W.H. Nichols
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Charles River Museum Award
- The Third Annual Spirit of Innovation Award will be presented by the Trustees of the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation on June 2, 2016 to the Nichols Family, a storied clan descended from legendary engineer/machinist W.H. Nichols who established his eponymous company in Waltham in 1904. Nicknamed “Accurate Nichols” for his exacting standards, W.H.’s lifelong motto was “Anything Almost Right is Wrong.”
- Later known as W.H. Nichols and Sons, the company built its well-earned reputation for precision manufacturing by successfully developing production capabilities for IBM, DuPont, and other companies and inventors whose products were theretofore believed to require machining tolerances too exact to be mass produced. Their manufacturing excellence earned W.H. Nichols & Sons a remarkable five “E Awards” (no company ever earned more than six) for particularly outstanding wartime production excellence helping to defeat the World War II Axis Powers.
- Steam engines were a great hobby of the Nichols men. W.H. is seen here on "Ella Cinders," a "live steam" model locomotive he built that ran on a track around the company property and was a popular attraction with local children.
