing community of barely 600 people. The villagers had no hospital and only rudimentary health care, and Nichols made a pledge to help them.
After years spent in a slowly deteriorating clinic on Tangier, Nichols, with the help of a friend and Lancaster County developer, was able to raise funds for the construction of a new healthcare facility for the residents of the island. The Dr. David B. Nichols clinic opened in September 2010, named in honor of the man who transformed the island and its people.
Nichols received a bachelor of science degree in biology from Hobart College and went on to graduate from McGill University School of Medicine in Montreal, Canada. In 1979, he founded the White Stone Family Practice in White Stone, Va.
Over the years his work received national recognition. In 2006, Nichols was named Country Doctor of the Year, an honor bestowed on those who exemplify the spirit, skill and dedication of America's rural practitioners. Nichols was featured on NPR and in dozens of newspapers nationally. He was named ABC Person of the Week in January 2007 and was featured on NBC's "Nightly News with Brian Williams" in a segment called "Making a Difference." He was also recognized by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell for his efforts on Tangier. HealthLeaders magazine named Nichols one of "20 People Who Make Healthcare Better - 2010."
In 2010, Nichols was awarded with the Hobart and William Smith Community Service Award. This prestigious award is given to members of the HWS family who have shown extraordinary commitment as volunteers, serving their local communities and society as a whole.
Despite having been diagnosed with terminal cancer, Nichols continued to serve the people for whom he cared so deeply until his passing in December 2010.