THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 11, 1994 TAG: 9412080188
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY
STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: Long : 284 lines
THE WRIGHT BROTHERS' mother didn't live to see them fly. But Orville and Wilbur Wright took off with their dad once. And one of the aviators' biggest fans says the 80-year-old clergyman enjoyed the view.
``All he could say was, `Higher, higher!' as the plane climbed into the sky. I reckon he wanted to touch the face of God,'' mused National Park Service historian Darrell Collins. ``The man was a bishop, you know.''
On Dec. 17, 1903, the two bicycle shop owners from Dayton, Ohio, flew the world's first powered airplane above the wind-scoured sand hills of North Carolina's Outer Banks.
Seventy-six years later to the day - less than 100 yards from the same site - Collins joined the National Park Service.
For thousands of folks across the country, those stories are inexorably linked.
Collins has devoted his career to telling the Wright brothers' tale.
``I don't know how that happened, me getting this job on the anniversary of their first flight,'' Collins said last week from his office at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. ``Probably, it was destiny. It seems I was meant to be - and stay - right here.''
A Roanoke Island native who built model airplanes and flew paper jets as a boy, Collins grew up about 30 miles south of the Wright brothers' Kitty Hawk camp. He attended college at Elizabeth City State University. He majored in geology, intending to explore for offshore oil.
Instead, his soft, slow Southern drawl breathes life into the Wright brothers' words and deeds.
Collins can't count the number of times he's told their amazing story. Probably hundreds of thousands at least, he said. On summer Saturdays, a half-dozen tour groups - sometimes more than 3,000 people a day - hear his low voice narrate the dramatic birth of flight at the Park Service's visitor center.
But Collins' range of influence is not limited to barrier island vacationers.
As one of the country's leading experts on Orville and Wilbur Wright, the 39-year-old Park Service historian has appeared on ``Good Morning America.'' He joined the ``60 Minutes'' crew for a special segment on early fliers. A CBS news team from Norfolk featured Collins and his narrative. At least two nationally circulated books quote him as an authoritative aviation source. And educators from St. Louis, Mo., to Oshkosh, Wis., have invited him to address audiences of up to 2,000 at a time.
``I can tailor a program to almost any group that's interested in aviation,'' said Collins. ``The miracle has almost disappeared from flying now. People jump on airplanes and fly across the world every day. Men have walked on the moon. Space shuttles are circling our planet - all because of the Wright brothers' work.
``I want to ensure that the miracle which occured here will continue to inspire people for future generations.''
Despite his widespread speaking engagements and national media attention, Collins insists he is nowhere near celebrity status. His oration has reached the ears of several stars, however - both those of the sky and the silver screen. Speed pilot Chuck Yeager attended one talk. First man-on-the-moon Neil Armstrong listened, then shook Collins' hand.
And film actor/Air Force Brig. Gen. Jimmy Stewart stood with a crowd of 1,500 in Washington to applaud Collins during the first standing ovation the park ranger ever received.
``It was 1989 and Stewart was speaking after me at this annual Aero Club of America banquet where they present the Wright Memorial Trophy,'' Collins said. ``That year, they were giving it to the CEO of Northrop Corp. for work on the Stealth bomber. I was the keynote speaker, talking about the history of flight.''
Did Stewart's speech inspire such a reception?
``No,'' Collins said, averting his eyes in embarrassment. ``They were still sitting when they clapped for him.''
Four years later, that Northrop CEO called Collins out of the blue. The executive had been impressed by the smooth orator and remembered his skill. Now, he needed someone to record a voice-over for the Stealth bomber's promotional video.
Collins' agreed immediately - for free, of course.
His slight drawl is almost undetectable in the slick, 6-minute Stealth movie, which traces the history of aviation. But the narrator's cadence, diction and delivery is undeniably Collins. The historian's voice blends beautifully with the patriotic music that permeates nearly every frame of the bomber's silent flight.
There is a perfect match between the Wright brothers' story and Darrell's personality. The way he articulates his programs; the way he handles rate, volume and pace of his talks - he takes full advantage of his own style in the story he tells,'' said National Park Service Supervisor Warren Wrenn, who has worked with Collins for more than 15 years.
``People don't expect such a powerful presentation when Darrell walks out there on the stage,'' Wrenn said. ``He looks good in the uniform. But they aren't prepared for his presentations. Within the first 30 seconds, he's got their attention and respect. He'll willingly go the extra step to reach his listeners. And he just has a natural talent.''
