Portrait by Werner Carl Burger, about 1960.

Grew up in Cranford, NJ. Graduated from Cranford High School in 1962 and from Rutgers College in 1966 with a B.A. in physics. From 1966 until 1968 was a Peace Corps volunteer math and science teacher in Lome, Togo, West Africa. Entered graduate school upon return to the US, receiving a Ph.D. degree in physics from Rutgers University in 1976. Has held academic positions leading to Professor of Physics, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington State.

Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI):
Name: Collins, Gary Scott
Birth - Death: 1944-
Source Citation:
* American Men & Women of Science. A biographical directory of today's leaders in physical, biological, and related sciences. 15th edition. Seven volumes. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1982, 1986, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2003. (AmMWSc 15-21).
* Who's Who in the West(R) (Marquis(TM)). 26th edition, 1998-1999. New Providence, NJ: Marquis Who's Who, 1997. (WhoWest 26)....


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Y-DNA record of Gary Collins's paternal line
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An analysis of my Y-DNA was carried out in 2007 at 46 markers by ancestry.com. The repeat numbers for the 46 markers are recorded under User ID 82BRB on the Ysearch web site of FamilyTreeDNA. (The same record has been entered into the Ybase database as Record ID NT9ZG). The repeat numbers are identical over a set of 14 common markers to those reported for an "Irish Modal Haplotype" (IMH) in a paper by a research group at Trinity College, Dublin: L.T. Moore et al., American Journal of Human Genetics, Feb. 2006, vol. 78, pages 334-338 (a copy can be found here). A more extensive "R1b1c7 Modal Haplotype" record at Ysearch, M5UKQ, from David Wilson , is inclusive of the IMH record, and there is an exact match of repeat numbers for 43 common markers with my own record. My record is compared with the IMH and "R1b1c7" haplotype record here. An extensive table of Y-DNA records prepared by David Wilson can be found here (viewed properly only using Internet Explorer), in which my record is entry Z1003, and is an exact match over 34 markers with a R1b1c7 Modal Haplotype (gold-tinted row). For further information about the R1b1c7 haplotype proposed by David Wilson, go here. (In May 2008, the haplogroup R1b1c7 was reindexed as R1b1b2a2e by ISOGG, the International Society of Genetic Genealogists.)
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Moore et al. found the IMH Y-DNA record to be very common today in northwestern Ireland, including more than 10% of males in a region within approximately 15 miles of Strabane, northwest Tyrone County, Ulster. Moore et al. propose that very high frequency and geographical localization of the IMH record arose from an early medieval Irish king who had many male progeny by establishment of a dynasty. A possible, nearly mythological king who fits the geographical picture is Niall of the Nine Hostages, whose sons established the Ui Niell dynasty in northwestern Ireland in the 400's (for more information, see a history of Ireland circa 500 AD). Thus, it appears that the male Collins pedigree extends from myself through Richard Collins (1725-1808) back to a Northwestern Irish king living very roughly in 500 AD.
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By various estimates, there may be three million living males carrying the "Niall" Y-chromosome. Well-known individua a page with ls include:
Henry Louis Gates. More information can be found on a page with family DNA information.


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Historical evidence that Gary Collins's gggg-grandfather Richard Collins emigrated from in or near Strabane, Tyrone County, Ulster
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Completely independent of the above DNA evidence suggesting a geographical origin for the Collins family in the vicinity of Strabane, Ulster, Patty Luthy developed a persuasive argument that Richard Collins and co-emigrants may have come from Strabane. See her message on the Collins surname message board at Rootsweb.com.

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Interesting people in this ancestry file (some more than others)
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Snaer King of Finland (ca 250) [just for fun]
William II "The Conqueror, King of England (1024-1087)
Richard Milhous Nixon (1913-1994)
George Walker Bush (1946- )
Jesse Woodson James (1847-1882)
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1. Living COLLINS
2. Living COLLINS