George Nicholson didn’t own much when he arrived in Bowling Green to open up a Pagliai’s Pizza franchise in February 1967.

The then 19-year-old Missouri-born boy owned only three valuable possessions to help make the trip to the Buckeye state and start a pizza shop.

‘I showed up to Bowling Green with a ’62 Volkswagen, $38.50 and a dream I could outwork everyone else in the world,’ Nicholson said.

And while Nicholson has upgraded his car and added to his bank account since then, being a hard worker has never changed.

Nicholson is the founder of both Pagliai’s Pizza in Bowling Green and Campus Pollyeyes (both pronounced Pawl-ee-eyes). Starting in 2010, Nicholson will commemorate his 44th year in business, the second-longest tenure of any pizza-based restaurant in Bowling Green behind Pisanello’s Pizza’s 45 years.

Since Pagliai’s Pizza opened, more than 40 other pizza shops have started and ended their businesses in Bowling Green.

And while this is good news for Nicholson, he is not taking anything for granted.

Nicholson bases his core values of hard work and dedication from the founder of McDonald’s, Ray Kroc. Kroc, who came into work every day and did any job he thought would improve his now mega fast-food empire, is Nicholson’s inspiration.

Nicholson, 62, said he still gets up at 7 a.m. (6 a.m. during the summer) to fix appliances, clean bathrooms, mend the lawn and garden and make pizzas to please the customer. No job is beneath Nicholson and it’s one of the many reasons why so many people respect him.

‘Whatever George gets into, he goes into it 100 percent and put a full effort into it,’ said Rick Ferkel, friend to Nicholson for more than 35 years.

The early days

At 16, Nicholson was hired as a dishwasher and then later waited tables at Pagliai’s Pizza in Macomb, Ill., in 1964.

Little did he know Pagliai’s Pizza would be his only employer in life. After moving to Iowa City, Iowa, in 1965 to earn $100 a week, Nicholson was given the opportunity that would forever change his life.

Sam Pagliai, the owner of Pagliai’s Pizza, which opened in 1955, said he promised Nicholson a store when he was 21.

When Nicholson asked Pagliai what would happen if he died before he turned 21, Pagliai just laughed and said, ‘Well’hellip; just pray I stay alive.’

Pagliai made good on his promise with Nicholson in 1966. After paying an initial $35,000 to start a pizza shop, Nicholson ventured east to start business in Bowling Green in 1967.

Pagliai said he knew Nicholson would make the franchise proud.

‘He was a real good worker,’ Pagliai, 88, said. ‘He just naturally listened and worked and he was good. No question about it. I’d liked to have a lot of guys like him.’

Nicholson opened up the first Pagliai’s Pizza across the street from its current location at 945 S. Main St. By offering 10-inch cheese pizzas at 90 cents each (pizza, pop and coffee were the only items on the menu at the time) and staying open until 3:30 a.m. on the weekends, Nicholson got citizens of Bowling Green addicted to his pies.

During the 1970s, Nicholson said up to 600 pizzas, or one per minute the store was opened, were made some nights.

He had up to 10 delivery cars that would streak up and down the streets of Bowling Green, many of which carrying the ‘Pagliai Special,’ which is a pizza containing green pepper, sausage and onion (it has now changed to the ‘House Special’).

Meredith ‘Chip’ Myles, who is now the owner of Myles’ Pizza Pub and Sub Shop, recalls when he used to work for Pagliai’s Pizza in the late 1960s. One night, deliveries were backed up and no other employee was available. Not knowing how to drive using manual transmission, Nicholson handed Myles an order while giving him last-minute visual instructions on how to drive a stick.

‘First, second, third, fourth, Here’s your pizza, Go!’ Nicholson shouted to Myles on the way out the door.

Myles said it was essential every order was delivered promptly because it was how Nicholson remained successful.

‘He always put forth everything he had in running a business,’ Myles said. ‘He really cared and was a guy who worked from opening to closing.’

Myles’ story was just one of several reasons why Nicholson got his nickname, ‘Crazy George,’ for all the stunts and bargains he offered that seemed ridiculous to others.

With the success of Pagliai’s Pizza, Nicholson decided to open Campus Pollyeyes on 440 E. Court St. in 1978 to attract more University students to his business.

Campus Pollyeyes’ name was chosen for two reasons. First, they wanted to induce a welcoming environment for University students with the name ‘campus.’ Second, if the restaurant were ever to expand to a franchise, they wanted to be separate from the Pagliai name, which has approximately 15 franchises spread throughout the Midwest.

