Richard Nicholls, whose attention to detail and calm, humble
demeanor were perfectly suited to his role at the helm of
Gilroy
’s Garlic Festival, died last Wednesday after a two-month battle
with pancreatic cancer.
Richard Nicholls, whose attention to detail and calm, humble demeanor were perfectly suited to his role at the helm of Gilroy’s Garlic Festival, died last Wednesday after a two-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
Nicholls, who friends and family knew as “Dick,” was at the forefront and yet behind the scenes of every Garlic Festival from 1985 to 2004, as executive director of the nonprofit Garlic Festival Association.
When it came to festival planning, Nicholls did not leave anything to chance, said Joann Kessler, the festival’s assistant director who worked with Nicholls for 15 years.
“He followed through on pretty much everything, and he was just really good at that,” she said Wednesday. “He knows so much about the festival, things that no one else knows. He would know from day to day what to expect, especially on the grounds: where there’s going to be a lot of traffic, and when there’s going to be a lot of people in line for the shuttle bus, and he was anywhere he needed to be.”
A parade of volunteer festival presidents who worked with Nicholls through the years echoed the sentiment and shared a fondness for the man who loved to meet for lunch to talk about family or recent investments.
“He made the job very easy. He stood behind me the entire time – stood beside me the entire time. He kept track of the details and didn’t let anything fall through the cracks,” said John Zekanoski, president of last year’s festival.
Zekanoski said Nicholls had an easy and graceful style that allowed him to consider the needs of the entire festival community in decision-making. That community includes roughly 4,000 volunteers who show up each year to serve up garlicky pesto, mix smoothies or direct traffic.
A lifelong Gilroy resident until he moved to Salinas several years ago, Nicholls first volunteered at the inaugural festival in 1979, parking cars. He was hired as executive director for the sixth festival in 1985.
During his tenure, the festival has raised about $6.5 million for local charities and community groups and put Gilroy on the map as “Garlic Capital of the World.”
“He has been the festival,” Police Chief Gregg Giusiana said. “He’s been the one person that’s been there through it all. He’s going to be very sorely missed. He was sort of the rock there.”
Nicholls was diagnosed with cancer March 21. At the time, he said he planned to continue working as much as possible while undergoing treatment.
He was admitted to Salinas Memorial Hospital on June 10, and died there on the afternoon of June 15 at the age of 60. He is survived by his wife, Brigitte, and 20-year-old twin sons Justin and Jared, who just graduated from Hartnell College.
In his career, Nicholls, received accolades from his peers, most notably being inducted into the International Festivals and Events Association’s Hall of Fame in 1996. The association’s members nominated him for making significant contributions to the festival and events industry. Nicholls also was one of the founders of CalFest, the California and Nevada Festivals and Events Association, and a past board member.
The Garlic Festival’s board members have already dedicated themselves to making this year’s festival on July 29, 30 and 31 as successful as if Nicholls were attending.
“For his sake, we need to make sure that nothing falls through the cracks,” Kessler said.
The loss of Nicholls comes just five months after the death of Bill Lindsteadt, who was executive director of the Gilroy Economic Development Corporation for nine years. Nicholls’ GFA office is across the breezeway from the Chamber of Commerce, where Lindsteadt’s office was located.
Susan Valenta, the chamber’s executive director, said Nicholls wanted the Garlic Festival to create a culture of volunteerism in the city.
“Wherever you go in Gilroy, it’s a given that people participate actively within their community, and you can see that in many places,” said Valenta, who has been with the chamber nearly 16 years. “I believe very strongly that this is something that has evolved from the culture that the Garlic Festival has set within Gilroy and Dick Nicholls was key to that. He has always had a strong belief in the power of people giving and another belief I have is that the Garlic Festival and what it has accomplished has always been a life goal of his.”
Lori Stuenkel is a staff writer. You can reach her at 842-6400 or by e-mail at [email protected].
