The
Mentor
Nelson Bickley's Appalachian Life and Legacy of Service
Start the Journey
Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.
- Carter G. Woodson
Nelson Rufus Bickley Jr. (1928-2021) started life suspended between worlds.
Raised not by his parents, but by his loving grandmother. Coming of age in a segregated state. And struggling to chart his own destiny out from under the shadow of his great-uncle, the legendary Carter G. Woodson. From humble beginnings in the heart of Appalachia, Nelson Bickley Jr. built a distinguished career as an Army officer, academic counselor, higher education administrator, and legal advocate for the underprivileged of West Virginia. This is the story of Nelson’s upbringing in Huntington, West Virginia; his maturation in a U.S. military only just beginning to throw off the yoke of segregation; and the emergence of Nelson’s own legacy of lifelong community-building and mentorship.
Part 1: In the Shadow of Greatness
part 1:
In the Shadow of Greatness
Chapter 3 The Woodson Legacy
Chapter 1 Roots of Freedom
Chapter 5 Initial Enlistment
Chapter 6 Deuce and a Half
Chapter 4 Anything Can Happen Here
Chapter 2 Jewel City Lessons
Part 2: Bridging the Divide
part 2:
Soldier to Educator
Chapter 12 Return to West Virginia
Chapter 13 Battle Lines and Color Lines
Chapter 8 Cold Warrior
Chapter 9 Husband, Father, Officer
Chapter 10 Lingering Inequalities
Chapter 11 Missile Command
Chapter 7 West Virginia State College
Part 3: Beyond the Uniform
part 3:
Beyond the Uniform
Chapter 17 An Institution in Institute
Chapter 18 Law School
Chapter 15 Community Leader
Chapter 14 New Horizons
Chapter 16 Serving State
Chapter 20 In Woodson's Footsteps
Chapter 19 Full Partner
Epilogue
epilogue:
A Life Well Lived
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
Return to Exhibit Hub
Chapter 9
Husband, Father, Officer
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Mentor: Introduction
The Mentor: Part I
The Mentor: Part II
The Mentor: Part III
The Mentor: Epilogue
Nelson Bickley with Mrs. Lucille M. Markham, secretary to the Guidance faculty, in 1973. Drain-Jordan Library, West Virginia State University
Info and Disclaimer
West Virginia National Cemeteries Project
This biographical exhibit is part of the West Virginia National Cemeteries Project (WVNCP), a program of the West Virginia Humanities Council. The WVNCP is funded by a Veterans Legacy Grant Program grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The following pages contain graphic images and descriptions of war, violence, protests, and other tumultuous historical events. Reader discretion is advised.
West Virginia National Cemeteries Project
The images and other visual content contained within this digital work are the copyright of their respective owners. This project is educational and fair use in nature, and makes no copyright claims to any photographs, maps, or other images herein. Wherever possible, links to the original owner's website have been provided.
West Virginia Humanities Council
Veterans Legacy Memorial
Veterans Legacy Grant Program
Chapter 19
Full Partner
Chapter 17
An Institution in Institute
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Mentor: Introduction
The Mentor: Part I
The Mentor: Part II
The Mentor: Part III
The Mentor: Epilogue
Chapter 2
Jewel City Lessons
Chapter 12
Return to West Virginia
Chapter 4
"Anything Can Happen Here"
Original Smithsonian caption: "This photograph is from an album belonging to Spc. James Edward Brown II of Delta Company, 31st Combat Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade. During the Vietnam War, Brown’s unit cleared jungles, paved roads, and built bridges to support American and allied forces." National Museum of African American History and Culture
Two Decades of Service
For the sake of brevity, some of Nelson Bickley's Army postings as an officer have been given only brief mention in the exhibit narrative. The full record of his assignments from 1946 to 1969 is made available below. Images courtesy of the National Archives.
Nelson examines a grave marker at Wounded Knee, site of the infamous 1890 massacre of Lakota people by the U.S. Army. Bickley Family collection.
