John F. Nickoll, ’60
Ever since John F. Nickoll earned his J.D. in 1960, he has made a point of giving generous amounts of time and resources back to the Law School. Recently, Nickoll revised his estate plan to include a bequest of $1 million for the building project, bringing his total commitment to the project to $1.5 million.
“I want to help out in any way I can, and the Law School really needs the new facilities,” says Nickoll, of Los Angeles. “I think it will help the reputation of both the Law School and the University.”
Like almost all Michigan Law alumni, Nickoll has his favorite places in the Law Quad complex. He lived in the Lawyers Club during his 1L year and “always loved the Law Library,” he says.
A Milwaukee native, Nickoll returned there after Law School to take a house counsel job. He moved to Los Angeles in 1963. In 1970 he co-founded The Foothill Group Inc., a specialized financial services company later acquired by Norwest, which merged in 1998 with Wells Fargo & Company. Upon Nickoll’s retirement in 2006 as president, chairman, and chief executive officer, Wells Fargo Foothill was the nation’s largest bank-owned asset-based lender.
In retirement Nickoll enjoys world travel with his wife, Patty, but especially treasures their time in Hawaii, where the couple has another home.
His generosity extends to all the institutions that have educated him, even his high school. “I have very warm feelings toward Michigan,” Nickoll notes.
Nickoll served on the steering committee for the Law School’s successful portion of the Michigan Difference campaign, when he established the John F. Nickoll Professorship, currently held by Jessica Litman.