William Nicholls was born on April 12, 1921 in London, Ontario. In 1945, he received his BA Honours in Modern History from the University of Toronto where he also graduated from the Ontario College of Education. He later received his MS degree specializing in Group Work and Community Organization from Springfield College, Massachusetts in 1951. In 1963, he joined the faculty of UBC as a professor and researcher in social planning, community development and community work practice. Over the years, Nicholls conducted detailed research across Canada and has received several research awards and distinctions, notably Research Scholar at the London School of Economics and Political Science (1970) and Molson Research Fellowship at the Vanier Institute of the Family (1977). He also published numerous papers, projects, reports and speeches on a variety of social topics ranging from the family and the economy, rural development, youth unemployment, immigration and population policies and mental health challenges among First Nations people. As an active contributor to the community, Nicholls served on a variety of local, provincial and federal committees and has held several key community leadership roles including past president of the British Columbia Association of Social Workers (1988-1989). After Nicholls's death in 2003, his records were donated to the Archives.