Mary Call Darby Collins
Encyclopedia
Mary Call Darby Collins (September 11, 1911 – November 29, 2009) was the widow of Governor LeRoy Collins
and First Lady of Florida from 1955-1961.
, New York
, the only child and daughter of Thomas Arthur Darby and Jane Kirkman Brevard. Brevard being the daughter of Theodore Washington Brevard Jr. and Mary Laura Call. Mary Laura Call was the daughter of Richard Keith Call, 3rd and 5th territorial governor of Florida and Mary Letitia Kirkman.
Mary Call was born in New York because her father had business interests there. However, concerned for her health in the harsh northern winters, Jane Darby and Mary moved to Tallahassee and the Brevard family home of her maternal grandmother, Mary Call Brevard, and her Aunt Caroline on Monroe Street. Thomas Darby visited his wife and daughter often and planned to establish a home for them in Tallahassee when circumstances permitted him to leave New York.
When Mary Call was nine years old, her best friend and first cousin, Cora, died following a fall from a tree. In 1920 both Mary Call Brevard and Aunt Caroline died from the influenza
epidemic
.
In 1923, Thomas Darby was found dead in his New York hotel room at age 66. His business partner then took the proceeds of their successful business and boarded a ship for Europe
. The ship was lost at sea with all hands.
Mary Call attended Leon High School
and appeared as “The Fairy Queen” in a 1916 May Party picture in the history book. Mary Call met Thomas LeRoy "Roy" Collins
, whom she later married. Mary Call went on to Florida State College for Women but temporarily withdrew in order to help take care of her mother who was ill with cancer
. In February 1932, Jane Brevard Darby died at the age of 64. Mary Call moved in with Uncle Ephraim and Aunt Bess Brevard. On June 29, 1932 Mary Call married LeRoy Collins at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Tallahassee. Mary Call returned to college and graduated.
In 1942, The Grove Plantation
, her great-grandfather's home, passed into her hands.
, and now the State of Florida is hoping to turn the home into a historic museum.
LeRoy Collins
Thomas LeRoy Collins was the 33rd Governor of Florida.-Early life:Collins was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, where he attended Leon High School. He went on to attend the Eastman Business College in New York and then went on to the Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama to...
and First Lady of Florida from 1955-1961.
Early years
Mary Call was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the only child and daughter of Thomas Arthur Darby and Jane Kirkman Brevard. Brevard being the daughter of Theodore Washington Brevard Jr. and Mary Laura Call. Mary Laura Call was the daughter of Richard Keith Call, 3rd and 5th territorial governor of Florida and Mary Letitia Kirkman.
Mary Call was born in New York because her father had business interests there. However, concerned for her health in the harsh northern winters, Jane Darby and Mary moved to Tallahassee and the Brevard family home of her maternal grandmother, Mary Call Brevard, and her Aunt Caroline on Monroe Street. Thomas Darby visited his wife and daughter often and planned to establish a home for them in Tallahassee when circumstances permitted him to leave New York.
When Mary Call was nine years old, her best friend and first cousin, Cora, died following a fall from a tree. In 1920 both Mary Call Brevard and Aunt Caroline died from the influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
.
In 1923, Thomas Darby was found dead in his New York hotel room at age 66. His business partner then took the proceeds of their successful business and boarded a ship for Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The ship was lost at sea with all hands.
Mary Call attended Leon High School
Leon High School
Leon High School is a public high school in Tallahassee, Florida. For the 2007-2008 school year, the Florida Department of Education gave the school an "A" rating after its students scored well above the state average on standardized tests in reading and in math...
and appeared as “The Fairy Queen” in a 1916 May Party picture in the history book. Mary Call met Thomas LeRoy "Roy" Collins
LeRoy Collins
Thomas LeRoy Collins was the 33rd Governor of Florida.-Early life:Collins was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, where he attended Leon High School. He went on to attend the Eastman Business College in New York and then went on to the Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama to...
, whom she later married. Mary Call went on to Florida State College for Women but temporarily withdrew in order to help take care of her mother who was ill with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. In February 1932, Jane Brevard Darby died at the age of 64. Mary Call moved in with Uncle Ephraim and Aunt Bess Brevard. On June 29, 1932 Mary Call married LeRoy Collins at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Tallahassee. Mary Call returned to college and graduated.
In 1942, The Grove Plantation
The Grove Plantation
The Grove was a modest cotton plantation located in central Leon County, Florida and established by Richard Keith Call in the 1830s. Call was also owner of Orchard Pond Plantation....
, her great-grandfather's home, passed into her hands.
Children and grandchildren
LeRoy and Mary Call Collins had 4 children: Roy Jr., Jane Aurell, Mary Call Proctor and Darby Collins and 12 grandchildren.Mary Call Darby Collins Award
The Mary Call Darby Collins Award, one of three historic preservation awards from the Florida Secretary of State's office is presented to a volunteer who has forever changed the course of historic preservation. (In the 1970s, Mary Call Collins had served, by gubernatorial appointment, as a member of the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board.)Death
Mary Call Darby Collins died at the age of 98, after a long illness. At this time, she was still living in her great-grandfather's homeThe Grove Plantation
The Grove was a modest cotton plantation located in central Leon County, Florida and established by Richard Keith Call in the 1830s. Call was also owner of Orchard Pond Plantation....
, and now the State of Florida is hoping to turn the home into a historic museum.