Nickell attended Morton Elliot Junior College, 1923-1924, Kentucy Wesleyan College, 1925-1927, and Southern YMCA Graduate School, 1928-1930. During visits to Southern, he was greatly influenced by George Washington Carver, with whom he corresponded throughout the 1930s. He married Billie York in 1932. They had two children John (born in 1932) and daughter Rima Jean (born in 1936). He joined the staff of Cranbrook Institute of Science (CIS) in 1935 where he worked until his retirement in 1968. He worked at CIS as a naturalist, leading adult and youth nature groups, preparing exhibits, etc. He concentrated on geology during the 1940s and ornithology during the 1950s-1960s. He was a charter member of the Detroit Audubon Society and gave frequent lectures and radio broadcasts. (For further information see the finding aid.).
From the description of Papers, 1922,1975. (Clarke Historical Library). WorldCat record id: 39933602
