Tom Collins, lover of family, theatre history, Shakespeare, opera, laughter and wit, died peacefully at his home in Prescott, AZ, on May 24. Surrounded at his death by members of his loving family, Tom had been resiliently living with leukemia for five years.
Born Thomas Peter Collins in June, 1944, in Turlock, CA, he grew up there with his parents, Dr. Marion Collins and Chrissie Woolcock Collins, and three older siblings, Michael, Margaret, and Linda. His mother and siblings kindled in him an early interest in puppetry, and a local community theatre cast him in several plays, which launched his later career in theatre.
When he was in eighth grade, his sister Linda introduced him to the works of Shakespeare, and by the end of the summer after graduation from Turlock High, he had read all 26 plays.
After a year at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA, Tom spent a summer at the Fallon House Theatre in Columbia State Park, CA. This was a turning point for him. During his second summer there, he met
Wendy Wight, whom he married in 1967. After that summer, he transferred to the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA. After graduation they moved to Seattle, where he received an MA in theatre from the University of Washington, and he pivoted from acting to theatre history and directing. Their next move was to Bloomington, IN, where he studied Theatre History, Dramatic Literature, and Drama Theory and Criticism for his PhD at Indiana University.
In 1970, he and Wendy moved to Platteville, WI, where he began a 31-year teaching and directing career as Professor of Theatre at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. It was there that their son, Ned, was born. Tom, Wendy and Tom Goltry founded the Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival, offering three or four plays in repertory every summer for 23 years.
After retiring from teaching in 2001, Tom and Wendy relocated to the sunny climes of Prescott, AZ, where he developed a keen interest in the careers of 19th-century actors and producers, and in the stage history of Shakespeare and American melodrama. This research led to three books on Arizona Territorial History, numerous scholarly articles and popular newspaper columns, and engaging live presentations to local and regional organizations.
Tom made a lasting impression on his students, actors and technical staff he directed in the summer festivals, and people within the wider theatre community, who consistently described him as “a gentleman and a scholar.”
Tom is survived by his wife, Wendy, his son, Ned and daughter-in-law Nancy, and numerous cousins, friends and professional colleagues. A service in celebration of his life will be planned for later in 2025 in Prescott. Memorial gifts may be made to the Sharlot Hall Museum (sharlothallmuseum.org) or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org).
Please visit www.ruffnerwakelin.com to sign Tom‘s guest book and share a memory with the family.
