Obituaries - Dec. 5, 1999

Lee Collins; Former Attache to Israel

Lee Collins, 82, former American commercial attache to Israel. Educated at UCLA and USC, Collins began his business and government career as general manager at Davis Precision Aircraft. When he was drafted in 1943, he was immediately returned to Davis by presidential order because he was needed to direct wartime production. In 1948, Collins established Collins Industrial Supply Co., later named Collins Microflat, and built it into the largest granite surface plate company in the country. He also became a key business advisor to the federal government, serving on a trade mission to India and on a delegation to South America for the Alliance for Progress, and as representative of the Executive Peace Corps. Collins chaired the Southern California East-West Trade Committee, which advised the U.S. Department of Commerce on high-technology embargoes to the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc nations. In 1973, he was named U.S. commercial attache to Israel, and remained dedicated to building trade relations with that country long after his three-year tenure ended. Collins directed the nationwide Committee for Economic Growth of Israel and was a strong advocate of a free trade agreement between the two nations. He frequently expressed his free trade views on The Times’ op-ed page. President Ronald Reagan named Collins a commissioner of the Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Celebration in 1986, a job that later earned him a medal of commendation from King Juan Carlos of Spain. On Monday in Beverly Hills.

Thomas Shephard; Comic Strip Creator

Thomas Wardlaw “Sonny” Shephard, 67, illustrator and designer who co-created the 1960s comic strip “Historia.” Shephard and Bob Cohn collaborated on the strip, which combined history, humor and satire. At the peak of its popularity, “Historia” ran in 110 newspapers. In 1977 Shephard formed Lonely Shephard Inc., in which he served as illustrator, graphic designer and humorist. He also taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art and was active in its mentoring program. During his Army service in the Korean War, Shephard entertained troops as “Sonny Chard” on Armed Forces Radio. On Nov. 24 in Rocky River, Ohio, of a heart attack.