Dr. Olen Taylor Collins

The Obituary for Dr. Olen Taylor Collins Ed.D. Officiating Ministers: Rev. Chuck Jack & Others On Wednesday, January 28, 2015 Olen Taylor Collins Ed.D., remarkable leader, educator, father, son, brother, and friend died at the age of 66. He was surrounded by his loving wife and children at St. Joseph East Hospital. He was born on February 27, 1948 to Della Collins Napier and John Collins at the Red Bird Hospital in Beverly, Kentucky. As a young boy he attended a one room school house where he was taught by his great-grandmother, Laura Collett, his father, and his aunt, Virgie Collett. Surrounded by a family of educators, he soon began his own path towards becoming a school leader. From 1966- 1972 Dr. Collins attended Western Kentucky University where he pursued BA and MA degrees in Political Science, Spanish, and Education. After teaching in Franklin-Simpson High School, he returned home to become principal of the historic Red Bird Mission High School and Elementary School from 1975-1988. He provided leadership for provision of exemplary schooling for mountain students in one of Kentucky's oldest boarding schools. He touched countless lives, built a new school building, and advocated for mountain children. He also married the love of his life, Kari Amundson Collins and had three children, Sarah Collins-Roberts, Joshua A.J. Collins, and Laura Collins. In 1994 Dr. Collins received his Doctor of Education in Educational Administration from Vanderbilt University. He was awarded both the 1994 Doctoral Student of the Year and the Arville V. Wheeler Prize Peabody Faculty Award for Excellence in the Doctoral Program. From 1993-2004 Dr. Collins served as superintendent and Spanish teacher to Jackson Independent Schools. He worked with teachers and staff to achieve vast improvements in both academics and school infrastructure. Among the countless changes he implemented were, universal pre-school, full-day kindergarten, ensuring all children can read by fourth grade, established a grants program for Art, Music, and Science, financed and installed new technology throughout all classrooms, began a K-12 Spanish education program, and established a student-led television broadcast station that broadcasted throughout the city of Jackson. He spent the summer of 1995 studying abroad in Spain at the University of Madrid. In 2005, he became superintendent of the West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District in Texas. He oversaw the creation of foreign language, band, and keyboarding programs for elementary and middle school students, renovated the existing schools in the district, and built a new elementary school. He provided strong leadership in the face of natural disasters by welcoming students and their families displaced by Hurricane Katrina and successfully re-building his own school district after the destruction of Hurricane Rita. During his tenure at West Orange-Cove, the overall scores rose and the district was ranked by the Texas Educational Excellence Project as the fifth best district in Texas for African-American students. In 2010, he returned home to Red Bird Mission to serve as Executive Director. During his tenure, he raised funds to preserve the Red Bird Christian School, reopened the dormitories for boarding students, and developed an international student program. In addition to his wife and children, he is survived by three grandchildren Noah Roberts (age 10), Arthur Roberts (age 5), and Evan Roberts (age 1) ,his mother Della Collins Napier, his step-father Leonard Napier, his brother Charlie Collins, brother Floyd "Buck" Collins (Sherry), sister Debbie Collins-Napier, half-sister Terry Smith, and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is preceded in death by his brother Earl Collins and father John, grandparents: Charlie & Laura Collett. Funeral Services will be conducted on Saturday January 31, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at the Red Bird Christian School with Rev. Chuck Jack, Re. Taylor Adams & Rev. John Carwell officiating. Internment will follow the service at the Collins Cemetery (Spruce Pine) Roark,KY. Pallbearers will include: Jonathan Collins, Ryan Collins Culler, Eric Young, James Mark Collett, Kenneth Tyler Sizemore, Charles Alex Collins, Charles David Collins & Charles David Collett. Visitation will be on Friday January 30, 2015 at the Red Bird Christian School starting at 5:00 p.m. for public. In memory of Dr. Collins, the family requests that you consider a donation to Red Bird Christian School to help continue his vision: 70 Queendale Center, Beverly, KY, 40913. You may send your condolences to the Collins Family at dwaynewalkerfuneralhome.com