Chapter 13
Battle Lines and Color Lines
Chapter 7
West Virginia State College
Chapter 11
Missile Command
Chapter 1
Roots of Freedom Along the Ohio
The May 1950 issue of the Negro History Bulletin is a cover-to-cover tribute to the publication's founder, Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Woodson had died the month before. This issue contains a biographical sketch of Woodson's life, along with numerous personal tributes from notable Black cultural leaders of the day. Resource courtesy of Archive.org
1949-1969
Part 2 map
Nelson Bickley's military service carried him to a number of posts around the United States—and the world. His rotations at each post generally lasted about three years, though he was often called away by further training elsewhere.
Hover over each map pin with your cursor to view additional details.
Chapter 15
Community Leader
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Mentor: Part I
The Mentor: Part II
The Mentor: Part III
The Mentor: Epilogue
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Mentor: Introduction
The Mentor: Part I
The Mentor: Part II
The Mentor: Part III
The Mentor: Epilogue
A Black History symposium organized by Ancella Bickley in 1993 on Marshall University campus in Huntington. Nelson and Ancella are marked with arrows. West Virginia Humanities Council collections
Chapter 5
Initial Enlistment
Nelson is marked with an arrow in this photo of West Virginia State's 1950 student Historical Society. West Virginia State University, Drain-Jordan Library
About the Team
The Mentor was a collaborative endeavor, no part of which was possible without multiple contributors. Below is merely a list of primary roles on the project. For a full list of other contributors, please visit the Acknowledgements page.
Design: Kyle Warmack Creative Editors: Kristen Bailey and Kyle Warmack Copy Editing: Debby Sonis Authors Part I: Rachael Nicholas Part II: Daniel Brennan Part III: Jacob Klinger Consulting Scholars: Dr. Melissa Bingmann, Dr. Jason Phillips, West Virginia University.
Bickley's Laws
Nelson's former law partner Pat Jacobs keeps the article at right framed on his office wall. "Bickley's Laws" encapsulated much of Nelson's attitude toward safeguarding women—and other vulnerable minorities—from predatory elements through a combination of legal, social, and personal means. Image courtesy of Pat Jacobs
1.
All men are bastards. There are exceptions. But make them prove it. Every woman should have a marketable skill before she gets married. If he hits you, he is history. If he doesn't have a sense of humor, he is history.
2.
3.
4.
Chapter 8
Cold Warrior
The
Greater Charleston Area, Kanawha Co.
1969-2021
Part 3 map
The latter third of Nelson's life brought him back into closer contact with his roots in West Virginia.
Hover over each map pin with your cursor to view additional details.
Standalone Narrative
Prefer to read Nelson Bickley's story in a continuous document?
We all have preferences when it comes to the reading "experience." The exhibit you are about to view breaks Condon's full biography into individual chapters. If you prefer to read everything in a complete, undivided document (like a book), the link below is for you. Or perhaps you've got a big screen (maybe even multiple monitors)? You can open the narrative on one side, and browse the images and media for each chapter in another window. The choice is yours!
Click on the button to read Bickley's full biography in a separate link (Google Doc).
Chapter 20
In Woodson's Footsteps
Chapter 16
Serving State
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Mentor: Introduction
The Mentor: Part I
The Mentor: Part II
The Mentor: Part III
The Mentor: Epilogue
Part 1
Timeline
1926
Carter G. Woodson founds "Negro History Week."
1928
February 28
Nelson Bickley is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1929
Great Depression begins.
ca.1930
Nelson's mother Belva moves in with Bessie Woodson Yancey (Nelson's grandmother). Eventually Belva and Nelson's sister Joan relocate, leaving Nelson with Bessie.
1932
Franklin Delano Roosevelt elected President of the United States.
1937
The Ohio and Mississippi rivers flood, causing massive damage from Wheeling, WV, to the Gulf of Mexico. Many Huntington residents are forced to evacuate. Carter G. Woodson begins publishing the Negro History Bulletin.
january
1939
Carter G. Woodson purchases the 1703 Artisan Avenue duplex for Bessie Woodson Yancey, in which Nelson will spend the rest of his teenage years.
1941
The United States enters World War II.
1945
Nelson graduates from Douglass High School and begins attending West Virginia State College, but performs poorly. World War II ends.
Carter G. Woodson as the first academic dean of West Virginia State College in 1923. Drain-Jordan Library, WV State University.
1946-49
Nelson enlists in the U.S. Army, serving as a typist and truck driver in the postwar Philippines and elsewhere. President Harry S. Truman orders the desegregation of the U.S. military in 1948.
