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A JOINT RESOLUTION designating the Representative Hubert and Bea Collins 1
Memorial Bridges in Johnson County. 2
WHEREAS, Johnnie Hubert "Hubie" Collins was born August 19, 1936, in Johnson 3
County, Kentucky, to Johnnie Collins and Nola Spradlin Collins; and 4
WHEREAS, Beatrice "Bea" Joylene Daniel, a native of Johnson County, Kentucky, 5
was the daughter of the late Theodore "Jack" Daniel and Recettia Taylor Daniel; and 6
WHEREAS, Hubert Collins graduated from Oil Springs High School and, 7
following graduation, at the age of 18, began teaching elementary grades at Long Fork 8
School under an emergency teaching certification until 1958; and 9
WHEREAS, after graduating from Oil Springs High School in 1958, Bea Daniel 10
attended Mayo State Vocational School and received her cosmetology license. She 11
opened her first beauty salon in 1961 and later moved her salon, Bea’s Beauty Shoppe, to 12
Wittensville; and 13
WHEREAS, on May 6, 1959, Hubert Collins married Beatrice Daniel, and they 14
would remain faithful partners for over 60 years; and 15
WHEREAS, in 1959, Hubert Collins began his service in the United States Army, 16
and during this time he worked under a Master Sergeant refereeing Army basketball 17
games, beginning Hubert’s lifelong love of refereeing; and 18
WHEREAS, Hubert Collins worked as a referee in the 1978 Sweet Sixteen State 19
Basketball Tournament, and kept his Kentucky High School Athletic Association referee 20
certification for over 50 years; and 21
WHEREAS, after he was honorably discharged from military service in 1965, 22
Hubert and Bea Collins returned to their native Johnson County, Kentucky, where Hubert 23
worked as a car salesman and earned licenses as a real estate agent and auctioneer, 24
eventually opening his own business, Collins Auto Sales & Real Estate; and 25
WHEREAS, Hubert Collins attended Morehead State University while maintaining 26
his business, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education in 1969 and a Master of 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2420
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Arts in Education in 1971; and 1
WHEREAS, Hubert Collins began teaching in the Johnson County School System, 2
where he taught health and physical education, including the DARE program, until he 3
retired in 2002. He loved his students, and that love was reciprocated; and 4
WHEREAS, Bea Collins used her experience as a cosmetologist to serve the 5
Commonwealth of Kentucky as a member of the Kentucky Board of Cosmetology for 24 6
years, originally appointed by Governor Paul Patton. Most of those years, she served the 7
as President and lobbied the General Assembly for bills that would ensure all individuals 8
attending a cosmetology school in Kentucky would receive the best education and be 9
prepared to practice their craft upon passing their board exam; and 10
WHEREAS, in 1990, Hubert Collins was elected as the State Representative from 11
District 97 and served 26 consecutive years, the last 20 of which as the Chair of the 12
House Transportation Committee. He also served on the Education and the Natural 13
Resources and Environment Committees; and 14
WHEREAS, throughout his career in Frankfort, Hubert Collins was respected by 15
his colleagues in the House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats alike, and 16
universally viewed as an effective legislator who built trusting relationships on both sides 17
of the aisle, worked effectively on legislation that would improve conditions for eastern 18
Kentucky and its citizens, sponsored hundreds of bills, brought millions of dollars back to 19
his district, and was responsive to the needs of his constituents; and 20
WHEREAS, during her husband's tenure in the House, Bea was with him literally 21
every step of the way, walking hundreds of miles and driving over Johnson, Martin, and 22
parts of Pike County on the campaign trail. She was also heavily involved in the 23
Women’s Democrat Club of Johnson County; and 24
WHEREAS, Hubert Collins was proud to be a member of the Eastern Kentucky 25
Caucus, a group of representatives and senators from the mountains who banded together 26
to do what was right for their region and were a legislative force to be reckoned with; and 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2420
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WHEREAS, Hubert Collins was affectionately known by many, even in Frankfort, 1
as "Hubie," and was always easy to spot in the halls of the Capitol building and on the 2
House Floor, not because his loud voice but because of his sharp style of dress, which 3
featured sport coats in just about every color of the rainbow, which led to informal 4
competition between Hubie and former Representative Brent Yonts as to who could wear 5
the brightest colors; and 6
WHEREAS, one of Hubert Collins' great joys as a legislator was having students 7
from Johnson County serve as pages on the House Floor or come to the Capitol to be 8
recognized for their achievements, an exercise which was the perfect combination of his 9
two professional loves – education and being a legislator; and 10
WHEREAS, Bea Collins departed this earthly life for her Heavenly home on 11
September 3, 2021, and this force of nature left an unspeakable void for so many, 12
especially her loving husband; and 13
WHEREAS, Hubert Collins departed this earthly life on April 21, 2023, leaving 14
behind the memory of a man who was known by different names to different people: 15
Hubert, Hubie, Representative Collins, Mr. Chairman, and Uncle Hubert; he was a man 16
who was loved and will be deeply missed by all who knew him; and while he is missed 17
by us on earth, we know he is reunited with his love, Bea, and wearing a brightly colored 18
sport coat; 19
NOW, THEREFORE, 20
Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 21
Section 1. The Transportation Cabinet shall designate the bridges on United 22
States Route 23, at mile point 11.272 (Bridge Numbers 58B00050L and 58B00050R) in 23
Johnson County, as the "Representative Hubert and Bea Collins Memorial Bridges" as 24
shall, within 30 days of the effective date of this Resolution, erect appropriate signs 25
denoting this designation. 26