One of the busiest times was during finals week. Since Campus Pollyeyes is located within feet of the railroad tracks, Nicholson used it to his advantage. Every time a train would come through, all food would be half off from when the crossing gates went down to when the caboose left town.

Campus Pollyeyes was also the home of the popular stuffed breadsticks when a cook, who was trying to create a snack during some down time, created the restaurant’s most successful item, Nicholson said.

‘Thank God for him or her. They invented a unique item. Making a snack, rolling up a piece of bread putting stuff in it and putting it in the oven,’ Nicholson said. ‘Who would have dreamed in 1966 we would have been making those? It’s amazing how it has evolved.’

Community Involvement

Even though he works up to 50 hours some weeks, Nicholson still has time to get out in the community.

From 1972-77, Nicholson was the owner of spring cars that Ferkel raced. Traveling from Pennsylvania to California for races, Ferkel’s car crossed the finish line several times, ensuring Pagliai’s Pizza was a winner in more ways than just in patrons’ stomachs.

‘He was a great owner,’ Ferkel said.

Ferkel said working with Nicholson was a privilege. Not only did Nicholson fund the car, but he became a friend to Ferkel in the process.

‘George just has a great heart,’ Ferkel said. ‘He loves people. He loves helping people. He loves seeing people succeed. He just has a good heart and good morals.’

Nicholson was also a coach in Little League Baseball from 1983-2002. He taught discipline, accountability and repetition to his players in hopes they can become successful on the field just as his employees are in the kitchen.

‘A lot of our success on the baseball diamond was because we practiced, we worked hard and he does the same thing at the pizza house,’ said Kevin Gordon, assistant sports editor for Bowling Green’s daily newspaper, the Sentinel-Tribune, and a former coach with Nicholson.

Gordon, who meets with Nicholson every Sunday morning for coffee, said the city is fortunate to have a figure like him.

‘[George] is trying to make Bowling Green a better place. He is involved in the community and just a really good person,’ Gordon said.

But the most vested interest Nicholson has in the community is with the Boy Scouts of America.

‘I have been a scout master for 10 years, and that is where I stayed because that is where I am family,’ Nicholson said.

A Cubmaster for Pack 345 out of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Nicholson uses the motto ‘God. Country. Self. Family.’ to motivate Boy Scouts for outings such as their annual popcorn drive.

But Nicholson is not just preaching his values. He is out in the community with the boys setting an example of how to sell, said Rich Shedron, 28-year Boy Scout Master.

During Pack 345’s last popcorn drive, Nicholson went out with the scouts and helped collect more than $28,000, which is $13,000 more than the next closest pack in Wood County.

‘The man bends over backwards because he is there to help other people,’ said Rod Lanning, who works with the Boy Scouts of America. ‘He’ll just make sure people have what they need to get done.’

In the future

Even though Nicholson is at an age where many employees typically retire, and has said he would like to be ‘out’ of the business by age 65, he is showing no signs of slowing down.

‘After he gets done cleaning the bathrooms, he’ll say ‘the bathrooms are done’. He always has a one liner,’ said Nicholson’s son Bobby who runs the day-to-day operations of Campus Pollyeyes. ‘Or he gets [to Campus Pollyeyes] before I do and cleans the oven and says, ‘notice the oven is clean.”

Nicholson said he wanted to ensure all seven of his children went to college before he retired. With his last child currently attending the University, he can envision his time coming to an end.

But many who respect Nicholson would never want to imagine him quitting because it would mean they would lose a friend and a person who knows the secret to making their favorite foods.

‘To me, it’s the best pizza in the world and I have eaten pizza all across the country. It’s still the best pizza I have ever eaten,’ said Kathy Snook Thogmartin, the first waitress hired by Nicholson in 1967.

Ferkel would have to agree with her.

‘George makes the best pizza in the United States,’ Ferkel said. ‘We still go up to Pagliai’s Pizza once a month and we always contact with George when we come up. It’s just a joy being around George and socializing with George.’

Nicholson even enjoys his own work. His favorite pizza is the ‘Crazy George’ or more commonly referred to as the ‘House Special.’ It’s a thin-crust pie topped with green olives and a double order of sausage.

‘A gut buster,’ Nicholson said on what it can do to one’s stomach after indulging in a slice.

From being a ‘snot-nosed 19-year-old-kid’ to who he is today, Nicholson prays to God and thanks Pagliai for giving him the opportunity of his life. From this, Pagliai’s Pizza is more than a business ‘mdash; it’s Nicholson’s passion shaped into a circle with his pizzas representing his love for his family and friends, otherwise known as customers.

‘I like to say to people, because they ask me when I’m going to retire, I say I just want to keep making pizzas.’ he said.’