Bill Collins died last week at 66. He taught me twice at Archbishop Wood, freshman year in 2001 for American History and later for AP American Government my senior year, I think. My alma mater was founded in 1964, and Bill Collins started as a rookie just three years later. He never left.

Archbishop Wood attracted a whole collection of teachers who started in those early years who made a life, and maybe a vocation, at the school. Bill Masterson was one, he died a few years ago. Rich Kelly was another, also now dead. Skip Duffy was a third, now dead. All profoundly decent men.

I think this is the only picture I have of Bill Collins (center), taken during that American Government class. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick is to his right.

At Archbishop Wood for so long, he ended up teaching three generations of my family. Bill Collins had an utterly dry wit, which made him a great, sometimes devastating teacher. The type of teacher comfortable with sometimes letting students teacher themselves. A famously prolific smoker, it seemed like he would step out to enjoy a few moments during basically every break.

Before there was The Most Interesting Man in the World, there was Bill Collins and that entire generation of men qua men, quietly forming lives in the halls of the school.

I have this vivid memory of sitting in his class on the first or second week of my freshman year, a still timid 14 year-old. It was September 11, 2001. There was still a bit of summer warmth wafting in through the open windows of the room, cars passing by outside, one or two lawnmowers shearing the grass as the world changed. The lights had been shut off, the blinds down. We sat basically in silence, eyes on the television. It was with Bill Collins that we watched one, maybe both of the towers collapse.

Bill Collins sat off to the side, a knowing-composed-grim look on his face as he leaned far enough back in his chair it seemed like it would topple over. He might have been smoking.

“What can we make of this?” he asked, or something like that, after a few moments.

RIP.