31 Years at Nichols - Nichols School

are everywhere and his legacy will endure throughout the School’s history. We
are indebted to him for all he has done and been for Nichols. He has worn his
mantel with dignity and compassion. His physical presence will be missed but
never his impact.
Steve Moscov
Rick is a compassionate, hardworking man who has dedicated so much of his
life to our wonderful school. I think he can talk about Nichols until he is blue
in the face. He doesn’t stop, and that makes it so clear how much he loves this
place. I know I’ll miss him a lot.
Jesse Baier ’05
I first remember Rick Bryan when I moved to the Upper School campus
from Nottingham in the fall of 1986. “Hats off gentlemen!” he would boom.
I remember thinking this is a pretty serious dude. He had that classic Mr.
Bryan side-part in his hair and some stern looking eyebrows. Honestly, I was
intimidated by Rick. However, throughout my time at Nichols and afterward
as an alumnus, it became clear that Rick is far more than a serious dude. He
is a smiling, laughing and most importantly a caring educator. Nichols has
done well by Rick.
Most curiously when one sees Mr. Bryan these days he looks exactly the
same as when I arrived on the Upper School campus my freshman year. Is
it me Rick Bryan is timeless! What does he do to preserve himself Does
he really have to retire Knowing that Rick Bryan was at Nichols kept so
many of us feeling like our Nichols experience wasn’t so long ago. Say it ain’t
so. Nichols will miss you, Mr. Bryan!
Ted Cotsen ’90
Few understand the work, pressure, anxiety and human toll that converge
on a Head of School during the course of a career. If we are lucky and good
at what we do, our various constituencies see only a seemingly effortless
exhibition of a school’s unfolding reality. Yet even in a spectacular career,
the work of a leader is fraught with difficulty, complexity, anguish and
uncertainty. It can be a lonely and difficult job.
I say this to underline the generosity, grace and spirit Rick Bryan shared
with Nichols throughout his career, but particularly in his 19 years as Head.
Anyone who knows Rick Bryan understands the essential humanity,
dignity and humility of the man. His accomplishments over a 19-year
Head career at Nichols are magnificent: the cultivation of a great faculty,
the development of plans that honor the integrity and beauty of the historic
campus; the continued emergence of Nichols as a nationally respected and
admired day school; the support of a bright, diverse and talented student
body; the successful completion of capital efforts to sustain and strengthen
the mission. Yet in the end, we honor and celebrate Rick’s consistent
commitment to the human side of the Nichols’ experience. He made time
to honor, support, guide and mentor all members of the extended Nichols’
community. He set an example of independent school leadership, civic
engagement and a life of hope, optimism and collaboration. He decided that
his tenure as Headmaster would be one that met the essential challenges of a
world undergoing profound changes. He was open to change, to innovation
and to creative approaches to 21st century education. Yet, he held fast to
the values and principles that his predecessors like Mr. Boocock embraced.
And so we who worked beside him during his career count him as a friend, a
mentor and a source of courage and inspiration. I hope Nichols will join me
in thanking him for sharing his life with us.
Daniel T. Roach, Jr.’75
Spring/Summer 2013
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