Author: reneecollins

I am a retired journalism professor, having taught 14 years at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan and currently an adjunct professor in English at Siena Heights University. Prior to that, I spent 20 years working as a reporter and editor for The Saline Reporter and Milan News-Leader, small newspapers which were purchased in 1995 by Heritage Newspapers. Those papers were shuttered permanently in the mid-2010s. I also free-lanced for The Daily Telegram and currently am a regular contributor to The Tecumseh Herald and Homefront publications. I am an alumna of Siena Heights University, where I earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1980 and the University of Toledo, where I received my master's degree in 1982.

Are you a ‘friendly wave’ or a ‘flip him off’ person?

In January, the New York Times published the results of one of its "Opinion Page Focus Groups." This weekly feature brings together "subsets of Americans and explore assumptions that others might have — digging deeper into them, challenging them, in some cases stamping out stereotypes." This focus group was made up of 11 law enforcement … Continue reading Are you a ‘friendly wave’ or a ‘flip him off’ person? →

Sr. Nancy Murray presents St. Catherine of Siena

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of watching Sister Nancy Murray, O.P. perform her one-woman show on St. Catherine of Siena. It was probably one of the best programs I've ever seen. Murray, a native of Chicago and the biological sibling of comedian Bill Murray, is an Adrian Dominican Sister and St. … Continue reading Sr. Nancy Murray presents St. Catherine of Siena →

Tecumseh will celebrate its 200th birthday in 2024

Next July, Tecumseh will celebrate its bicentennial, marking 200 years as a community. While there likely aren't any residents who remember the centennial, a fair number of us can recall bits and pieces of the festivities from 1974. I was turning 16 that summer. I was a sophomore at THS, and working at the Dairy … Continue reading Tecumseh will celebrate its 200th birthday in 2024 →

Pet Blessings can help heal us all

Originally published in The Tecumseh Herald, Sept. 30, 2021 Mackenzie gets a blessing from Father Dan Wheeler at St. Elizabeth's Pet Blessing October 2021. Germaine is blessed by Father Dan Wheeler at the St. Elizabeth's Church Pet Blessing October 2021. Parishioners at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church along with their Protestant brethren at the United Methodist … Continue reading Pet Blessings can help heal us all →

‘America’s Darkest Day’ 20 years later: What’s changed?

Originally published in The Tecumseh Herald, Sept. 9, 2021 It was akin to something out of a Bruce Willis "Die Hard" flick, those images of jetliners hitting the World Trade Center--the two most powerful symbols of the U.S. economic prosperity and globalization--gone in minutes along with the lives of more than 2,300 people. The attack … Continue reading ‘America’s Darkest Day’ 20 years later: What’s changed? →

An inspiration– Gordie Theisen: Coach, dad, friend

Originally published in the Tecumseh Herald, October 21, 2021 Last weekend, I had the honor of witnessing the induction of  Mr. Gordie Theisen into the Siena Heights University Athletic Hall of Fame. Theisen and I were classmates at Siena back in the late 1970s and later on became pretty good friends. I mention Theisen because … Continue reading An inspiration– Gordie Theisen: Coach, dad, friend →

From 2021: Travel in a time of pandemic chaos

Originally published November 2021 in The Tecumseh Herald Inside the Basilica Papale San Paolo fuori le Mura, in English, St. Paul Outside the Walls St. Mark's in Venice, Italy November 2021 The pandemic has created a few new wrinkles in the fabric of travel that impact overseas travel, but these are minor compared to the … Continue reading From 2021: Travel in a time of pandemic chaos →