[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 9, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN COMMEMORATION OF ARTHUR A. COLLINS' 106TH BIRTHDAY

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                             HON. ROD BLUM

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 9, 2015

  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the birthday of a 
true innovator and representative of American ingenuity: Arthur A. 
Collins. Fascinated and inspired by the invention of the radio, Collins 
tinkered with homemade antennas and transmitters from an early age at 
his home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As a young adult, Arthur turned his 
hobby into a basement business where he sold the first complete radio 
transmitting equipment in the country.
  Since its humble beginnings in Iowa in the thirties, the Collins 
Radio Company evolved and adapted to design and manufacture flight 
control instruments, first commercially successful data modems, and the 
communications equipment for the Apollo, Gemini, and Mercury space 
programs. Today, Rockwell Collins, the largest employer in the First 
District of Iowa, continues to create innovative technology for both 
the defense and civilian sectors. The company, still based in Cedar 
Rapids, Iowa, designs, engineers, and builds electronic communication 
systems, avionics, and in-flight entertainment systems worldwide.
  Arthur A. Collins pioneered one of the greatest technological 
revolutions in history and left an enduring legacy in the business 
world. Today, on what would have been his 106th birthday, I honor the 
genius of this great Iowan and celebrate his American success story. 
Mr. Collins is an amazing example of the American Dream and a testament 
to the power of hard work, foresight, and perseverance.

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