Kenyon Nicholson
| Kenyon Nicholson | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 21, 1894 Crawfordsville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | December 19, 1986 Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Nationality |
 American |
| Other names | John Kenyon Nicholson |
| Occupation | Playwright, screenwriter |
| Spouse(s) | Lucile Nikolas (married December 24, 1924) |
Kenyon Nicholson (May 21, 1894 – December 19, 1986) was an American playwright and screenwriter.
John Kenyon Nicholson was born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, on May 21, 1894, the oldest son of Thomas B. and Anne (Kenyon) Nicholson. Thomas and Anne had one other child, Thomas Lawrence, born May 11, 1896.
Kenyon attended Crawfordsville High School from 1909–1910, where he was active in drama and was the assistant business manager of the yearbook, The Athenian. On September 1, 1911, Kenyon enrolled at DeWitt Clinton High School in New York City. He stayed there for a year, living with his aunt Bessie (Nicholson) Wheeler at 61 Hamilton Place. At DeWitt Clinton he studied English, Latin, German, physical training, history, and elocution, and belonged to the chorus in a school play. While in New York, Kenyon spent his free time at the Knickerbocker Theatre, Casino Theatre, and New Amsterdam Theatre on Broadway. He returned to Crawfordsville for his senior year and graduated from Crawfordsville High School in 1913.
Kenyon then attended Wabash College in Crawfordsville. His first theatrical hit was at Wabash in 1913. The play was called “Let Him Up, Doc”; it was a one-act “satirical, musical treatment” composed by Nicholson and N. E. Tannenbaum. As a member of the Dramatic Club, Kenyon wrote and produced plays throughout his college career.
In addition to theater, Kenyon was on the staff of the school newspaper, The Bachelor, as well as various committees, including the one in 1914 that decided on white v-neck jerseys with purple edging as the sophomore class insignia. In 1915 Kenyon won the Gene Stratton-Porter short story prize for his story, “Puppets.” He was awarded by Ms. Stratton-Porter $100. He was on the board of the school magazine, a member of Beta Theta Pi, and was appointed director of the glee club in 1917; he was a second tenor and was in the ukulele quintet.
Kenyon and his brother, Lawrence, enlisted in the Army in April, 1917, and were sent to Officers’ Reserve Training camp at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Lawrence, Indiana. He was commissioned as a first lieutenant and was stationed in France as an intelligence officer with the 1st Army headquarters. Kenyon had been in France for a couple of months when he had a chance meeting with Lawrence, who had just arrived there with another unit. After the Armistice, Kenyon continued his education at Cambridge University before he returned home to Indiana.
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