Editor Collins dies

His legacy will live on in county institutions that bear his mark

James K. Collins died April 28. Collins was the longtime editor of The News-Herald, serving as editor emeritus since 2005.

Collins graduated from Willoughby Union High School in 1946 and went on to study journalism at Kent State University. He often joked that he had graduated next to highest in his class there, noting that he sat next to the valedictorian.

Collins was the father of two daughters, Diane Sicurezza and Kimberly Cleary,

according to Cleary. He also had a sister Molly Winnery of Nashville and a brother David. David and Jim had a special relationship, Cleary said, the two having breakfast every Sunday.

He started his career at The News-Herald as a high school correspondent in the 1940s. He was hired full time in June 1950 by Editor Eddie Broderick.

But his newspaper career had started long before then when he began delivering the then-twice weekly

News-Herald in 1941 along the streets of North Willoughby.

Early in his career at the paper he honed his ability to write the kind of human interest stories that captivate readers still today.

On of his early tasks was to drive from Lloyd Road in Wickliffe to Mentor-on-the-Lake to pick up copy written by News-Herald correspondents.

“This was mostly spaghetti dinner stuff,” he called it. But he’d comb the reports, uncovering fascinating tidbits in those reports and turning them into stories.

“Jim was a mentor to

countless other journalists,” said Executive Editor Tricia Ambrose. “He was dedicated to the craft of journalism and a true believer in the power of the press.

“We are all mourning his loss.”

Collins was drafted during the Korean War, serving two years at Fort Hood, Texas — remaining a subscriber to The News-Herald.

He was named city editor of the paper in 1957 and later managing editor. Though he left for a stint in politics, he remained The News-Herald’s court correspondent.

He soon returned to the paper as its editor in 1967, a

post he held until his “nonretirement” in 2005.

Collins became executive-in-residence at Lakeland Community College in 2005.

During his long tenure at the paper he accrued many awards and honors, including being named Best Editorial Writer in Ohio three times by the Associated Press.

He served as a trustee for the Lake Hospital System Foundation and for Andrews School, founded the Willoughby Rotary Club and is a past president of the Lake County YMCA. He was an honorary life member of the Lake County Police

Chiefs Association.

“No one had more influence in shaping sound public policy in our county, and I know that I am a much better person and public official as a result of his wisdom, insights and especially personal friendship that he graciously bestowed upon me over most of my life,” wrote Lake County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy in a Facebook post. “Rest in Peace, my friend. We in Lake County are all the better because of the wonderful life that you lived.”

During his tenure as board chairman of the West End YMCA in Willoughby, he helped raise more than

a million dollars to build a new YMCA building, then pledged the mortgage on his home to meet fundraising goals for a badly needed addition.

The influence he wielded during his more than six decades in the newspaper business has helped result in the establishment of Lakeland Community College, the West End YMCA, and an interchange at Interstate 90 and Route 615 in Mentor, to name just a few.

“Jim was a wonderful man and a pillar of our Lake County community. He will be missed,” wrote Commissioner Jerry Cirino.

Collins