Fullerton Man Has Lost Much, But Hopes For New Start

By Tom Berg The Orange County Register STATION ICON: “Big Smokey” Nichols shined shoes for 35 years. Photo by Matt Eich, The Orange County Register. Even from his hospital bed, shoeshine man "Big Smokey" Nichols, 64, dreams of a comeback. Against all odds. His left leg was amputated in April. His right leg is swollen with elephantiasis. He's legally blind. And? "If we had a shoeshine school, I could train students," says the man who shined shoes at the Fullerton Train Station for 35 years. "You'd call and say, 'I've got 50 pairs of shoes. How long will that take?' I'd say, 'Give me four hours.' That's what the guys go to school for. I'd train them." Nichols was forced to retire his longtime shoeshine stand in October 2004 because diabetes robbed most of his eyesight and lymphedema robbed his ability to stay on his feet. Still, he dreamed of someday starting a chain of shoeshine stands that he could manage. [Click here to see a video about Smokey made in 2004.] Nichols must now learn how to walk on a prosthetic leg at Atlantic Memorial Health Care Center in Long Beach. Within a year, he hopes to move home, where his wife, Linda, will resume care of his legs. Then, he hopes, someone will invest in him to start a school. "Everyone goes through trials and tribulations," he says. "It's taken me a long time to deal with this. But let everyone at the train station know I'm OK." Note from the Genesis Editors: Alford “Smokey” Nichols is a member of the Cypress Stake. As his health has permitted, Smokey has attended the bi-monthly firesides hosted by the African-American Affairs Council of the Church. You can call Smokey Nichols at 562-461-1074 or write him at: Alford Nichols, Room 26B, Atlantic Memorial Health Care Center, 2750 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, CA 90806.