Outer Banks History Center curator Wynne Dough agreed. Graduates of the same Manteo High School class, Dough was president of the seniors while Collins was his vice president. Now, Collins helps Dough at the state-sponsored history center, where the park ranger serves as vice president of the associates' support group.
``If anyone had told me back in high school that Darrell would be in a position where he'd be enchanting large numbers of people on a daily basis, I'd have laughed,'' Dough said from his Ice Plant Island office. ``He was really quiet, level-headed and laconic, considering carefully everything he had to say. You almost had to choke him just to get the man to string two sentences together.
``But I've seen him in action now and it's incredible,'' Dough said. ``He's really developed a talent for making history interesting.''
An extremely modest man who hesistates to talk about himself, Collins works in a carpeted cubicle in the visitors' center back office. He writes - and re-writes - every speech himself on a desktop computer. Above his book-filled desk hangs a 6-inch American flag, which flew aboard the Challenger space shuttle.
That flight also carried an astronaut named Bluford: the first African-American ever to enter space. A framed poster titled ``Black Wings'' about early African-American fliers is mounted on the cubicle's rear wall.
``My grandmother's parents were members of the Freedman's Colony in 1865. It was a group of newly freed slaves from the mainland who moved to Manteo after the Civil War. My father's brother, Herbert Collins, was the last man in charge of Pea Island Lifesaving Station,'' Collins said proudly.
Collins' father served in the Coast Guard and was killed on duty during Hurricane Donna. He and other Coast Guardsmen were riding in a car on the Nags Head-Manteo Causeway when the storm's eye passed. Darrell Collins was 5 years old at the time. His sister, Yolanda, was only 8 months old. Their mother, Dellerva Collins, raised both children alone - then went on to be elected to the Manteo Town Council.
``I was brought up here and I have a real feel for the area,'' said Darrell Collins, who remembers first visiting the Wright Brothers Memorial as a Manteo Elementary School student. ``There's really nowhere else I'd rather be. This place seems perfect for me, for what I want to do. And there was even a young Collins from the local lumber yard in Manteo who went to eat dinner with the Wright brothers once and attended their first, famous flight.
``The books don't say if that Collins was black or white,'' the park ranger said. ``But I like to think he might've been related.''
From pamphlets to private diaries, Collins has researched nearly every document written about Orville and Wilbur. He has read more than 1,000 letters the brothers wrote about everything from canned milk to mosquitoes.
He has perused dozens of books and historic accounts.
When he was first learning about their lives, Collins said the Wrights even flew through his dreams.
``I don't really dream about them anymore. But that went on for a number of years,'' said Collins. ``It seems others who've worked here have had the same premonitions. It's an effort, I guess, not to memorize history but to learn it to the point that it's part of you. You become spontaneous with your answers because you understand and feel them.''
Collins is still learning about aviation, flight history and even the famous duo themselves. He said he discovers something new each day. And he draws on all of the information for his 15- to 50-minute talks.
``There is something for everyone in the story of the Wright brothers,'' said Collins, whose thin graying moustache sits above a slight smile. ``Dedication, determination, hard work and persistence are characteristics young and old can learn from.
``The idea of man being able to fly may have been conceived by genius,'' Collins said. ``But the actual flight was only achieved by dauntless resolution and unconquerable faith.
``I like to tell the kids about the homework part, which they hate. `How long did it take you to finish that math worksheet last night?' I'll ask them. `Oh yeah?' I answer. `Well, the Wright brothers did nothing but homework for the first three years they were trying to build a flying machine. They studied everything under the sun about man's attempt to fly.' That usually at least makes the students think.''
A father of two student athletes and president of the Manteo High School Booster Club, Collins works with children in and outside of his duties with the Park Service. His 17-year-old son, Darius, is being recruited by college basketball scouts. Frank, 15, is on the high school's junior varsity basketball team.
Collins himself still shoots hoops for the Awful Arthur's team in Dare County's adult recreational basketball league. He knows enough about aviation to fly a plane - but he's never pursued a pilot's license. He's been on Manteo's planning and zoning board for eight years.
And he's working on a second degree from Elizabeth City State University - in history.
``As his former teacher, I'm very proud of Darrell. I've heard his talks many times and he does a great job,'' said Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce executive vice president John Bone, who taught Collins high school history. ``He is a very quiet, unassuming person who has spent a lot of time developing his programs. Whether he's talking to business or school groups, each speech has its own individual appeal.''