Chapter 14
New Horizons
1928-1946
pART 1 map
Nelson Bickley Jr. grew up within a relatively narrow slice of central Huntington. The red-shaded area in the center of this 1933 map from the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) delineates Nelson's neighborhood on Artisan Avenue, an area designated as undesirable because of its "heavy colored population," despite also defining the residents as the "better type of colored people." The HOLC's practice of "redlining" shaped urban landscapes across America, defining generations of Black experience—including Nelson's.
Further Reading
Chapter 3
The Woodson Legacy
Chapter 10
Lingering Inequalities
Stylized composite image created for this exhibit, combining an image of Carter G. Woodson in 1918 (left) and Nelson Bickley in 1970. Both images courtesy of the West Virginia & Regional History Center, WVU Libraries. Click on the image icons for source links
Part 2
Timeline
1949
Nelson's first Army enlistment ends. He immediately re-enrolls at West Virginia State College. He joins the college ROTC, and becomes reacquainted with Ancella Radford.
1950
April 3 June 25 August 6
Carter G. Woodson dies in Washington D.C. Nelson attends the funeral. Communist North Korean forces invade South Korea. The Korean War begins. Nelson and Ancella are married.
1952
Nelson and Ancella's eldest daughter, Renée, is born. Nelson graduates from West Virginia State with an A.B. in History. He resumes his military career as an officer with training at Fort Stewart, deployment to the Pacific, and Fort Bliss.
May 25
1956
Nelson and Ancella's second daughter, Ancella ("Cill"), is born, sharing a birthday with Renée. The family moves to Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, where Nelson's battery command frequently hosts Washington dignitaries.
May 25
1958
January 11
Bessie Woodson Yancey dies.
1960-63
Nelson and the family deploy to West Germany, where he moves up from battery commander to sub-post commander at Schweinfurt. President John F. Kennedy is assassinated (22 NOV 1963).
1963-65
Return to Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. Malcolm X is assassinated (21 FEB 1965).
1965-66
Deployment to South Korea, followed by assignment as an ROTC training officer at West Virginia University (WVU), Morgantown.
1968
January April 4 June 5
North Vietnamese Tet Offensive. Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.
1969
Nelson is granted retirement from the Army at the rank of Lt. Col. after Congressman Harley O. Staggers intervenes on his behalf.
july 31
Chapter 6
Deuce and a Half
Chapter 18
Law School
Thank you,
Ancella Bickley
The woman who would become Nelson Bickley's wife easily deserves a full-length biography of her own. Much of what Nelson accomplished in life might have been impossible without the dynamic, endlessly curious Ancella blazing a parallel trail beside him. Nor would this project have been realized, since it began with the sizable collection of Bickley family documents Ancella donated to West Virginia University. Ancella is arguably one of West Virginia's most important historians of the latter 20th century. It is only because this project focuses on veterans that we have had to omit many of Ancella's notable accomplishments.
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Mentor: Introduction
The Mentor: Part I
The Mentor: Part II
The Mentor: Part III
The Mentor: Epilogue
Part 3
Timeline
1969
Ancella and Nelson work as counselors, instructors, and administrators at West Virginia University.
1973
Nelson and Ancella move to Institute to accept positions at West Virginia State College (now University).
1975
The Vietnam War ends with the fall of Saigon.
1977
Nelson is admitted to WVU Law School.
1980
Nelson graduates from WVU Law and begins practicing in Charleston with friend and colleague Pat Jacobs.
1982
West Virginia State awards Nelson a place in their ROTC Hall of Fame.
1994-95
Nelson's mother Belva passes away in 1994, followed by his father Nelson Sr. the next year.
1998
Nelson's law practice moves its offices to a more rural location outside Charleston.
Nelson dances with his eldest daughter, Dr. Renée Bickley Hill. Bickley Family collection.
2005
Ancella and Nelson move to Florida following his retirement from law practice the previous year.
2017
The couple move in with daughter Renée in Richmond, Virginia.
2021
Nelson passes away on October 9, and is buried at Spring Hill Cemetery, Huntington, West Virginia, on October 20.
