Hillsborough County News
For Immediate Release
November 30, 2010
Rear Admiral LeRoy Collins, Jr. Veterans Museum Building Dedication to be Held on Dec. 8
What: Rear Admiral LeRoy Collins, Jr. Veterans Museum Building Dedication
When: Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2 p.m.
Where: Veterans Memorial Park and Museum, 3602 Hwy. 301 North in Tampa
The life of Rear Admiral LeRoy Collins, Jr. will be celebrated during a building renaming ceremony hosted by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs and Hillsborough County’s Veterans Park and Museum Committee. The ceremony will be held Dec. 8 at the Veterans Memorial Park and Museum, 3602 Hwy. 301 North in Tampa.
The late Admiral Collins
In October, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners approved re-naming the County Veterans Memorial Museum in honor of the former executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, retired Rear Admiral LeRoy Collins, Jr. after his sudden passing.
A native of Tallahassee, Florida, LeRoy Collins, Jr. received his commission from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1956, and spent the next 10 years on active duty before transferring to the Navy Reserves in 1966. Following a distinguished military career both ashore and at sea, he retired from the Navy Reserves as a two-star Rear Admiral in October 1990.
In 2007, Rear Admiral Collins was appointed executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs where he was a fierce advocate on behalf of Florida’s more than 1.6 million veterans and their families.
Over the past four decades, the Rear Admiral also became a prominent businessman and civic leader in Florida, serving as president of several financial and real estate companies. His sudden passing this year has not only impacted Florida’s veterans, but the entire Sunshine State.
The public is encouraged to RSVP with Tracey Coley of the County Veterans Affairs Office at (813) 246-3170 or e-mail Coleyt@hillsboroughcounty.org.
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2010.