Nagle, Roy W. (Roy Washington), 1897-1974

A prominent local historian, Roy Nagle was born in Buffalo, New York on July 4, 1897 and held many vocations throughout his life. As a teenager, he began working at the Buffalo Courier newspaper, and eventually became a reporter and drama critic. He served in the infantry in World War I, and upon returning to the States became a realtor for Kinsey Realty Co. In 1929, he left Kinsey to become the general manager of the Buffalo Broadcasting Company. Concurrently, he edited a local newspaper, the Kensington Topics. in 1956, Nagle was hired by Manufacturer's and Traders Trust to lecture on Buffalo history. It is estimated that Nagle lectured to 70,000 to 80,000 persons over the course of his career and had amassed a local history collection of 20,000 images and 33,000 documents and manuscripts. Nagle died December 23, 1974.

Nagle was a reporter and critic for the Buffalo Courier, a realtor, general manager of Buffalo Broadcasting Co. and WBEN, and editor of a community paper, The Kensington Topics; best known as an authoritative local historian who saved and collected manuscripts from local government agencies and individuals, and presented numerous lectures and slide shows on the history of Western New York.