WVNCP: The Mentor
Kyle Warmack
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Transcript
The
Mentor
Nelson Bickley's Appalachian Life and Legacy of Service
Start the Journey
Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.
- Carter G. Woodson
Nelson Rufus Bickley Jr. (1928-2021) started life suspended between worlds.
Raised not by his parents, but by his loving grandmother. Coming of age in a segregated state. And struggling to chart his own destiny out from under the shadow of his great-uncle, the legendary Carter G. Woodson. From humble beginnings in the heart of Appalachia, Nelson Bickley Jr. built a distinguished career as an Army officer, academic counselor, higher education administrator, and legal advocate for the underprivileged of West Virginia. This is the story of Nelson’s upbringing in Huntington, West Virginia; his maturation in a U.S. military only just beginning to throw off the yoke of segregation; and the emergence of Nelson’s own legacy of lifelong community-building and mentorship.
Part 1: In the Shadow of Greatness
part 1:
In the Shadow of Greatness
Chapter 3 The Woodson Legacy
Chapter 1 Roots of Freedom
Chapter 5 Initial Enlistment
Chapter 6 Deuce and a Half
Chapter 4 Anything Can Happen Here
Chapter 2 Jewel City Lessons
Part 2: Bridging the Divide
part 2:
Soldier to Educator
Chapter 12 Return to West Virginia
Chapter 13 Battle Lines and Color Lines
Chapter 8 Cold Warrior
Chapter 9 Husband, Father, Officer
Chapter 10 Lingering Inequalities
Chapter 11 Missile Command
Chapter 7 West Virginia State College
Part 3: Beyond the Uniform
part 3:
Beyond the Uniform
Chapter 17 An Institution in Institute
Chapter 18 Law School
Chapter 15 Community Leader
Chapter 14 New Horizons
Chapter 16 Serving State
Chapter 20 In Woodson's Footsteps
Chapter 19 Full Partner
Epilogue
epilogue:
A Life Well Lived
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
Return to Exhibit Hub
Chapter 9
Husband, Father, Officer
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Mentor: Introduction
The Mentor: Part I
The Mentor: Part II
The Mentor: Part III
The Mentor: Epilogue
Nelson Bickley with Mrs. Lucille M. Markham, secretary to the Guidance faculty, in 1973. Drain-Jordan Library, West Virginia State University
Info and Disclaimer
West Virginia National Cemeteries Project
This biographical exhibit is part of the West Virginia National Cemeteries Project (WVNCP), a program of the West Virginia Humanities Council. The WVNCP is funded by a Veterans Legacy Grant Program grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The following pages contain graphic images and descriptions of war, violence, protests, and other tumultuous historical events. Reader discretion is advised.
West Virginia National Cemeteries Project
The images and other visual content contained within this digital work are the copyright of their respective owners. This project is educational and fair use in nature, and makes no copyright claims to any photographs, maps, or other images herein. Wherever possible, links to the original owner's website have been provided.
West Virginia Humanities Council
Veterans Legacy Memorial
Veterans Legacy Grant Program
Chapter 19
Full Partner
Chapter 17
An Institution in Institute
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Mentor: Introduction
The Mentor: Part I
The Mentor: Part II
The Mentor: Part III
The Mentor: Epilogue
Chapter 2
Jewel City Lessons
Chapter 12
Return to West Virginia
Chapter 4
"Anything Can Happen Here"
Original Smithsonian caption: "This photograph is from an album belonging to Spc. James Edward Brown II of Delta Company, 31st Combat Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade. During the Vietnam War, Brown’s unit cleared jungles, paved roads, and built bridges to support American and allied forces." National Museum of African American History and Culture
Two Decades of Service
For the sake of brevity, some of Nelson Bickley's Army postings as an officer have been given only brief mention in the exhibit narrative. The full record of his assignments from 1946 to 1969 is made available below. Images courtesy of the National Archives.
Nelson examines a grave marker at Wounded Knee, site of the infamous 1890 massacre of Lakota people by the U.S. Army. Bickley Family collection.
