James L. Nicholson III

1934-2020

James (Jim) L. Nicholson III passed away Sunday, January 5th in Ephraim McDowell Hospital at 85 years of age. He was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky December 28th, 1934 to Charlene Thomasson and James L. Nicholson Jr.

As a young man he loved sports, and excelled in running and swimming but was stricken by polio, which curtailed his participation in sports. He remained an avid runner and walker, throughout the remainder of his life. He was educated at Los Angeles State College of Arts and Sciences and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English literature. He went on to achieve a Masters degree at Vanderbilt University, also in English literature.

Literary pursuits remained at the core of Jim’s endeavors for most of his life. He was the owner and editor of the Grundy County Herald during the 1960s and 70s. He took great pride in his work at the newspaper. Jim also served as a high school teacher and headmaster, a college professor, and always as a writer in venues across the United States. During his life, he completed 11 novels, numerous poems, critiques and essays as the written word was a common thread in his endeavors. He chose Danville, Kentucky as his final home as it combined his love of literature and learning through Centre College and his enduring joy of Central Kentucky. He was preceded in death by his sister and brother, who both died in 2019. He is survived by four children, Nancy Jones of Madison, Alabama, James (Jimmy) Nicholson IV of Auburn, Alabama, Ann (Annie) Burney of Columbus, Georgia, John (Jack) Nicholson of Lexington, Kentucky and stepson Richard Lowe of Richmond, Kentucky. He is also survived by seven grandchildren.