Cultivators: Margaret S. Collins

Margaret S. Collins (1922-1996) was a pioneering entomologist and civil rights activist, known for being the first African American woman to earn a PhD in entomology. Specializing in termites, she conducted significant research, including field studies in Guyana, and contributed to both science and social equality, becoming a prominent figure in both the scientific and civil rights communities.

For Further Reading:

• Child Prodigy, Pioneer Scientist, and Women and Civil Rights Advocate: Dr. Margaret James Strickland Collins (1922–1996)
• Margaret S. Collins | Oxford University Museum of Natural History

This month, we’re talking about cultivators — women who nurtured, cross-pollinated, experimented, or went to great lengths to better understand and protect the natural world.

History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello. My name is Adrian Bain. I'm a producer at
Wonder Media Network, and I'm so excited to be guest
hosting this episode of Womanica. This month, we're talking about cultivators,
women who nurtured, cross pollinated, experimented, or went to great

(00:23):
lengths to better understand and protect the natural world. Today,
we're stepping into the life of Margaret Collins, the woman
whose loyal lifetime of insect research earned her the title
the Termite Lady. Her story begins in the quiet hills
of West Virginia. Margaret was born in September nineteen twenty

(00:51):
two in Institute, a small all black town that sat
on the edge of the Appalachian Mountains. The college town
was sculpted by the wisdom and ambition of educated black
families like Margaret's. She was one of five children, and
she grew up with the privilege of being surrounded by

(01:14):
intellect and curiosity. Her father, a teacher of vocational agriculture
at West Virginia State, and her mother, an avid reader,
fostered a rich environment for Margaret to learn. Margaret's early
years were filled with books. When she was just a toddler,

(01:36):
she would sit on her parents' laps as they read
to her, diving into the pages and following her mother's
finger as she traced the words. This is how she
learned to read. The family library was extensive, a treasure
trove of knowledge in which little Margaret became quickly immersed.

(01:59):
From the age of six, she was allowed to check
out as many books as she could reach from the
college library as well. Among her favorite books growing up
were Rolf in the Woods and Two Little Savages, both
children's books built around the premise of exploring the natural world.

(02:20):
She was inspired by the explorative narratives that filled her head,
and soon enough she was living the stories herself. Margaret's
imagination developed in the woods behind her parents' home. Her
unsupervised hours by the river, exploring the wild wonders and

(02:42):
captivating critters would shape a lifetime of discovery. She befriended
the bugs, frogs, and insects that she discovered in her yard.
These bouts of adventure were as playful as they were studious.
Margaret was quickly developing a scientific frame of mind. She

(03:03):
began to bring home critters from the creek. Her father,
a lover of nature himself, encouraged these show and tells.
He helped to guide her to identify the creatures using
his library books, including the Native Library and the Reptile Book.

(03:23):
This was the beginning of her formal education in the
study of insects, a path that would lead her to
become one of the foremost experts in the field. Her
brilliance continued to emerge, and Margaret excelled in school. She
skipped two grade levels and was enrolled in high school

(03:46):
at eleven years old. By fourteen years old, she had
graduated from West Virginia State College's Laboratory High School. It
was clear that Margaret was learning at a pace that
was far beyond her peers. She continued her studies at

(04:07):
West Virginia State College, where she was awarded a scholarship,
but her first year did not go as planned. She
found the course load on stimulating and her grades suffered
because of it. She lost her scholarship as a result,

(04:27):
which created financial pressure for Margaret. In order to earn
enough money to continue her studies, she worked as a housekeeper,
and while this marked a more strained moment in Margaret's journey,
the Creek remained an emblem of joy and curiosity for her.

(04:48):
She would spend her downtime observing insects and taking samples
of critters that she didn't recognize. She shared her findings
with her professor, Toy Davis. He emerged as a mentor
for her, teaching her how to use a microscope and
taxonomic keys to identify new species. He helped equip Margaret

(05:12):
with the necessary tools needed to enter the male dominated
field of biology. Her academic journey continued to unfold, and
in nineteen forty nine, Margaret earned her pH d in
zoology from the University of Chicago. She completed her thesis

(05:36):
on termite species, becoming one of the first African American
women to receive an advanced zoology degree. She studied under
the legendary termite expert, Professor Alfred E. Emerson. At the time,
Emerson had the largest collection of termites in the world,

(05:56):
and Margaret's research on the insect would soon revolutionize the
global understanding of these fascinating creatures. Termites, often regarded as pests,
have a far more intricate role in nature than most
people realize. Margaret's research revealed their complex social structures and

(06:19):
their remarkable ability to engineer intricate tunnels and nests, but
her career stretched beyond research. She worked for some time
as an assistant professor at Howard University, but the institution
offered fewer opportunities for women, so in nineteen fifty two,

(06:41):
she took a position at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University,
where she became a professor and chair of the Department
of Biology. There, she continued to mentor students, sharing her
passion for entomology and inspiring the next generation of scientists.
Margaret married Herbert Collins, and the pair had two sons.

(07:05):
The family often took trips to the Everglades, where Margaret
could collect biological samples. Margaret was also passionate about civil rights,
and when the students at FAMU called for a bus
boycott in nineteen fifty six, Margaret volunteered to drive people
to and from work. This caught the attention of law enforcement,

(07:29):
who tailed her car. Margaret's contributions to entomology were groundbreaking.
She returned to Howard University, this time as a full professor.
She also went on to become the curator of the
Smithsonian's termite collection at the National Museum of Natural History

(07:51):
in Washington, D C. And spent decades traveling around the
world to study termites, catalog species, and on cover their secrets.
This cemented her reputation as one of the four most
experts in the field. She held this position at the

(08:12):
Smithsonian until the very end of her life. In nineteen
ninety six, Margaret passed away from health complications while conducting
field research in the Cayman Islands. Margaret Collins was a
true cultivator, a woman who made transformative findings on life's

(08:34):
tiniest creatures, from the woods and creeks of West Virginia
to the halls of the University of Chicago. Margaret's story
is a reminder to follow curiosity down its long and
winding path. All month, We're talking about cultivators. For more information,

(08:56):
find us on Facebook and Instagram at Womanica Podcast. Thanks
to co creators Jenny and Liz Kaplan for letting me
guest host. Talk to you tomorrow.