Education

Retiring is a laugh a minute:Former AD, school leader Dave Nichols roasted with help from Lenny Clarke

By Judy Wakefield
Staff Writer
Published: September 25, 2008

Andover's former athletic director knew something was up.

But Dave Nichols never would have guessed that comedian Lenny Clarke, who also has a television gig on the Fox network show, "Rescue Me," was going to be the master of ceremonies at his surprise retirement party.

"He is just a riot and able to sum up what people say so fast ... the crowd was crying from laughing so hard," Nichols said. "I knew something was up, but I never expected Lenny."

Clarke is a longtime family friend who kept the large crowd laughing, including the somewhat serious Nichols.

"It was surreal. There were a lot of people. To see all your friends like that, from your whole life, it was just very strange," said Nichols, who retired last June after 32 years in the Andover public schools as a special needs physical education teacher, health education director and co-athletic director.

Now a professor at Boston University teaching two health classes and supervising student health teachers, Nichols said he has adjusted to college just fine.

He earned both his undergraduate and master's degrees at Boston University.

"It's kind of a full circle for me," said the Medford native, who said he once worked for the Parks Department and played in sports leagues in Medford. He was given a Medford baseball shirt at the party as a way to never forget those good old days.

Nichols, who lives within walking distance of Andover High with his wife, Debbie Nichols, a kindergarten teacher at Bancroft Elementary School, and two daughters, said he has dropped in at Andover High a few times since retiring.

A fixture at various sport events while working for Andover, he still attends games.

"BU is just different. I'm still teaching kids. They're just older than the terrific kids I know from Andover High," he said.