Lt. Richard W. Collins III, 23, was an ROTC candidate at Bowie State University, set to graduate in May 2017 and begin his commission in the Army as a 2nd Lieutenant. His senseless, tragic death on May 20, 2017—just days before he would have graduated with a degree in business administration—was felt by the entire University of Maryland community. The university honors and celebrates Lt. Collins’ life and legacy through this scholarship, and above all, remains resolute in its call to end acts of hate and racism.
Lt. Collins came from a military family and was set to follow in the footsteps of his father, a retired Navy veteran with 25 years of service, and his grandfather, a Korean War veteran. Lt. Collins was Airborne qualified and set to become an intelligence officer. As an outstanding leader committed to service, Lt. Collins was a man of strong character who valued hard work, integrity and courage. He was an inspiration to all who knew him.
Montrose Robinson, head of Bowie State's ROTC recruiting, described Collins as "a star, a model cadet," adding that "he excelled in physical training, and he was an excellent student. He wanted to be a general officer, and he had what it would take to be a general."
In September 2020, Collins was posthumously promoted to 1st lieutenant by the authority of the Secretary of the Army.