H. Tom Nickse

Herbert (H.) Tom Nickse, was a longtime member of the Derby-Shelton Rotary Club serving as Club President from 1959-1960. He was born in the town of Poughkeepsie, NY, son of the late Anna C. Bahret and Herbert G. Nickse. He graduated from Danbury High School in 1943, enlisted in the US Navy Air Corps, and was discharged as an aviation cadet at the end of WWII. He earned a B. S. in applied economics from Yale University. Upon graduation, Tom worked at AT&T (SNET) for thirty-eight years, retiring as a community relations manager in 1986. He was very active in the Valley area, participating on the committee that established the Valley Chamber of Commerce, subsequently serving as a Director, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors. He was a recipient of their Gold Seal Award for community service. 

A longtime corporator of Griffin Hospital, he served two terms as a director. He served on the committee creating the Valley United Way and chaired the fund campaign early in its existence. Tom was a past director for the Housatonic Council Boy Scouts of America and a founder and president of the Harry B. Brownson Country Club. Tom had been a member of the Huntington Congregational Church since moving to Shelton in 1955. Tom was predeceased by his wife Peggy whom he was married for 61 years. Tom loved the game of golf and particularly enjoyed retrieving balls out of water hazards. He was an early and avid skier and loved his automobiles. A good meal and a cigar always brought a smile to his face and his stories and jokes did the same to those around him. Tom Nickse, at the age of 89, died on September 12, 2014, at Yale New Haven Hospital.