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WILLIAM NICOSON Obituary


  
WILLIAM JARVIE NICOSON  
Lawyer and first Director of the New Communitiy Administration, HUD, passed away peacefully at his home in Reston on July 7, 2013. He was 81. Bill was born on June 1, 1932, in Pittsburgh, PA, the only child of Marion Jarvie and William McGarvey Nicoson. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy, Princeton University, and Harvard Law School. He spent his junior year at the Sorbonne in Paris. Bill served for two years as an officer in the US Army in Germany. After law school, Bill joined the law firm of Sullivan &. Cromwell and practiced law in New York and in its Paris office.When Bill came to Washington in 1970 to head the New Communities Administration, he moved to the new community of Reston. He set up his own legal practice in Washington, DC in 1972 specializing in international finance, community development and urban governance. Bill was a founder of the Northern Virginia Connection newspapers and served as its publisher for a number of years. He later wrote a weekly column for the Connection, and a monthly column for the Reston Times. Bill had a great love of the theater, music, and literature. He acted in numerous amateur productions and wrote seven plays. He was an excellent piano player and entertained family and friends with classical and ragtime pieces. He was also admired for his gourmet cooking skills. Bill was active in the Reston community serving on the Reston Association and other community organization's boards, putting his legal and financial skills to work on many committees. He received the "Best of Reston" award in 2002. Bill was a voracious reader and an avid chess player. He was a member of the Cosmos Club and played on its chess team against local and London clubs.  Bill was a member of the St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Reston. He is survived by his wife Patricia McLaughlin Nicoson and his stepchildren William Todd Fairbairn, IV and Mary Fairbairn Morgan and five grandchildren. There will be a Memorial Service in the Fall.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Washington Post on Jul. 14, 2013.

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3 Entries

July 18, 2013

Patti,
Julie and I wanted you to know you are in our thoughts.

Penny and Julie at Sequels

Denis Rice

July 15, 2013

Bill was a classmate at Exeter and my partner on the Academy debate team against Andover (we won). Probably one of the most brilliant guys I ever met. Was also a Princeton classmate. My great regret is that I haven't seen Bill for over 30 years.

Diane and Robert Maddex

July 15, 2013

We were so sorry to learn of Bill's passing, as we enjoyed knowing him when we lived in Reston. He leaves much to be proud of.

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