Thomas Leo Nichols

Growing up in the Southern California coastal community of Mar Vista led me to an early interest in the sea life along the California coast.  As a youth, I was captivated by the story of Moby Dick and the deep-sea whaling ships that traveled all the way from New England around the tip of South America and onto the vast Pacific Ocean in a quest of those mighty mammals of the sea.

As I grew a little older, I learned that the pursuit of whales had also taken place from a shore-based station on the Palos Verdes Peninsula just a few miles south of my home in Mar Vista.  With the passage of time, I began to pursue higher education in preparation for a business career.  I attended the California State University, Northridge (CSUN) where I was awarded a scholarship from the Rotary Club as I earned my BA Degree in Economics

Following graduation, I served in the U.S. Army with a tour of duty in Southeast Asia.  After returning home, I decided to attend graduate school, again at CSUN.  It was there I met Dr. David A. Henderson, a professor in the Geography Department.  Dr. Henderson was renowned for his research into whaling along the western North American coast, particularly along the Baja California coast.

With my background economics, and interest in whales, Dr. Henderson thought I might be interested in conducting original research into the history, geography as well as the economics of shore whaling along the California coast in the 1800s.  And so began my studies which included a trip to Moss Landing, just north of Monterey.  It was there that on July 29, 1978, I met Bill Laman, the Chief Flenser at the Moss Landing shore whaling station during the period 1918 – 1922.  Meeting Mr. Lehman was a truly rewarding experience.

My research ultimately resulted in the writing of my master’s Thesis: California Shore Whaling, 1854 to 1900 as part of the requirements for my MA Degree in Geography that I was awarded in 1983.