College of

Engineering, Architecture and Technology

On Tuesday, Nov. 11, the School of Chemical Engineering at Oklahoma State University held a reception to recognize Richard and Cynthia Ball for their commitment to a graduate student fellowship in CHE, a gift of $500,000. The generous contribution honors Richard’s grandfather and past CHE faculty member, Dr. Charles L. Nickolls.

 

Charles L. Nickolls, the namesake of OSU’s first academic chair in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, was a pioneering figure in chemical engineering whose career at OSU spanned nearly four decades. Born in 1892 in Illinois and raised in South Dakota, Nickolls excelled early in mathematics and science, earning his B.S. from Dakota Wesleyan University in 1917. His education was interrupted by military service on the Mexican border and in Europe during World War I, where exposure to industrial laboratories influenced his future career.

 

After the war, Nickolls pursued graduate study at Oklahoma A&M, earning a master’s degree in chemistry in 1921 and joining the faculty soon after. As one of the earliest champions of chemical engineering at the university, he helped shape the curriculum at a time when the field was still in its infancy. He advised students, innovated in laboratory instruction, pushed for industry engagement and led the first industrial inspection trips —experiences that soon became core features to engineering education at OSU.

 

Despite limited budgets and the challenges of the Great Depression, Nickolls played a central role in building the program. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in 1935 and returned as the first Chemical Engineering faculty member at OSU with a Ph.D. He gained national recognition through his research, consulting work and publications. Known affectionately as “Doc Nick,” he was a dedicated mentor whose influence extended far beyond the classroom.

 

Nickolls guided the program through wartime, postwar expansion and the establishment of the college’s first Ph.D. program. Even as his health declined in the 1950s, he continued teaching, researching and advising graduate students. He retired in 1960 after 39 years of service; former students established a student loan fund in his honor.

 

Nickolls died later that year, having helped educate more than 600 chemical engineers and significantly shaping the direction of the profession at OSU and beyond. His legacy endures in the growth of chemical engineering at OSU and in the countless engineers trained under his guidance.

 

Nickoll’s grandson Richard and his wife share deep roots in higher education and long, successful professional careers. Richard is a third-generation OSU graduate whose family ties to the university extend beyond his grandfather, as both of his parents also attended Oklahoma A&M. His father graduated from the College of Business in 1949, and Richard continued the family legacy by earning his mathematics degree in 1972. During his time on campus, he worked for three years in the Edmon Low Library before beginning a 39-year career with CITGO Petroleum, starting in IT and later transitioning into gasoline and diesel marketing. Cynthia’s background is similarly grounded in education and engineering influence; her father earned his chemical engineering degree from Texas Tech in 1949. She graduated from OSU in 1972 with degrees in psychology and secondary education and established a successful career in human resources, specializing in compensation across industries such as banking, oil well services, oil and gas marketing, and crude oil exploration and production.

 

Richard and Cynthia met during their freshman year at OSU and got married before their senior year.  They have two adult children and one grandchild.  Their daughter is a fourth-generation OSU graduate from the College of Education and Human Services.