Chapter 13
Battle Lines and Color Lines
Chapter 7
West Virginia State College
Chapter 11
Missile Command
Chapter 1
Roots of Freedom Along the Ohio
The May 1950 issue of the Negro History Bulletin is a cover-to-cover tribute to the publication's founder, Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Woodson had died the month before. This issue contains a biographical sketch of Woodson's life, along with numerous personal tributes from notable Black cultural leaders of the day. Resource courtesy of Archive.org
1949-1969
Part 2 map
Nelson Bickley's military service carried him to a number of posts around the United States—and the world. His rotations at each post generally lasted about three years, though he was often called away by further training elsewhere.
Hover over each map pin with your cursor to view additional details.
Chapter 15
Community Leader
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Mentor: Part I
The Mentor: Part II
The Mentor: Part III
The Mentor: Epilogue
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Mentor: Introduction
The Mentor: Part I
The Mentor: Part II
The Mentor: Part III
The Mentor: Epilogue
A Black History symposium organized by Ancella Bickley in 1993 on Marshall University campus in Huntington. Nelson and Ancella are marked with arrows. West Virginia Humanities Council collections
Chapter 5
Initial Enlistment
Nelson is marked with an arrow in this photo of West Virginia State's 1950 student Historical Society. West Virginia State University, Drain-Jordan Library
About the Team
The Mentor was a collaborative endeavor, no part of which was possible without multiple contributors. Below is merely a list of primary roles on the project. For a full list of other contributors, please visit the Acknowledgements page.
Design: Kyle Warmack Creative Editors: Kristen Bailey and Kyle Warmack Copy Editing: Debby Sonis Authors Part I: Rachael Nicholas Part II: Daniel Brennan Part III: Jacob Klinger Consulting Scholars: Dr. Melissa Bingmann, Dr. Jason Phillips, West Virginia University.
Bickley's Laws
Nelson's former law partner Pat Jacobs keeps the article at right framed on his office wall. "Bickley's Laws" encapsulated much of Nelson's attitude toward safeguarding women—and other vulnerable minorities—from predatory elements through a combination of legal, social, and personal means. Image courtesy of Pat Jacobs
1.
All men are bastards. There are exceptions. But make them prove it. Every woman should have a marketable skill before she gets married. If he hits you, he is history. If he doesn't have a sense of humor, he is history.
2.
3.
4.
Chapter 8
Cold Warrior
The
Greater Charleston Area, Kanawha Co.
1969-2021
Part 3 map
The latter third of Nelson's life brought him back into closer contact with his roots in West Virginia.
Hover over each map pin with your cursor to view additional details.
Standalone Narrative
Prefer to read Nelson Bickley's story in a continuous document?
We all have preferences when it comes to the reading "experience." The exhibit you are about to view breaks Condon's full biography into individual chapters. If you prefer to read everything in a complete, undivided document (like a book), the link below is for you. Or perhaps you've got a big screen (maybe even multiple monitors)? You can open the narrative on one side, and browse the images and media for each chapter in another window. The choice is yours!
Click on the button to read Bickley's full biography in a separate link (Google Doc).
Chapter 20
In Woodson's Footsteps
Chapter 16
Serving State
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Mentor: Introduction
The Mentor: Part I
The Mentor: Part II
The Mentor: Part III
The Mentor: Epilogue
Part 1
Timeline
1926
Carter G. Woodson founds "Negro History Week."
1928
February 28
Nelson Bickley is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1929
Great Depression begins.
ca.1930
Nelson's mother Belva moves in with Bessie Woodson Yancey (Nelson's grandmother). Eventually Belva and Nelson's sister Joan relocate, leaving Nelson with Bessie.
1932
Franklin Delano Roosevelt elected President of the United States.
1937
The Ohio and Mississippi rivers flood, causing massive damage from Wheeling, WV, to the Gulf of Mexico. Many Huntington residents are forced to evacuate. Carter G. Woodson begins publishing the Negro History Bulletin.
january
1939
Carter G. Woodson purchases the 1703 Artisan Avenue duplex for Bessie Woodson Yancey, in which Nelson will spend the rest of his teenage years.
1941
The United States enters World War II.
1945
Nelson graduates from Douglass High School and begins attending West Virginia State College, but performs poorly. World War II ends.
Carter G. Woodson as the first academic dean of West Virginia State College in 1923. Drain-Jordan Library, WV State University.
1946-49
Nelson enlists in the U.S. Army, serving as a typist and truck driver in the postwar Philippines and elsewhere. President Harry S. Truman orders the desegregation of the U.S. military in 1948.
