George & Ida Maude Collins

Year Inducted: 2025

George B. Collins was born in Sparta, North Carolina on June 3, 1930. He grew up on a dairy farm, graduated from Sparta High School and went to North Carolina State University on an ROTC scholarship. Upon his graduation, he was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army and served his country in Germany during the post-World War II occupation and reconstruction.

After he was honorably discharged as a First Lieutenant, he got a job with the American Guernsey Cattle Club and was living in Texas. He came back to North Carolina in 1958 where he was hired to make farm loans for The Northwestern Bank. He moved up the ladder and was named President of The Northwestern Bank in 1975. He led the bank through a period of rapid growth. The bank played a big role in the overall business development of Wilkes County and was one of the county’s largest employers. When he retired in 1986, The Northwestern Bank was the fourth largest bank in North Carolina.

Ida Maude Collins was born in Piney Creek, North Carolina on September 2, 1932. She grew up on a beef cattle farm and graduated from Sparta High School in 1950. She attended Women’s College (now UNC-G), where she graduated with a degree in Home Economics. Upon graduation, she was hired as an Assistant Home Extension agent in Randolph County, North Carolina.
George and Ida Maude knew each other since they were small children because George was best friends with Ida Maude’s brother, Bob Black. George was home from Texas in 1956 and asked Ida Maude to go to a party with him. A romance was sparked, and George flew back to North Carolina often over the next two years to see Ida Maude. They were married on November 15, 1958 in Sparta, NC. After George started working at the Bank, they bought a little house in Ken Acres in Wilkesboro and started a life and close partnership together which lasted almost 55 years until George’s death in 2013. They had two children, George Bryan Collins, Jr., born in 1960 and Nancy Alison Collins, born in 1963.

George and Ida Maude quickly considered Wilkes County home and immersed themselves in serving their community. They joined the Wilkesboro Methodist Church and later First Baptist Church in North Wilkesboro where they were both regular and active members. George became involved in the Wilkes Chamber of Commerce, serving as President twice. He was a board member of the Wilkes YMCA from 1977-1989. He also served on the board of the Wilkes Health Foundation from 1992-2013. He took leadership roles in various local and statewide banker’s groups. He was on the Board of Trustees of Appalachian State University for eight years, serving one year as Chairman. He was perhaps most proud of being a founding board member of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

Ida Maude served on the Wilkes General Hospital Auxiliary and was President from 1985-86. She was the driving force behind the creation of the Lovelight Tree at the hospital. Later in life, she served as a Pink Lady at the hospital. Ida Maude served 2 terms on the Wilkes YMCA Board of Directors from 2015-2021. She was named the Wilkes Family YMCA’s Volunteer of the Year in 2021 at the age of 89. Ida Maude established an endowment at YMCA Camp Hanes in 2016 in memory of George to provide young people from Wilkes County the opportunity to experience resident camp. Recognizing the value of swim lessons and drowning prevention, she created another endowment in 2024 in the name of her children to ensure the Wilkes Family YMCA can continue to offer Safety Around Water courses and swim lessons for generations to come. In 2024, she was honored by the national YMCA for her leadership and lifetime of contributions to the YMCA by being placed in the United States YMCA’s Book of Honor.

George and Ida Maude Collins spent over 50 years together as a team devoting their time, talents, and energy to the betterment of Wilkes County. They leave an enduring legacy of service and leadership.