Collins Playfield was named for John Collins, who in 1845 came to Maine from Ireland at age 10 to work in the Pope and Talbot mills there. When they transferred their operations to Puget Sound, Collins became manager of the Port Gamble Mill in 1857, as well as manager of the company hotel, the Teekalet. He bought into the “Seattle (Occidental) Hotel” in 1867, became its sole owner by 1882, and established it as the town’s leading hotel (rebuilding after the 1889 Great Seattle fire). The hotel remained until final razing in 1860 for a parking garage. Upon organization of Seattle city government in 1869, Collins was elected to City Council for 3 terms, then elected Mayor in 1877. 
Back in the 1930s and 1940s, Gene Boyd was a mentor to many Asian kids who played sports at the Collins Fieldhouse. He volunteered a lot of his time teaching basketball to youth. Many of Gene Boyd's kids went on to become legendary athletes, coaches, and organizers in the Asian Pacific American community - like Frank Fujii, Al Mar, and Bob Santos. Gene Boyd and the Collins Fieldhouse are now gone, but their legacy lives on through many local Asian American athletes today. He was a great mentor to all of us and we all admired Gene Boyd. 

– Tom Ko

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant