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Roddy Eugene Nichols, 65, of Missouri City, passed away on December 22, 2007. He was born January 3, 1942 in Nacogdoches, Texas. A graduate of Spring Branch High School and the University of Houston (B.A., M.Ed.), Rod taught Speech and English and was the coach of the debate team at Lee High School in Houston for 20 years. In 1989, he was awarded the Texas Excellence Award for Outstanding High School Teachers, one of only 10 teachers in the state to receive the award that year. He went on to become the Dean of Instruction for Gregory-Lincoln Education Center and served in that capacity until retiring in 1999. Throughout his life, he was an immensely creative person, and his creative pursuits, for which he was recipient of many awards, included writing poetry, painting, musical theatre, and authoring computer software.

In later years, Rod focused his attention on poetry, and, in particular, poetry centered around the Old West and the life of the American cowboy. Rod authored three complete books of western poetry, “A Little Bit of Texas,” “Drover Diaries,” and “Old Trees and Tumbleweeds,” and a number of compact discs featuring his poetry and music. For “A Little Bit of Texas” he received the prestigious Will Rogers Medallion Award from the Academy of Western Artists in 2003. His poetry has been featured at the Republican National Convention, in the autobiography of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (“Lazy B”), on the Internet, and in newspapers, magazines, radio programs across the country. He was the first recipient of the “Lariat Laureate” award from “CowboyPoetry.com,” a prominent poetry website. And despite declining health, Rod continued to accept invitations to perform his poetry across the country, including most recently the National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo in Hot Springs, South Dakota.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Thelma Catherine Pilgreen Johnson, and his father J.C. Eugene Nichols. He is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Judith Ann Beridon Nichols, his two sons and their wives, Michael & Laurie Nichols, and Dennis & Carlie Nichols, his grandchildren Lorelei, Liam, and Liesl Nichols, his brother Don Nichols, and his two sisters Windy Lanzl and Stacy Hooker.

Memorial services are scheduled for 2:00 PM on Saturday, December 29, 2007 at The Settegast-Kopf Co. At Sugar Creek, 15015 Southwest Freeway, Sugar Land, TX 77478.