| "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye
shall search
for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah
29:13)
Farley Collins was a searcher. A brilliant
mind,
he was unafraid of intellectual debate or exploration. I fondly
remember
long discussions about Nietzsche, Kierkegaard and Sartre...and so much
more. Farley was a man of faith but he was also a man of reason
and questioning. His was not a hollow faith anymore than his inquiring
spirit was anyway shallow. He didn't take himself seriously but he
took his journey and search most seriously. His laughter came easily
and he could reward you with his humor in the midst of even serious
discussion. It is a rare man who leaves the world a better place than
he found it. Farley was such a man.
 The
Old Library On The Campus Of Morehead State University...MSU is
rated
one of the best Southern universities today. When Farley and I attended
it was in a growth spurt as it transitioned from a college in the
mountains
to a large university. It was the 60's and those, like Farley, who
were serious about finding truth and meaning spent a lot of time
reading
and questioning. Farley and I would sometimes "cut" our scheduled
classes to research in the library or drop into classes we found more
relevant
but were not registered to attend. It may not have been economically
prudent but there were more pressing things on our minds. There was
a controversial and disastrous war going on. The Civil Rights Movement
contended for a nation's conscience and we were right in the middle of
Appalachia with all of its needs and problems.
We majored in history. We studied about
New Deals
and Fair Deals. We debated the purpose and position of America from
Pre Colombian times to the present and future. We looked at the past
hoping to discern the future or at least come to grips with the
present. For some, college was a kind of trade school that bought you
entry
into some part of the capitalist plan. For Farley it was a place
to examine the weightier matters of life. It was a place to find
out what you should believe and why you must believe it. It was a
place to question...it was rehearsal for life. There was really only
one course of study. It could be summed up in such things as man's
search for meaning. Victor Frankl wrote a book by that title and
created
a whole new approach to psychological counseling called Logotherapy.
Jean Paul Sartre forever warned us of the importance of living in good
faith. We discussed these things and we took them to heart. No, college
was not a trade school. No course was an isolated exercise. When viewed
as Farley viewed it, college was about learning and all learning
and thought were spiritual...and life long duties.
|
 The
Old Auditorium At MSU...Farley (along with Ron Thomas) was one of
the
editors and driving forces behind Statement Magazine. It was a time
and emotion consuming endeavor but it was truly an intellectual journal
of the highest quality. Farley was not afraid of free speech and
supported his writers and contributors even in the face of controversy.
Statement Magazine has since been used as the title of the University's
promotional magazine. In the 60's it was the center of intellectual
expression on campus and in the region. Farley Collins was an
intellectual
force on campus. The quotation from Ecclesiastes is a passage we
once discussed for its existential examination of life. |
"To everything, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together
A time of war, a time of peace
A time of love, a time of hate
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time of peace, I swear it's not too late"
Ecclesiates as interpreted by Pete Seeger
|
 Farley
Collins From The MSU Yearbook '66...I knew Farley Collins in the
60's
but we lost contact over the years as busy lives pulled us in different
directions. He was a good man. Nations and worlds are built
and sustained by people who rarely make it into the history books. When
word reached me of his passing I realized that the world had lost
a special person. I regret not having stayed in closer contact but
our friendship rests now in pleasant memories.
"I am a truthful man
From the land of the palm trees
And before dying,
I want to share the poems of my soul
My poems are soft green,
My poems are also flaming crimson
My poems are like a wounded fawn
Seeking refuge in the forest
With the poor people of this earth
I want to share my fate
The streams of the mountains
Please me more than the sea"
From Guantanamera By Pete Seeger
|
Simply Called "The Lake" In The
Old Days...This
was one of the most beautiful spots on the MSU campus. I think they
eventually named this Alumni Reservoir and may even have eventually
named
it after some politician. The Board Of Regents may think they own
the property and I won't challenge that. I do know that God owns
the beauty though and it is this beauty that I choose to name after my
friend. For his friends and other loved ones, this tiny part of his
beloved Appalachian Mountains will forever be known as Farley
Collins
View. |
"Oh if a man tried
To take his time on earth
And prove before he died
What one man's life could be worth
I wonder what would happen to this
world?"
Harry Chapin
|
THANK YOU MY
FRIEND...MAY YOU REST IN
THE PEACE
YOU SOUGHT AND THE
GLORY YOU ALWAYS DESERVED.
For a better and more extensive
presentation of the life
of Farley Collins please visit THIS
OBITUARY written by his sister Carol Collins
Schroeder.
For a moving tribute to Farley Collins
see OUR
BELOVED "PECAN" by his nephew, Raymond Steven Ingool-Collins.
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