Lilly Library Manuscript Collections   The Collins mss., ca.
1926-2001, consist of the correspondence, writings, photographs,
albums and chess club records of John William (Jack) Collins,
1912-2001, an influential American teacher of chess.  Collins
was born Sept. 23, 1912, in Newburgh, N.Y. His father, John
Thomas Collins, a flutist and piccolo player, frequently played
in John Philip Sousa's orchestra. His mother, Carolyn LaSears
Collins, was a homemaker. Collins lived most of his life in New
York City, becoming a chess master in the 1930s. He was a major
figure in the early days of modern organized chess, serving as
the first correspondence chess editor of Chess Review magazine
(which later merged with Chess Life). This program laid the
groundwork for the correspondence chess conducted by the United
States Chess Federation. He was one of the few players who
excelled nationally at both correspondence and over-the-board
play, winning the U.S. correspondence championship and ranking
as one of the top OTB play