Class of 1967 | Hancock Central High School
Described as a “classic Christian preacher” Dr. William Nigh had a passion for the gospel of Jesus Christ and serving the people in his churches and communities. A colleague from Florida, Rev. Mark Allan described him as, “a very humble and quiet man, with a very powerful ministry. He was well known for his sermons — his sermons were very penetrating, very perceptive.” Rev. Jeffery Rider, another Florida colleague, added, “He was, singularly, the hardest-working man in the ministry that I ever met.”
While a student at Hancock Central, William laid a foundation for involvement by participating in many activities including basketball, track, National Honor Society, Speech, and Drama Club. He was class president and a member of FFA serving as vice president and president. After his 1967 high school graduation, William earned a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in 1971, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. He received a Master of Divinity in 1974 from Yale Divinity School where he was president of his class, and a Doctor of Theology from Butler University in Indianapolis in 1985.
William’s stories from his time in Hancock Central schools inspired his wife to share some insights. William’s sister Jane noted, “In the fall of 1955 Bill started school in the recently consolidated Maxwell and Eden Schools. He entered the first grade of the newly formed school, Hancock Central. Bill’s graduating class of 1967 was the first senior class that were twelve-year Hancock Central Panthers. Bill loved every aspect of school. Bill completed Hancock Central High School with academic excellence that took him far in his collegiate years, but he gained so much more. That spirit of Hancock Central was so broadening providing students with a chance to try many assorted activities, even if it wasn’t a specialty. Bill left Hancock Central High School with the best quality a student can attain: confidence. He was confident with his friends and classmates, the staff and the community, as well as having confidence in his own academic prowess. Bill went on confidently giving his career and family his very best.”
William began as a senior pastor in 1974 at Zion Evangelical United Church in Indianapolis. While there he launched programs for families, singles, the mentally challenged, and the homeless. He served as president of the Downtown Minister Association and was on many denominational committees.
Following his time in Indianapolis, William served as a senior minister at First Congregational Church in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The country was in recession. William learned many of his church members were jobless, so he became one of the founders of the Ridgefield Job Network, with the purpose of helping out-of-work people find employment and assisting people with career changes. For his leadership in creating the program, William was featured in Time magazine. Also, during his time in Ridgefield he started the town youth ministry, was a member of the Drug and Alcohol Awareness Committee, served as Ridgefield Police chaplain, and was president of the Yale Alumni Club.
In 1994, William moved to Vero Beach, Florida where his service and impact were recognized yet again at local, state, and national levels. As senior minister of The United Church of Christ, William started a $5 million educational center at the church plus a community outreach program for mentoring and tutoring to nine public schools. William worked with the Homeless Task Force and developed a community partners program to help welfare families. He was honored with the State Commissioner of Education Business Recognition award and the National Points of Light award. Rev. Jeffery Rider again praised him by saying, “He had a powerful presence and had the ability in the community to dream the big dreams, and to inspire others to see the merit in those dreams.”