Richard J. “Dick” Collins was born in 1932 in Iowa City, Iowa. While he was in elementary school, the family moved to Rock Island Illinois. He graduated from Rock Island High School in 1952 and from Augustana College in 1956. In 1967 her earned a master’s degree in English from the University of Iowa.
Dick was a well-known teacher and coach in Moline and Rock Island for more than thirty years. His wit, enthusiasm, and generosity in sharing gifts of mind and spirit, and above all, love, shaped the lives of literally thousands of students.
He died of pancreatic cancer in January of 1992. He married Susan Nelsson in 1975. The couple has one son, Ryan, and a granddaughter, Chloe.
from back cover Greater Joy, Shorter Sorrow, Thankful Prayer (MWC Press, 2008)
