119th Commencement - Nichols School

AwardsOlive R. Ringo Faculty Awardby Nina BaroneThe Olive R. Ringo Faculty Award recognizes outstandingcontributions by members of the Nichols faculty to the educationof Nichols students. Each recipient is nominated by his/her peersand selected by a committee made up of previous faculty awardees.The 2011 recipient is Jim Kramer, longtime Economics teacher andDirector of College Counseling, who retired following the 2010-2011 school year.In addition to years of service to Nichols and obviouscontributions to theSchool community,professional andpersonal characteristicsare consideredincluding: enthusiasmabout teaching andlearning; ability tocommunicate clearlyand effectively;knowledge of subjectarea; organization,flexibility, anddedication; respectfor students and agenuine concern fortheir development;intellectual curiosityand creativity; and highstandards of excellence.George J. KloepferII ’68 and GordonGannon ’50, co-trusteeof the Olive R. Ringoestate, presented the award at a reception held on Wednesday, June8, to honor our retiring and departing faculty members. Excerptsfrom Mr. Kramer’s citation follow:“It’s hard to imagine any graduate during your tenure who hasn’tbeen impacted by your extraordinary work over your many years atNichols.For decades, you have championed the importance of academicrigor and the dangers of grade inflation to the School’s reputation.In the classroom, as a member of the History Department, yousuccessfully squired seniors through the difficult challenges of globaleconomic theory in your AP Economics classes.When you arrived on campus in 1978, expectations were highas one of your main duties was to take over the helm of the BoysBasketball program from legendary Athletic Hall of Fame coach,Andy Anderson. For the next 21 years, you not only maintained6 Nichols SchoolGordon Gannon ’50, Jim Kramer and George J. Kloepfer II ’68the excellence that has become synonymous with NicholsBasketball, but you took it to historic levels, producing severalof the most outstanding teams in school history. Your teams wonan unprecedented four state championships in the ’80s and ’90s,playing the game as you taught them to play it so well each dayat practice. No teams were better prepared for competition thanyour teams. And your teaching was not just confined to yourplayers, as just about every official in Western New York can attest;in fact, many of yourinteractions sent myriadofficials scurrying fordictionaries at halftime,searching for suchwords as ‘tendentious’and, your favorite,‘egregious.’…Mostimportantly, you sharedyour passion for thegame you love with yourplayers, and they alwaysresponded by playinghard and playing smartbasketball. Is it anywonder that ChristianLaettner ’88 had such asmooth transition to playfor that other Coach K?For your extraordinaryaccomplishments onthe hardwood, youwere inducted into theSchool’s Athletic Hall ofFame in 2007.Finally, it has been in your role as Director of College Counselingwhere you have had the greatest influence on our graduating seniorsfor over 30 years…You educate each of your charges about theintricacies of the marketplace that is higher education, challengingthem to make informed, competent decisions about their pursuitsafter Nichols…No one is a better advocate for Nichols students inthis process than you have been. One Admissions Director of a wellknownliberal arts college in New England observed once that yourrecommendations were amongst the best written that they receivedeach year…Your wealth of knowledge, of expertise, and of experiencehas made you one of the most highly regarded college counselors inthe nation and, as such, one of Nichols’ greatest assets.”Congratulations and best wishes to Mr. Kramer!