Dr. Ralph C. Nichols, PhD63 years old, of Hanover, NH, died peacefully on Wednesday, May 21, 2014, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA, with his daughter and wife at his side. Only a month and a half before his passing, Ralph was diagnosed with Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma, an extremely rare cancer that affects about one person in every million people worldwide, with only about 20 cases in America every year.

Ralph received his PhD in Biochemistry at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. in 1991. He received his BA in English Literature at UCLA in 1977, and received his Masters in Cell and Molecular Biology at San Francisco State University in 1983. In 1992, Ralph became a Senior Staff Scientist at The National Institute of Health in the Connective Tissue Section of the Arthritis Institute (NIAMS), where he studied autoimmune diseases and the genetics of intermediate metabolic disorders. Ralph came to Dartmouth College in 1996 and became an Assistant Professor in 1999. In April of 2001 Ralph accepted a joint appointment as Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and of Medicine, and Research Chemist, at the Veterans Administration Medical Research Service, in White River Junction,VT.

Ralph's research primarily focused on identifying how various molecules interact during inflammatory diseases, including arthritis and cancer. He also studied how environmental exposure to arsenic, commonly found in drinking water, affects liver metabolism, toxicity, and the development of cancer. His research involved inter-disciplinary collaborations between biologists, chemists, and physicians and was supported by highly competitive grants from the VA and NIH. Recently, Ralph designed novel peptide inhibitors that specifically target inflammatory mediators. This work contributes to the next step of identifying novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. In addition to his research activities, Ralph served as Chair and Co-Chair of the VA Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, as well as the VA Research Resource Committee. Ralph was the recipient of the Veterans Administration "Outstanding" Incentive Award in 2010 and 2011. He was Assistant Editor of the Journal of Immunology and Clinical Research. He also served as an ad hoc peer-reviewer for several prestigious scientific journals.

Ralph was not just interested in scientific discovery; he was also keenly interested in supporting the next generation of scientists. Over the course of his career, Ralph mentored 25 students who spanned the high school to the post-graduate level. Many of these students would not have had research experiences otherwise, and Ralph was eager to provide them with opportunities for growth and career development.

Ralph and Mary Jane have known each other since he was 18 and she was 20, meeting at the Samuel Gompers Memorial Park Commune in Washington, D.C. in the late 60's, where Ralph was well known for his poetry and his blueberry lasagna. Throughout the 60's and 70's, Ralph and Mary Jane, soul mates and best friends, explored the U.S. and the world together. Their first date was at the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana. They traveled back and forth across the country numerous times in their little Volkswagen "bug" with their cats. They lived in Los Angeles, Venice, CA, Yosemite National Park, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and Columbia, MD, moving to Hanover, NH in 1996 where Ralph began his career at Dartmouth College. Ralph and Mary Jane also backpacked throughout Europe for about six months and spent a month traveling through Morocco, staying in Erfoud, on the edge of the Sahara Desert. Ralph and Mary Jane were married in Columbia, MD many years ago in a very simple ceremony.

Ralph and his daughter, Kelsey, were very close. A talented guitar player, though a bit tone deaf, Ralph would sing Kelsey to sleep every night with his favorite folk songs when she was a little girl. Ralph loved to bake and cook and he handed those loves down to his daughter. They made homemade bread together from the time she could hold a measuring cup. Kelsey loved, respected, and admired her father immensely; especially his kind and creative ways of dealing with people and life.

Ralph loved the outdoors and riding his bike to work, even up the Chieftain hill. He enjoyed hiking, camping, kayaking and canoeing and made the best campsites and campfires. He loved long walks on the beach and long car rides throughout the countryside. He was an avid birdwatcher and loved the snow, especially when walking his dog on long, leash-less walks in the woods. Ralph followed news and politics avidly, and loved PBS. He believed in the equality of all humans.

Ralph will forever be remembered for his unfailing kindness and modesty by his family, friends, colleagues and anyone who ever knew him. He dedicated his mind to science while he was alive, and is dedicating his body to science in his passing. Ralph truly was one in a million.

Ralph is survived by his wife, Mary Jane Mulligan, and daughter, Kelsey Maya Nichols, his 96 year old mother, Esther Nichols, of Riverdale, MD, brother, Shawn Nichols, of Humboldt, CA and twin brothers, Merle Nichols, of Ft. Edward, NY and Malcolm Nichols, of Frederick, MD. Ralph was predeceased by his father, Leslie Nichols, also of Riverdale, MD.

A memorial service in his honor will be held at Rollins Chapel on the Dartmouth College campus on Saturday, June 21 at 2:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, gifts in memory of Ralph C. Nichols may be made in support of the Mass General Hospital Cancer Center. Checks made payable to "Massachusetts General Hospital" in memory of Ralph C. Nichols can be mailed to: Mass General Hospital c/o MGH Development Office, Attn: Ali Manzella, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 1310, Boston, MA 02114.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Rand-Wilson Funeral Home of Hanover, NH.