As Black History Month draws to a close, I want to take a moment to convey thanks and admiration for the many pioneering people whose work and sacrifices have advanced the causes of justice and the vision of opportunity that is shared by all. Indeed, there are many famous and worthy people who deserve accolades - luminaries such as Frederick Douglass, Fannie Lou Hamer, Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington Carver, W.E.B. Dubois, and Angela Davis, to name a few.

I am also reminded at this time of ordinary people doing remarkable work who are, by some measure unsung heroes. One was my good friend, John Collins. John was born and raised in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He attended racially segregated schools and the Kentucky School of Embalming before joining the Marines in 1949. John was among the first of the integrated recruits trained at Parris Island, South Carolina following Executive Order 9981 - signed by President Harry S. Truman on July 26, 1948 - which abolished racial discrimination in the United States Armed Forces and led to the eventual desegregation of the military. Most of the recruits at Parris Island never finished basic training in those days. It is a notoriously swampy place full of snakes. Anyway, John survived-excelled-as a Marine and went on to serve in Korea and multiple tours in South Vietnam, mustering out as a Major with a battlefield command. He was also an Adjutant General and given a few command posts stateside.

John jumped out of airplanes at low altitudes and was a Marine to his core; he fought hard and he played hard; and in that same spirit, he was always one to reach back for those who had been left behind. Totally devoted to the men under his command, he suffered their travails and tended their wounds. He even field dressed the bodies of fallen soldiers when air support was delayed, so they would be treated with the dignity and respect they deserved. He was sprayed with Agent Orange in Vietnam and suffered lifelong ill health due to his service. He also knew people and understood how to bring out the best in their character.

John Collins was an accomplished pilot and earned degrees in Mathematics and Organizational Development. He went on to distinction in business as General Manager of the Kaiser Aluminum Rolling Mill in Trentwood; Spokane Valley. He was a successful investor and uber community volunteer. When I met John, he lived in Lake Oswego and was a partner in a private equity and investment company. He was on several boards and commissions including the Parry Center for Children, Vancouver Housing Authority (when he was a Commissioner, they hired me as Executive Director), and was a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children of color in the Clackamas County courts. John was passionate about giving kids a fair chance at success in life. He gave freely of his time and treasure. Throughout the years, he supported scholarships among the youth at his former High School in Hattiesburg as well as youth at Home Forward and Vancouver Housing Authority. Scores of kids went to college because of the significant financial support provided by John Collins. Even kids elsewhere have benefitted from John Collins:   Click here to read news release.

One of John's last volunteer assignments was during Hurricane Katrina where he supervised Red Cross shelters for the thousands of volunteers. Ever the Marine, he worked long hours in horrible conditions. He developed a mold infestation in his lungs which plagued him for years until his death from kidney failure due to his exposure to Agent Orange. Never complaining, he used to tell me that he knew he was alive if it still hurt when he awoke each morning. We visited until he was near his end time, and I miss him dearly. Today, his pain is no longer, and he is buried with full honors at Willamette National Cemetery.

Let us indeed praise the icons and heroic civil rights leaders during Black History Month. Let us also take this time to reflect on ordinary people like John Collins, and may their extraordinary example remind us of our own responsibility in our daily lives and in the work we do to always reach back for those who have been left behind.