At 98, Milton Collins Stays In Step

Forty parishioners from Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church threw a party Sunday morning — for their church, and for the 98th birthday of a parishioner named Milton Collins, who has ping-ponged and tap-danced his way around the world and back.

The gathering took place in Hamden’s Villano Park. It was part of the annual parish picnic, when the Sunday service is held outside followed by a catered lunch. Saint Luke’s Episcopal is the third oldest African-American Episcopal Church in the country. 

People set up beach chairs in front of the park’s stage Sunday and gathered in the bits of shade to participate in the service. Once the service ended, parishioners made their way to the birthday tents and Chef Lucky’s food truck. 

The guest of honor, Collins, had been baptized at Saint Luke’s. Now he’s the oldest member.

He still remembers his youngest days in town. At Sunday’s party, he told the story of how he started out, all the places he went, and how he came back home.

Born in 1924, he grew up in New Haven and was one of the original Boy Scouts at the Dixwell Q House, he said. He went to the Q House every day with his sister until 6 p.m., when their mother got out of work. He was a tap dancer and performed with the Follies while he was in middle school. Collins’ aunt and uncle, Mary and Arthur Brooks, were New Haven-based vaudeville performers. Arthur taught Collins to dance.

Sure enough, Stevie Wonder’s ​“Happy Birthday” boomed through speakers, and Collins brought out his dancing chops. He still has them.

Although he did not try to pursue dance professionally as an adult, Collins never lost his talent.

“You have to have the rhythm in your body,” he said. ​“The movement, if it’s in you, it’ll come out. Regardless of age.”

Ping pong is a point of pride for Collins. He honed his chops at the Q House back in his youth.

The boys’ department was run by a Mr. Thompson back then. There was one ping pong table, with about 20 chairs circling it. If you won your game, you could keep playing. Otherwise, you had to sit in the long line of chairs and wait up to an hour for your next chance.

“I’d come from school, sit down, wait 30 minutes, lose, sit for an hour,” Collins recalled. ​“I’d go every day until one day I beat the champ and became number one.”

After graduating from Hillhouse High School in 1942, Collins served in General Patton’s Third Army, in the 11th army division. He kept the tanks running and went to England, France, Austria, and Germany.

After World War II ended, Collins was in England one day with his battalion. They were having a ping pong competition. Collins became the champion easily.

“That was because of my Q House experience,” he said. 

That wasn’t the only piece of his childhood that he shared with his battalion. During a USO show, also in England, Collins climbed onstage and tap danced with James Cagney. 

Collins married in 1952 and moved to New York, where he earned a degree in merchandising and became a salesman and tailor. 

He moved back to New Haven 10 years ago, and is happy to be back. ​“All my friends are here. I met my wife here,” he said. ​“I had a lot of good times and a good education. New Haven’s all right.” 

Sondi Jackson and William Wright, Collins’ niece and nephew, stayed by him throughout Sunday’s event. Jackson smiled as she described how Collins still wears a suit and bow tie to church every Sunday morning. 

The new Q House, which reopened this past year, has a brick dedicated to Collins that says ​“Chip Collins, Boy Scout.”

Having grown out of the nickname Chip, Collins is now affectionately called ​“Uncle” by family and friends alike. 

When asked what advice he would give to children currently going to the Q House, Collins said, ​“the Q House is the best experience they’ll have in their life if they apply themselves to it.” 

His eyes lit up as he shared his passion for jazz. Collins still travels to New York often to see live jazz performances. He hopes to have a big party with a band when he turns 100.