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Continued from previous page
Reuniting (for the past 50 Years)
Bill Nikel, WG'54, and Roy Peterson, WG'54
Bill Nikel, WG'54, and Roy Peterson, WG'54, didn't really need
a reunion. Friends for 50 years, the two Wharton grads still see each
other on a regular basis. Instead, they came to reunion weekend to
meet fellow alumni, observe the changed campus, attend lectures,
and bask in the sun on Lehman Brothers quad. As it happened, the
chance to celebrate a half-century friendship was just an added bonus.
Nikel and Peterson met during their first year at Wharton. Both
men majored in marketing and shared several classes, some taught
by the legendary Reavis Cox, the department's first chairman.
Nikel, who was born in Boonton, NJ, came to Wharton after completing an
undergraduate degree at Ursinus College, while Peterson,
who was born in Worcester, MA, came from Upsala College.
Between their common academic interests and similar undergraduate
experiences, Nikel and Peterson had plenty of things to talk
about and quickly developed an unusually durable bond.
After graduation, Nikel and Peterson stayed friendly, meeting
up at an occasional Broadway show in New York or a beach resort
in Maine with their wives. (Both men married in the mid-1950s.)
They both continued on to careers in marketing, with Peterson
moving to Minneapolis and Nikel moving to Newport News, VA.
For a time, each was busy raising a family (Nikel has four children;
Peterson has two)and they lost touch. But when Peterson came
back to the East Coast, Nikel was among the first people he contacted.
"I found his name in the alumni directory and gave him a
call," says Peterson.
These days, the two classmates meet every six months for lunch,
usually at the Bear Mountain Inn in the Hudson Valley. Peterson,
who worked for Lever Brothers (now Unilever), Dow Chemical and
Shaffer Clark before retiring eight years ago, now lives in Somers,
NY, with Linda, his wife of 48 years. Nikel worked for JC Penney,
Lukens Steel and the Noland Company, among others, is semi-retired
and works as an independent consultant specializing in career
counseling, team building and executive coaching. He lives in
West Caldwell, NJ, with Nola, his wife of 50 years.
For Peterson, the reunion was his first visit back to campus since
1954. He left Wharton after a year and half to join the service—he
ended up getting a job at Pillsbury instead—and got his diploma
in the mail. "One of the reasons I came back was because I never
walked at graduation," said Peterson.
During the weekend, he finally had the opportunity to walk in
the graduation ceremony.
"I was the last one. I was carrying the flag, and as I came
around—the oldest guy at the ceremony—all the students perked
up. I waved the flag and gave a little wiggle and said 'I made it.' They all
laughed and cheered."
Nikel, who has been active in the Wharton clubs in both New
York and New Jersey, tries to come back to campus at least once a
year, but there are always changes. "My wife and I lived on 31st and
Spruce while I was at Wharton," says Nikel. "I was shocked to see a
huge high-rise that's there now."
"The reunion was fantastic. It was really special to take Roy and
Linda around and show them all that had changed on campus,"
says Nikel. For his part, Peterson enjoyed seeing the changes. "I
hardly recognized anything! But there was so much energy and enthusiasm—not to mention the state-of-the-art facilities—and that
was great to see."
And it won't be long until they'll have a chance to reminisce
about the reunion in person: Nikel and Peterson plan to meet this
summer at the Bear Mountain Inn.
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