Chapter 14
New Horizons
1928-1946
pART 1 map
Nelson Bickley Jr. grew up within a relatively narrow slice of central Huntington. The red-shaded area in the center of this 1933 map from the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) delineates Nelson's neighborhood on Artisan Avenue, an area designated as undesirable because of its "heavy colored population," despite also defining the residents as the "better type of colored people." The HOLC's practice of "redlining" shaped urban landscapes across America, defining generations of Black experience—including Nelson's.
Further Reading
Chapter 3
The Woodson Legacy
Chapter 10
Lingering Inequalities
Stylized composite image created for this exhibit, combining an image of Carter G. Woodson in 1918 (left) and Nelson Bickley in 1970. Both images courtesy of the West Virginia & Regional History Center, WVU Libraries. Click on the image icons for source links
Part 2
Timeline
1949
Nelson's first Army enlistment ends. He immediately re-enrolls at West Virginia State College. He joins the college ROTC, and becomes reacquainted with Ancella Radford.
1950
April 3 June 25 August 6
Carter G. Woodson dies in Washington D.C. Nelson attends the funeral. Communist North Korean forces invade South Korea. The Korean War begins. Nelson and Ancella are married.
1952
Nelson and Ancella's eldest daughter, Renée, is born. Nelson graduates from West Virginia State with an A.B. in History. He resumes his military career as an officer with training at Fort Stewart, deployment to the Pacific, and Fort Bliss.
May 25
1956
Nelson and Ancella's second daughter, Ancella ("Cill"), is born, sharing a birthday with Renée. The family moves to Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, where Nelson's battery command frequently hosts Washington dignitaries.
May 25
1958
January 11
Bessie Woodson Yancey dies.
1960-63
Nelson and the family deploy to West Germany, where he moves up from battery commander to sub-post commander at Schweinfurt. President John F. Kennedy is assassinated (22 NOV 1963).
1963-65
Return to Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. Malcolm X is assassinated (21 FEB 1965).
1965-66
Deployment to South Korea, followed by assignment as an ROTC training officer at West Virginia University (WVU), Morgantown.
1968
January April 4 June 5
North Vietnamese Tet Offensive. Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.
1969
Nelson is granted retirement from the Army at the rank of Lt. Col. after Congressman Harley O. Staggers intervenes on his behalf.
july 31
Chapter 6
Deuce and a Half
Chapter 18
Law School
Thank you,
Ancella Bickley
The woman who would become Nelson Bickley's wife easily deserves a full-length biography of her own. Much of what Nelson accomplished in life might have been impossible without the dynamic, endlessly curious Ancella blazing a parallel trail beside him. Nor would this project have been realized, since it began with the sizable collection of Bickley family documents Ancella donated to West Virginia University. Ancella is arguably one of West Virginia's most important historians of the latter 20th century. It is only because this project focuses on veterans that we have had to omit many of Ancella's notable accomplishments.
Quick Navigation
Use the buttons below to jump to another section.
BACK to Exhibit Hub
The Mentor: Introduction
The Mentor: Part I
The Mentor: Part II
The Mentor: Part III
The Mentor: Epilogue
Part 3
Timeline
1969
Ancella and Nelson work as counselors, instructors, and administrators at West Virginia University.
1973
Nelson and Ancella move to Institute to accept positions at West Virginia State College (now University).
1975
The Vietnam War ends with the fall of Saigon.
1977
Nelson is admitted to WVU Law School.
1980
Nelson graduates from WVU Law and begins practicing in Charleston with friend and colleague Pat Jacobs.
1982
West Virginia State awards Nelson a place in their ROTC Hall of Fame.
1994-95
Nelson's mother Belva passes away in 1994, followed by his father Nelson Sr. the next year.
1998
Nelson's law practice moves its offices to a more rural location outside Charleston.
Nelson dances with his eldest daughter, Dr. Renée Bickley Hill. Bickley Family collection.
2005
Ancella and Nelson move to Florida following his retirement from law practice the previous year.
2017
The couple move in with daughter Renée in Richmond, Virginia.
2021
Nelson passes away on October 9, and is buried at Spring Hill Cemetery, Huntington, West Virginia, on October 20.