Labor They Love - Darrell Collins

"Darrell Collins".

What started for Darrell Collins as a summer job when he was in college led to a career as a historian for the National Park Service – and a reputation as an expert on the Wright brothers’ achievement of powered flight. Collins is one of only a few who own a piece of cloth that the famous brothers used on their 1903 flyer. He has been invited to tell the brothers’ story around the world, but most of the time he can be found at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., where Orville and Wilbur flew more than a century ago. He speaks with confidence, as if he were a witness on that historic December day. Collins said what attracted him to the story was the sheer will the brothers had in achieving their dream. That translates well into traits you can teach children, he said. “You may not be as famous as the Wright brothers, but you’ll win the big game – the game of life.” While Collins has collected enough information on the brothers to fill a book, he hasn’t sat down to write one yet. “I might do that when I retire.” Until then, he works the Sunday-Thursday shift at the memorial, talking about that first flight to anyone who’s interested.

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