‘Wow! What a run!’

By Nila Harris

BUTLER — “Don’t Arrive at home plate safely in a well-preserved body, but skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting, ‘Wow! What a run!’”

This quote by educator Dr. “Doc” Owen David Collins was on the cover of his published book “Rounding Third and Heading Home” and sums up the life he lived.

Collins passed away April 14, 2026, at the age of 90.

Born and raised in Breathitt County, Doc and his wife, Janice, moved to Pendleton County in the early 1990s to serve as superintendent of Pendleton County Schools.

A lifelong educator, Doc has been a teacher, professor, dean, educational co-op director, administrator and superintendent of two Kentucky school systems.

After concluding his role as PC superintendent, Doc became actively engaged in the Falmouth Rotary Club. In addition, he served as a columnist for the Falmouth Outlook and The Breathitt County Advocate, and authored several books.

Longtime friend of the family, Denise Hisel, described Doc as a giver.

“He gave through his family. He gave through his church. He gave through scholarships. He gave through Rotary.”

Hisel said she met the Collinses when her husband, Barry, began doing yard work for the couple 18 years ago. They soon developed a friendship which led Denise to proofread and type his book manuscripts, then help get the materials published.

Cheri Figgins and Mike Flynn, fellow Rotarians, also lent their hands when Doc was writing a history of the Falmouth Rotary Club. He published three books: “A Generation Bloodied but Unbowed,” the aforementioned “Rounding Third and Heading Home” and “A History of the Falmouth Rotary Club.” He also wrote two community histories about Morgan and Gardnersville.

Patrick Clore, who succeeded Doc as Pendleton County Schools superintendent and another fellow Rotarian, said he came to the county a month before he officially began his job.

“A lot of superintendents are territorial, but he (Doc) was educationally worthy — very, very accommodating, which is rare. He didn’t try to direct me or influence me about people. He was one of a kind and will be sorely missed.”

Clore explained that Doc allowed him to attend, and be a part of, hiring sessions for new colleagues. Later, they worked side by side serving the community through Rotary. Their shared passion for education and assisting others led them to form a lasting friendship.

Pennie Pelfrey was a secretary to Collins while he served as PC superintendent. When he first introduced himself to the central office staff, Collins informed his colleagues that, “I don’t know how you’ll feel about me when my tenure ends, but I know you’ll fall in love with my wife.”

Pelfrey found this to be true and told how the entire central office staff would be invited to the Collins home at Christmas and that Janice “was the best cook ever!”

Pelfrey greatly respected her boss whom she said was “dry but humorous,” “punctual” and “easy to work with.” She said she appreciated how Doc treated the classified staff and made them feel important.

She explained that Collins and Lonnie Browning, who was on the school board at that time, worked to increase the pay for classified staff.

“He expected the best out of people but rewarded hard work.”

Charlotte Whaley, who was an administrative assistant in the central office, said, “He and Mrs. Collins were very inviting, generous and considerate. If something was going on with your family, he would try to help you out. We were like one big family.”

Whaley laughingly told how Collins would eat a can of cold pork and beans for lunch, then close the door to his office afterward and take a short nap.

Nila Harris, a teacher who served under Collins’ tenure, remembers her former boss being generous to the teachers as well.

“We had a team of teacher representatives, two from each school, and went to Dr. Collins about a raise in salaries. Soon after, he informed us that he would make it happen. We were surprised, happy and felt valued by this superintendent.”

Fellow Rotarian Mary Woodhead Hillenmeyer said of Doc, “I have seen him handle so many things with grace, kindness, faith, humor and wisdom.”

She told how he loved debates and discussions, and was always striving to learn more.

He loved playing golf and often golfed with his good friend, county Judge Executive David Pribble.

“(Doc) started the first Rotary golf scramble and has been instrumental with this event ever since,” Hillenmeyer said. “He was the epitome of a Southern gentleman and scholar who loved people and learning.”

Through the Falmouth Rotary Club, Dr. Owen and Janice Collins started and awarded several educational scholarships, including one in the name of their deceased son, Kevin Todd Collins.

Each year, recipients are invited to attend a Rotary meeting to explain how the scholarship would be used. Hillenmeyer said that Doc was always interested in the beneficiary and asked questions about their educational goals.

Doc was a member of Christ Church Eastside Park, where he was a “faithful servant of God,” said interim pastor Adam McElfresh. He described Doc’s generosity and that he attended three church services each week: the first Sunday service at Plum Creek Christian Church, then Christ Church Eastside Park, and finally Sunday evening worship at Violet Ridge Church of Christ in Crittenden.

McElfresh told how Doc often encouraged members of the church. “When I first started speaking (several years ago), Doc would tell me, ‘I like this’ and told me things I could improve on.”

McElfresh said that Doc was a big Cincinnati Reds fan and told him that going to a Reds game was on his bucket list. McElfresh was able to secure Reds tickets with good seats and an all-you-can-eat meal.

He said that Doc was like “one of those free-style skiers. He was on a cane but moved so fast I could hardly keep up with him. He was so excited.”

McElfresh recounted a humorous story Doc had told him about taking Janice on top of a mountain in Eastern Kentucky to ask her to marry him. “It was so pretty,” Doc told McElfresh, “If she had been a dog, I would have asked it to marry me!”

Mike Flynn, pastor of Grassy Creek Christian Church, has been friends with the Collins family for several years. They served as Rotarians together; in fact, it was Doc who encouraged Flynn to join the service-minded organization.

He also asserted that Doc wanted Flynn to go to the Holy Land with him. “I can’t go there. I can’t afford that,” Flynn told Collins. Unbeknownst to Flynn, Doc arranged for the elders of Grassy Creek to give him a nearly 20-year anniversary gift: a trip to the Holy Land.

The two went on a five-mile trek up Mount Sinai. Doc pushed himself and even made it up to the top of a flight of steps.

On that trip, Doc was always writing and taking notes. The trip wasn’t going to be just what he saw with his eyes; Doc informed, Flynn said.

Flynn reiterated what McElfresh described about Doc’s encouragement, adding that Doc also encouraged churches and individuals to give to scholarship funds.

Doc Collins strove to make a difference in the community for the past 30-plus years as an educator, giver, encourager and helper. His friends said he worked to the end, “skidding in sideways, totally worn out” and surely