Bob Collins (February 28, 1942 – February 8, 2000) was a morning DJ on WGN-720AM radio in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. His show was the top-rated morning show for WGN and kept the station at the top of the ratings. His show featured various conversation as well as some

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. He also made occasional appearances on

WGN-TV WGN-TV (channel 9) is an Independent station (North America), independent television station in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, it is sister station, sister to the company's sole radio property, talk ra ...

, hosting specials such as the Auto Show.

Early life and education

Born Harold Wallace Lee and a native of

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal c ...

, Collins got his first job in radio at age 14. Known in his youth as "Buddy" Lee, he legally changed his name when his radio career began in the 1960s. Collins attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

and worked for a radio station in

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...

in the early 1960s. Ultimately, Collins earned a degree in journalism from

Florida Southern College Florida Southern College (Florida Southern, Southern or FSC) is a private college in Lakeland, Florida. In 2019, the student population at FSC consisted of 3,073 students along with 130 full-time faculty members. The college offers 50 undergradu ...

Professional career

Collins worked early in his career for a radio station in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, at WKGN Knoxville, Tennessee and then took a job as a disk jockey in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

WOKY WOKY (920 AM, "The Big 920") is a commercial radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia and broadcasts a sports format affiliated with Fox Sports Radio. Its studios and offices, which became the ...

and

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. In 1974, he joined

WGN-AM WGN (720 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, with studios on the 18th floor of 303 East Wacker Drive in the Chicago Loop. WGN has a news/talk format, along with broadcasts of Chicago Blackhawks hockey and Northwestern ...

. In July 1986, he succeeded the station's legendary and top-rated morning-drive host

Wally Phillips Walter Phillips (July 7, 1925 – March 26, 2008) was an American radio personality best known for hosting WGN's morning radio show from Chicago for 21 years from January 1965 until July 1986, and was number one in the morning slot from 19 ...

. Collins would become Chicago's top-rated morning radio host until his death in 2000. His folksy style appealed to a great many people, as his ratings numbers indicated. He was affectionately known as "Uncle Bobby". He enjoyed flying his Zlin 242 L airplane, riding his Honda Gold Wing and the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

Death and legacy

Collins died in the afternoon of February 8, 2000 after his and a student pilot's plane collided upon approach to the runway at the

Waukegan Regional Airport Waukegan National Airport is a public airport in Waukegan, in Lake County, Illinois. The airport is north of Chicago. It was originally Waukegan Memorial Airport. It has been operated by the Waukegan Port District since 1956 and is the second ...

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. The student pilot, Sharon Hock, was directly below him, and they were unaware of each other's presence until the collision. Collins attempted to steer his plane to a safe landing, but it crashed and burned atop a nearby hospital, killing him and a passenger and injuring five people on the ground. The student pilot also crashed three blocks away and died. The official report indicated that the control tower personnel were unable to observe or communicate the perilous situation until it was too late. Many of Bob Collins' friends and co-workers worked in Bob's memory to have radar and other safety tools installed at the Waukegan Regional Airport to prevent further tragedies. WGN held a memorial radio show, much of which was captured for a CD that was sold to benefit his favorite charities, the WGN Radio Neediest Kids Fund and the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

References

External links

* Selected audio clips from Bob's show on WGN Radio in Chicago. *
A discussion of the official report on the crash
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Bob 1942 births 2000 deaths American radio DJs Radio personalities from Chicago University of Florida alumni Radio personalities from Milwaukee American talk radio hosts People from Lakeland, Florida 20th-century American musicians Accidental deaths in Illinois Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2000