Ted Nicolay ’49
John Townsend ’54
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n June 25, the University of Redlands lost Trustee Emeritus Ted Nicolay ’49. Born on Nov. 27, 1920, he was a Bulldog student-athlete in football and cross-country/track, and a member of Kappa Sigma Sigma fraternity. After receiving a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, Nicolay founded Western Vendors, Inc., an automatic merchandising enterprise. His success with that venture led to the founding in 1960 of Servomation Corp., a diversified, publicly traded food service company, for which he served as senior vice president. Nicolay was chair of the Board of the National Automatic Merchandising Association and received the honor of chairman emeritus. He was also a founding and charter member of the California Automatic Vendors Council. During World War II, Nicolay also served overseas as a first lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Nicolay served on the University’s Board of Trustees from 1974 to 1983, chairing the Budget and Audit and Physical Plant Committees during a period of financial challenges. His insight into the issues facing privately endowed colleges and his concern for ensuring the success of his alma mater were instrumental in the survival and recovery of the University. In addition to his dedication as a trustee, Nicolay was president of the University’s Alumni Science Association, member of the Alumni Association Board, and a volunteer with the Redlands Admissions Assistance Program and Capital Fund Campaign. Nicolay was the recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award in 1965 and the University’s Distinguished Service Award in 1972; he was also honored as the San Bernardino Outstanding Businessman of the Year. Nicolay, along with his wife, Carole, who passed away in 2016, were active supporters of the University. He is survived by his children—Jim Ashby ’82, and wife, Donna (Johnson) ’83; Kathleen (Ashby) Modlin ’83 and husband, Reg; Bill Ashby; Reg Nicolay and Jeff Nicolay—as well as his grandchildren, Reggie, Billy, Brian, Stephen, Jennifer, Katelyn, Annie, Andrew, Tyler, and Finley; and great-grandchildren, Evan and Emilia.
n July 11, the University of Redlands lost Trustee Emeritus John Townsend ’54. Born June 25, 1932, Townsend was a psychology major at Redlands. As a student, he was a member of Delta Alpha honors society and Alpha Gamma Nu fraternity, as well as a youth minister for the First Baptist Church of Redlands. After graduation, Townsend further pursued his education at Berkeley Baptist Divinity School (M.Div.). He was the Baptist college chaplain at Brown University prior to his 32-year tenure as senior pastor at the First Baptist Church of Los Angeles. In recognition of the high esteem in which he was held, Townsend was named minister emeritus after his retirement in 1997. Townsend served on the University’s Board of Trustees from 1971 to 1980, then again from 1982 to 1991. During his tenure, he was involved in the Religious Life Committee (which he chaired) and Student Life Committee—he was particularly interested in promoting diversity and social justice on campus. Additionally, he served on two presidential search committees and three chaplain search committees. Townsend’s volunteerism at the U of R also included participation in the Centennial Celebration, Memorial Chapel Campaign, and Class Reunion Committees. In recognition of his outstanding service to the University community, he was presented with both a 75th Anniversary Jubilee Medallion Award and a Centennial Award. In addition to the University, Townsend was involved in the American Baptist Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board, the American Baptist Assembly, the Los Angeles Baptist City Mission Society, the American Baptist Theological Society, and the Los Angeles Council of Churches. He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the University in 1970, as well as an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from American Baptist Seminary of the West in 1997. Townsend is survived by his wife, Carol Townsend, and their two daughters, Alecia Townsend Kintner ’94 (MBA) and Marcet Townsend Spahr.
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