The Measure of a Cowboy: An OSU alumnus' mission to help families rest easy

The Measure of a Cowboy: An OSU alumnus' mission to help families rest easy

Thursday, December 18, 2025

Media Contact: Tanner Holubar | Communications Specialist | 405-744-2065 | [email protected]

College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology alumnus Doug Nickols launched Bed Start with the same resolve, humility and sense of responsibility that define all Oklahoma State University graduates.   

Determined to serve, the 1983 School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering graduate built the nonprofit to provide beds and essential furniture to families who otherwise may go without, living out the character that OSU instills in its students - the kind of character shaped by dreaming big, standing for what matters and giving total effort even when the work is hard.   

"Westarted Bed Start from the ground up, providing beds and furniture for households in need," Nickols said. "Whether it be a college student or a single parent trying to make ends meet, or households that are strapped with stagnant wages and a rising cost of living."  

Based in Plano, Texas, it began in 1995 as a partnership between Plano Head Start and Custer Road United Methodist Church, with members seeking a way to share beds with people who needed it most. The organization became Head Start Bed Start in 2002, providing 500 beds to families over the next five years.   

Nickols took over as executive director in 2008, guiding the organization's rebrand as a ministry and its transition to nonprofit status in 2013. Since then, it has formed partnerships with national and international organizations and provided more than 2,100 beds in 2025.   

"We provide beds and furniture at no cost based on 100% volunteerism," Nickols said. "Those who help can be anywhere from a youth group getting volunteer hours to court-appointed volunteers. So, it is also diverse in the makeup of the volunteers helping a diverse community, all working together to make lives better for people."  

His commitment to service didn't begin with Bed Start; it was shaped in Stillwater and strengthened at OSU.   

OSU fosters Cowboys who care  

Nickols developed his passion for helping others while growing up in Stillwater. After graduating from C.E. Donart High School (now Stillwater High School), he attended OSU.   

He worked his way through school, paying all his tuition while working at a restaurant in town called The Ancestor. He worked with many people on fixed incomes who were just trying to make ends meet, admiring their dedication to bettering themselves despite obstacles.   

He said Stillwater, with around 29.4% of the population living below the poverty line, revealed to him the depth of hardship many families in the same community face.  

Sometimes college students don't realize that right next door to them are families that are in need," Nickols said. "Living in a diverse community like Stillwater, where everyone comes together from different backgrounds, was an eye-opener for me." 

The community at OSU is one where helping others is part of the fabric of campus life. That spirit becomes second nature to students well before they earn their degrees and is something they carry with them their careers.   

That sense of collaboration and support left a lasting impression on Nickols - shaping how he approached everything from his studies to his life.  

"It wasn't all about studies and books, but about forming relationships with my classmates, working on projects together, or learning from one another," Nickols said. "It provided a well-rounded experience where I learned to value the fact that everyone brings something to the table, regardless of their background." 

Nickols' story mirrors what it means to be an OSU graduate: the courage to see a need, the heart to respond and the determination to create lasting change - one family and one bed at a time.