Although he spends many hours in the limelight, Collins also does a lot of behind-the-scenes work for the park service. He supervises five full- and part-time employees. He plans new programs and exhibits. He is helping organize the nation's 100th anniversary of flight celebration, to be held in 2003.
But he also takes time to attend to small details.
While reading about the Wright brothers' childhood, Collins came upon a passage describing a toy their father had brought them from a 19th century World's Fair. The miniature flying machine was powered by twisted rubber bands. It was designed and crafted by a French inventor.
``When their father opened his hand to show the boys the toy, it flew to the ceiling instead of falling to the floor,'' Collins said. ``They were so impressed. They broke that toy and tried to fix it. Then, they rebuilt the thing themselves to see how it worked. That was probably their first fixation with flying.''
What's good enough to interest the Wright brothers in aviation should be good enough for today's children, Collins reasoned. Recently, he found a toy manufacturing company interested in reproducing a replica of that century-old plaything. The park historian hopes the flying toy will be for sale at the visitor center gift shop next year.
``I never get tired of learning about the Wright brothers - or of telling their story,'' Collins said as an afternoon tour group arrived. ``Wilbur said all he wanted to do was to add to the scientific information of his age. He didn't realize they'd be the ones to really fly.
``We're doing the same thing here at the Wright Brothers Memorial. We won't change the way the people we come in contact with think. But we can add to their knowledge of what the Wright brothers did.
``Theirs is one of the most impressive stories I've ever heard in my life,'' said Collins. ``It lets you realize fully that nothing is impossible.
``You can dream your dreams or you can fulfill them - it's just a matter of what you want to do with your life.'' MEMO: Aviation enthusiasts coming from all over
On Dec. 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful
heavier-than-air powered flight over the sand hills of North Carolina's
Outer Banks.
Replicas of their airplane, hangar and cabin are on display at the
Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. Tours are offered
daily. Last year, more than 600,000 people visited the National Park
Service museum and monument.
This week, the world will celebrate the 91st anniversary of the
Wright brothers' historic flight. Aviation enthusiasts from around the
globe have been invited to attend. Most events are free and open to the
public, but some require advance registration and tickets. For more
information, call the Wright Brothers National Memorial at (919)
441-7430. To purchase tickets, call First Flight Society executive
director Al Jones at (919) 441-2424.
FRIDAY, DEC. 16
Noon: First Flight Society Board Meeting, Comfort Inn South, Nags
Head
3 p.m.: N.C. Air Force Association Chapter Meeting, Comfort Inn
South, Nags Head
7 p.m.: Man Will Never Fly Memorial Society International Dinner,
``The Year of the Boomerang,'' Comfort Inn South, Nags Head, Tickets $25
per person
SATURDAY, DEC. 17
8 a.m.: General Aviation Fly-In, First Flight Airstrip, Wright
Brothers National Memorial, more than a dozen civilian aircraft will
participate
8 a.m.: Wright Brothers Anniversary Bicycle Ride, sponsored by the
Wheels of Dare Cycle Club, begins and ends at the Wright Brothers'
monument parking area
9:30 a.m.: Outdoor Celebration and Speeches, Wright Brothers National
Memorial, outside, dress warmly
10:35 a.m.: Military Fly-Over, Wright Brothers National Memorial,
more than a dozen civilian aircraft will participate
12:30 p.m.: First Flight Anniversary Luncheon, Comfort Inn South,
Nags Head, tickets $20 per person
7 p.m.: The Wright Brothers Anniversary Ball, First Flight Society
First Annual Fund-raiser, Wright Brothers National Memorial, dinner,
dancing, entertainment, silent auction, live band, tickets $100 per
person.
ILLUSTRATION: [Cover]
KEEPING THE FIRST FLIGHT ALOFT
[Color Photo]
Staff photos by DREW C. WILSON
National Park Service historian Darrell Collins stands inside a
replica of a shed that was used as living quarters by the Wrights
during their experiments.
``Probably, it was destiny. It seems I was meant to be - and stay -
right here,'' says Darrell Collins.
This 1902 photograph of Wilbur Wright in the living quarters shows
it was also used to store glider parts.
File photo
Brother Wilbur, left, and Orville Wright made their famous flight on
Dec. 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk.
WHAT & WHERE
What: The Wright Brothers National Memorial
Where: Route 158, Kill Devil Hills
When: Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week
Cost: Admission is $2 per person or $4 per vehicle.
To do: Tours are offered daily, but large groups should call
ahead to schedule.
For more information: Call the National Park Service at (919)
441-7430.
by CNB