Vicky Osborne Collier’s Biography
About three weeks after we graduated from high school I met my husband to be, Jim Collier, born in Mississippi and raised in New Orleans. He was a petroleum engineering student at Louisiana State University. Mrs. Tucker (Marilyn’s Mother) rented one the apartments behind their home to him. His summer job was with Magnolia Oil Co. We dated all summer. In the fall I went to Texas Tech, and at mid-term I transferred to LSU. When Jim finished his degree in 1959 we married. During Jim's last summer of college he was required to take sub-surface geology, taught by LSU at their camp near Colorado Springs. At summer’s end Jim announced that some day we would be living up here. He had accepted a job in Charleston, W.Va. with United Fuel, so I transferred to Morris Harvey College (It’s now the University of Charleston. Sondra’s right. All schools seem to have gone through name changes.). Two years later I had a BS in math with an education certificate. I taught ninth grade general math, algebra I, and remedial arithmetic for 1 ½ years. In 1962 we moved to Austin, and Jim entered UT Law School, specializing in oil and gas law. I worked at Defense Research Labs at UT. Jim applied for jobs in Houston, Odessa, and Colorado Springs. The job with Colorado Interstate Gas Company happened. We moved up here in June 1965 after the bar exam and his swearing in to the Texas Supreme Court. During the next years I worked at a couple of jobs. I substitute taught some, but never full time again. We had two sons, built a house, started a yard, played bridge, etc. We planted 18 pine trees in our yard. That’s about what all the Texas panhandle people do when they move to Colorado! In 1986 Jim died of cancer. I’ve now been single for 21 years. The boys live in Denver. Scott is unmarried and Steve married, no kids. I live in the same house that we built here in Colorado Springs. I like Colorado. The boys were raised here, and the climate is nice. Colorado Springs has the advantage of being only 500 miles from Pampa, one of the world’s easiest and most traffic-free 8 hour drives. It’s necessary be able to get to the Panhandle easily as my nephew and I are now partners at the family ranch. Mother died in 1999, and we lost my sister, Sharron, in 2004.
My yard is ½ acre and beautiful this year. After 5 years of severe drought we had ample rain. That is the first requirement of an enthusiast farmer! One of the things I like about Colorado Springs is seeing deer in my yard often. There were six one morning last week. One of the disadvantages of deer is that this year they ate every bud on my phlox! I try to plant most things on the list of “deer dislikes.” I have quite a few cottontails, also browsers, around. That means there hasn’t been a coyote around in a long time. You probably think I live in the woods, but I’m not but a few minutes from the center of the city.
For 16 years I volunteered with Lutheran Family Services helping to settle refugees. I have no grandchildren but 8 kids of Vietnamese parents call me, “Vicky Grandma.” How’s that for a title? I’m not active with new refugees at present. The
families that I have been
helping since 1991 still call me if they have a problem they don’t
know how to solve. They also call to invite me to the weddings and
other parties in the Vietnamese community. Yes, I go! The food is
great and the parties are fun.
I’ve been traveling for the past 35 years. Our first trip, not counting trips to Mexico and Canada, was the most culturally shocking. Jim and I went to Russia with the Texas Bar Association in 1974 during the Brezhnev regime. Absolutely everything was very strange, and we could actually feel the mood created by the repressive government. We could feel the fear of the citizens. My most ambitious trip was to Vietnam in 1998. I went with two of “my” refugees and stayed in their family homes for a month. I found out after I got to Vietnam that much of our travel would be done by motorcycle with me on the back. I’d never been on one before, but I learned to just hang on. Yes, I got dirt in my face and probably bugs in my teeth. One of the greatest experiences was going to the beauty shop 5 times. I went to the little shops just off the sidewalk. You are lying prone on the shampoo table. They wash your hair with cold water. As the temperature hovered at 100 degrees and 100% humidity cold water was acceptable to me. The stylist spent about 45 minutes gently massaging and washing and rinsing my hair. Then she massaged washed and rinsed my face. She massaged my shoulders and neck for about 20 minutes before the hair drying and comb out. That cost only about $3 which included a liberal tip. I saw only a few English speaking people. I was led around like a 5 year old as I didn’t speak any Vietnamese or know anything about Vietnam. That was a great experience, showing me what my refugees feel like over here. I thanked God the entire trip that I did not have to find a job and support myself as my refugees do here in America. Refugees are courageous people! In 1995 Mother and I went on safari to Kenya and Tanzania, with touring in Luxor and Cairo on the way. Another year Mother and I drove to Guadalajara, Mexico in my car to visit my uncle who was living down there. We had a great time on both trips. Classmate Marilyn Wells called me in 2000 and asked me to fly to Anchorage and accompany her in her motor home back down the Alcan Highway to Colorado when her husband, Fred Green. died on their retirement trip. Euleen met me in Branson several years ago. I went to China this spring.
I’m a member of
American Association of University Women and go to two study groups
each month, a book group and a southwest history group. This summer I
led three cars of those members on a trip to the Texas panhandle. We
had been studying topics of panhandle history all year. One night we
were at a motel in Pampa. Who would ever have thought I’d lead a
tour to Pampa! I am treasurer of Friendship Force, an organization
that promotes international friendship. We stay in private home on
those trips. I'm also active in a couple of bridge clubs and
participate in Delta Zeta sorority alumnae activities. If you travel
through Colorado Springs call me. One of my volunteer jobs for AAUW
a few years ago was as a Colorado Springs tour guide.