Kathy was a good friend, and like many I miss her dearly. She was a hard-working, conscientious administrator at the University of Washington in Seattle for years. After she died of cancer around 1995, a group of her co-workers thought so highly of her they purchased a memorial bench in her name for the campus. One day a student with whom she'd clashed a number of times was sitting on the bench when a rare thunder storm blew in. A lightning bolt struck nearby. The student was shaken but otherwise okay. Coincidence? I think not.
Kath was one of the first people i met upon moving to Napa in 1959. We attended our first concert together as college freshmen at Harmon gym in Berkeley to see Peter, Paul and Mary. We consoled one another when our first marriages failed. We saw one another frequently during the ensuing years at xmas or summers as my parents had moved to Anacortas, WA. Our correspondence while i was overseas meant a great deal to me. She married again, had a son, a preteen when she died. She was a good friend. I miss her still. Those at Univ Wash had this to say about her in 1995.
Kathy Niccolls Peterson, who served as the adviser to the UW's student body presidents from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, died June 17, 1995. She was 47 when she died of breast cancer.
A fixture on campus for more than 20 years, Niccolls first came to the UW in 1975 as a counselor in the minority affairs office. But she was most well known for her years as the director of student activities and union facilities, where she was the official adviser for ASUW presidents and other student government leaders.
"She was honest, direct, loving, and extremely committed to students," says Judy Nicastro, a UW law student who was ASUW president in 1992-93 and met weekly with Niccolls. "She was always respectful, never patronizing. She was like a mentor to me."
Known for her quick wit and sense of humor--she often asked student government officials "What are you kooky people up to today?"--Niccolls was devoted to helping students become good citizens. "She complemented the academic mission of the UW perfectly," says Rene Singleton, assistant director of student activities. "She also had a refreshing way of seeing things, even in tough times."
A native of Napa, Calif., Niccolls graduated with honors from Napa High School and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in history and political science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1969. Two years later, she earned an elementary teaching credential. She spent five years as a UW minority affairs counselor before joining the student activities office in 1980. In addition to her duties with the UW student government, she was in charge of the HUB and the South Campus Cente--one of the largest student facilities in the nation--overseeing a $2.5 million budget, 75 employees, 300 registered student organizations and countless unpaid student workers.
"She was the consummate educator," said Ernest Morris, UW vice president for student affairs. "She touched the lives of thousands of students."
Remembrances may be sent to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for Breast Cancer, 1124 Columbia St., Seattle, WA 98104.--Jon Marmor
Jeff L Green
Kathy was a good friend, and like many I miss her dearly. She was a hard-working, conscientious administrator at the University of Washington in Seattle for years. After she died of cancer around 1995, a group of her co-workers thought so highly of her they purchased a memorial bench in her name for the campus. One day a student with whom she'd clashed a number of times was sitting on the bench when a rare thunder storm blew in. A lightning bolt struck nearby. The student was shaken but otherwise okay. Coincidence? I think not.
Dennis Johnson
KATHY NICCOLLS 1948-1995
Kathy Niccolls Peterson, who served as the adviser to the UW's student body presidents from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, died June 17, 1995. She was 47 when she died of breast cancer.
A fixture on campus for more than 20 years, Niccolls first came to the UW in 1975 as a counselor in the minority affairs office. But she was most well known for her years as the director of student activities and union facilities, where she was the official adviser for ASUW presidents and other student government leaders.
"She was honest, direct, loving, and extremely committed to students," says Judy Nicastro, a UW law student who was ASUW president in 1992-93 and met weekly with Niccolls. "She was always respectful, never patronizing. She was like a mentor to me."
Known for her quick wit and sense of humor--she often asked student government officials "What are you kooky people up to today?"--Niccolls was devoted to helping students become good citizens. "She complemented the academic mission of the UW perfectly," says Rene Singleton, assistant director of student activities. "She also had a refreshing way of seeing things, even in tough times."
A native of Napa, Calif., Niccolls graduated with honors from Napa High School and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in history and political science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1969. Two years later, she earned an elementary teaching credential. She spent five years as a UW minority affairs counselor before joining the student activities office in 1980. In addition to her duties with the UW student government, she was in charge of the HUB and the South Campus Cente--one of the largest student facilities in the nation--overseeing a $2.5 million budget, 75 employees, 300 registered student organizations and countless unpaid student workers.
"She was the consummate educator," said Ernest Morris, UW vice president for student affairs. "She touched the lives of thousands of students."
Remembrances may be sent to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for Breast Cancer, 1124 Columbia St., Seattle, WA 98104.--Jon Marmor
Send a letter to the editor at griffin@u.washington.edu.
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