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Clifford W. Collier, Jr., 1927-1996: A Tribute
Cliff Collier was born in Vienna, Georgia in 1927. He grew up in Fitzgerald, GA, where he graduated from high school in 1944. He then went to the North Georgia Military School, 1944-45, but his studies were interrupted by service in the US Navy, 1945-46. He resumed his education in 1946 at the University of Georgia and obtained the Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1949. His major was stage scenery-design and construction. He put his degree to work as assistant lighting and stage scenery designer for the Barter Theater in Abingdon, VA and the Cragsmoor Summer Theater. He later worked as traffic manager in New York and Atlanta, before landing a job as nursery salesman in Atlanta. It may have been this latter job that persuaded him to go to graduate school at the University of Georgia in 1957 to study landscape architecture. He graduated with the MLA degree in 1960 and joined the West Virginia University Cooperative Extension Service as a specialist for landscape architecture, ornamentals, and turf. He later also became a member of the landscape architecture faculty where he taught courses.
Though we are not sure, we believe that Cliff Collier was the first citizen of West Virginia to be named a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (FASLA), an honor bestowed upon him in 1983 for his service to the profession. In particular, Cliff had been a charter member of the West Virginia Association of Landscape Archtiects and at one time or another held all of this organiztion's offices. He was also a member of the Kentucky-Ohio chapter of the ASLA. Finally, he was a member of the national ASLA's Board of Trustees for 14 years. He retired from WVU in 1995.
Cliff was married to Martha T. Collier. They had two children, a daughter, E. Claire, and a son, C. Cason.
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