William R. “Bill” Collins, Jr., ME 57, MS IM 63, of Milton, Georgia, on March 25. Collins was a graduate of Bass High School in Atlanta and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He completed his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering in 1957 at Georgia Tech, where he was an active member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He served as a captain in the U.S. Army Artillery before returning to Tech to earn his Master of Science in Industrial Management in 1963. He served as president of Pinkerton & Laws Construction Co. before cofounding Collins & Arnold Construction Co. in 1993. He was a member of Dunwoody Baptist Church for almost 60 years.
Collins was an emeritus member of the Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Trustees and a member of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. He received the Joseph M. Petit Alumni Distinguished service award from the Georgia Tech Alumni Association and was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Management Hall of Fame in 2007 and the College of Engineering Hall of Fame in 2019. He previously served on the Governor’s Board of Community Affairs. He had many lifelong friends including those in the “Dodd Boys.”
Collins was preceded in death by his beloved wife of almost 62 years, Jacqueline Mobley Collins, and his sister, Anne Collins Hannah (Jim). He is survived by his daughter, Karen Collins Thurman (Mark), and sons, William Michael (Mike) Collins (Suzanne) and Matthew W. Collins (Cathy) all of Milton, Georgia; five grandchildren, two great-granddaughters and a great-grandson.