Collins, Eugene J., 1894-1990
Dates
- Existence: 1894 - 1990
Biographical Note
Eugene Collins was a chemist, professor, metallurgist, and a facilities engineer.
Eugene Collins was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 12, 1894, to Russell and Emma Perkins Collins. The Collins family moved to Shenandoah, Iowa, where he attended the local Presbyterian Church and graduated from the public schools. After graduation, Collins enrolled at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry, in 1917. After finishing from Coe College, he taught science at Tuskegee Institute, where he also served as head of the science department. During 1917, he entered the United States Army, serving in World War I with the Signal Corps, and attaining the rank of Sergeant Major. While stationed in Paris, he enrolled and graduated from the University of Paris, taking classes in metallurgy.
Upon returning to the United States in 1919, he settled in Detroit, Michigan, and was hired as a metallurgist and facilities engineer by the Ford Motor Company. In this position, he travelled extensively as a representative of the company before his retirement in 1958.
He was married to Josephine M. Collins, and died October 31, 1990, in Detroit, Michigan.