Western Kentucky University
Mike Collins had an incredible zest for life.
Friends saw it in Collins during his days at WKU, where he graduated in 1984 with a degree in Photojournalism. Colleagues saw it during his time working in newsrooms around the country and helping with the distinguished Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar. Peers saw it when he created a magazine covering aviation in Raleigh, North Carolina, and when he went on to become director of business operations at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
And his family saw it every day, from his around-the-world trip in a small plane to his affection for home-brewed beer and his passion for his wife Janette and children
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration. The rest of us just get up and do our jobs” – Stephen King
Two unconnected moments from headships in two different schools come to mind as a result of recent unfoldings (they certainly can’t be called “developments”) in this country of ours.
The first was an assembly I ran some years ago, on or close to an anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. I gathered an array of bits and pieces that represented the various stages of the Apollo rocket, and step by step I jettisoned a cooldrink bottle, a tin can and a toilet roll as I made my way up the aisle between the students, explaining about the rocket’s stages and its journey across space as I went.