
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 13, 1991                   TAG: 9103130467
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: By Associated Press
DATELINE: TALLAHASSEE, FLA.                                LENGTH: Short

LEROY COLLINS, EX-GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA, DIES/

Former Florida Gov. LeRoy Collins, a self-described dreamer who helped lead the fight against racist traditions in Florida and throughout the South, died Tuesday. He was 82.

Collins had suffered from cancer.

The House of Representatives passed a unanimous resolution honoring Collins as "Floridian of the Century," then observed a moment of silence.

Florida's governor from 1955 to 1961, Collins was delighted last September when President Bush paid him a surprise visit during a campaign trip. Collins chaired the 1960 Democratic National Convention and was considered one of the first "New South" politicians.

Although history has focused on Collins' bold personal initiatives in helping blacks, he also moved Florida into the modern era by persuading lawmakers to begin a junior college system and create a statewide public television network.

He was a past president of the National Association of Broadcasters and head of the Community Relations Service, a national peacekeeping agency he organized at the request of President Johnson after the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed.

Last May, Collins was one of five finalists for the first John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for elected officials who show courage in office.

Collins' wife, Mary Call, and two of his four children were at his side when he died in his sleep at home, said Mary Granger, Collins' personal secretary.

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