Read the full stored bill text
COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING
1350 PENNSLYV ANIA A VENUE, NW, SUITE 406
WASHINGTON, DC 20004
202.724.8068
WENDELL FELDER Chairperson
Ward 7 Councilmember Subcommittee on Local Business
Development
3/11/2026
Nyasha Howard, Secretary
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Secretary Howard,
Today, I am introducing the “Dr. William Keelan Collins, Sr. Way Designation Act of 2026.” Please find
enclosed a signed copy of the legislation.
This legislation would symbolically designate the 100 block of 49th Street Northeast, Washington, DC
20019, in Ward 7, as “Dr. William Keelan Collins, Sr. Way”. The 100 block of 49th Street N.E. was chosen
for the designation as Dr. Collins’s home was located on that portion of 49th Street N.E.
Dr. William Keelan Collins, Sr. (1914–1998) was a distinguished dentist, educator, civic leader, and
community developer whose lifelong service profoundly shaped the social, economic, and professional
landscape of the District of Columbia.
Born on October 30, 1914, in Seat Pleasant, Maryland, just beyond the northeastern boundary of the
District, Dr. Collins was raised in Far Northeast Washington, D.C. While residing at 332 57th Street, N.E.,
he attended Burrville Elementary School and graduated with honors from Paul Laurence Dunbar High
School in 1931, one of only two public secondary institutions available to Black students in the District at
that time. As a youth, he worked as a Washington Post newspaper carrier to help support his family,
demonstrating early responsibility and determination.
Dr. Collins was awarded a scholarship to Howard University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science
degree in 1935. That same year, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army of the United
States and became a member of the Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He went on to earn
his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the Howard
University School of Dentistry in 1939, graduating with honors, and completed postgraduate training in
oral pediatrics at the Guggenheim Dental Clinic of New York University Medical College.
Returning to Washington, D.C., Dr. Collins established a highly respected dental practice and built a
devoted family life. He was married to Eleanore Carter Dixon until her passing in 1985, and later to Sarah
Merritt Farrington, with whom he remained until his death. He was the proud father of two sons, William
Keelan Collins, Jr. and John Bembrey Collins.
Beyond his clinical practice, Dr. Collins was a pioneering real estate developer who, alongside his father-
in-law, William A. Dixon, constructed single-family homes and apartment buildings in Far Northeast
Washington, contributing directly to the stability and growth of the community. Among his notable
projects was the Glendale Gardens Senior Citizens Apartment Building, reflecting his enduring
commitment to housing and dignity for older residents.
In 1951, Dr. Collins returned to Howard University as a faculty member in the School of Dentistry, where
he served for twelve years as a lecturer in Ethics and Jurisprudence, educating and mentoring thousands
of future dental professionals. His leadership extended into finance and economic development as a
founding force behind the Business and Professional Men’s Association of Far Northeast Washington,
which helped spur reinvestment in the community and led to the establishment of the United Community
National Bank.
In 1964, Dr. Collins achieved national distinction as the second Black bank chairman in the United States
and as the leader of the nation’s first fully integrated bank board. His service to Howard University was
equally historic: appointed to the Board of Trustees in 1968, he served for twenty-five years, including
fourteen years as Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee. He also played a pivotal role in the
development and construction of the Howard University Hospital, which replaced the historic Freedmen’s
Hospital.
Dr. Collins served on numerous national, regional, and local boards, including the District of Columbia
Board of Dental Examiners, which he chaired from 1963 to 1976; the American Association of Dental
Examiners, where he served as President of the Executive Council; the National Dental Society; the
American Association of Children’s Dentists; the U.S. Small Business Administration; and the Network
of Jewish Human Services. He co-founded the Northeast Regional Board of Dental Examiners, helping to
standardize licensure across eighteen states and expand professional mobility for dental graduates.
In recognition of his extraordinary contributions to dentistry, Dr. Collins was awarded Dentist of the Year
at the White House by President Richard M. Nixon in 1972. His many honors include the Harry Strouss
Award, the Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement Award, an honorary Doctor of Science degree from
Georgetown University, and inclusion in Who’ s Who Among Black Americans and Who’ s Who in Finance
and Industry.
A man of deep faith and service, Dr. Collins served for nearly four decades as a vestry member and
treasurer of the Church of the Atonement Episcopal Church and contributed to the civic life of the District
through service on the Mayor’s Economic Advisory Committee.
Dr. William Keelan Collins, Sr. passed away on January 16, 1998, leaving a legacy of professional
excellence, educational leadership, economic empowerment, and unwavering devotion to the people and
neighborhoods of the District of Columbia—making him eminently worthy of permanent recognition
through the naming of a public street in his honor.
Should you have any questions about this legislation, please contact my Chief of Staff, Dr. Delia Houseal,
at dhouseal@dccouncil.gov.
Thank you,
Wendell Felder
Ward 7 Councilmember
1
1
___________________________ 2
Councilmember Wendell Felder 3
4
5
6
A BILL 7
8
_______________ 9
10
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 11
12
__________________________ 13
14
15
To symbolically designate the 100 block of 49th Street N.E., as “Dr. William Keelan Collins, Sr. 16
Way”. 17
18
BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 19
act may be cited as the “Dr. William Keelan Collins, Sr. Way Designation Act of 2026”. 20
Sec. 2. Pursuant to sections 401, 403a, and 423 of the Street and Alley Closing and 21
Acquisition Procedures Act of 1982, effective March 10, 1983 (D.C. Law 4-201; D.C. Official 22
Code §§ 9-204.01, 9-204.03a, and 9-204.23), the Council symbolically designates the 100 block 23
of 49th Street N.E., as “Dr. William Keelan Collins, Sr. Way”. 24
Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 25
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 26
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 27
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 28
Sec. 4. Effective date. 29
This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 30
Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto) and a 30-day period of congressional review 31
2
as provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 32
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code §1-206.02(c)(1)). 33