Nick Zvegintzov, formerly of Duo, passed away on June 3, 2024 in Staten Island, NY, at age 84. “Nick Z” as he was known to his friends was born in England of Russian immigrant parents. He came to the United States after attending Oxford University where he studied Psychology, Philosophy and Applied Mathematics. He did graduate studies in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. How Nick landed in Duo is a bit unclear, but it had something to do with seeing Duo on a map and being intrigued. Its isolation was probably an influencing factor. In 1971, he purchased a home there.
Nick worked as a computer software maintenance consultant, and among his clients were the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, U. S. Navy, Fannie Mae and assorted banks. Nick came to be known to West Virginians when he became an environmental activist while he and his neighbors in Duo were under threat by a proposed coal strip mine. In the process of organizing his community, Nick became a member of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy (WVHC) and attended his first meeting in 1973. Nick stood out at WVHC as being erudite yet with a quick wit. He proved to be a skilled writer and contributed some seventy articles to WVHC’s The Highlands Voice.
Nick moved to Washington, DC, where he took on the role of WVHC’s VP of Federal Affairs and termed himself “White House Correspondent.” Former WVHC president, David Elkinton, recounts when Nick, in a December 1978 article, announced that President Carter signed the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 designating the New River Gorge National River.
In 1980, Nick resigned as WVHC’s Washington Vice President and moved to New York where he edited Software Maintenance News. With co-author Athol Yates he wrote The Siberian BAM Guide. He became an urban activist and advocated for better urban design and improving the Staten Island Ferry system. Nick welcomed his West Virginia friends to New York and was a delightful tour guide. He became one of Airbnb’s early hosts, and drew guests from all over the world to his Staten Island apartment where they enjoyed his stories and tips on visiting New York.
