LATEST AACLA NEWS
Radio Interview with Rod Blocksome
 published: 2025-10-08 10:17:09  • People are talking about the new documentary, "The Collins Story - The Internet Connection." Retired Rockwell Collins engineer and member of the AACLA movie team, Rod Blocksome, was recently interviewed about the film on the Culture Buzz on KFMG Des Moines. The world premiere is Saturday, November 1, at Collins Road Theaters in Cedar Rapids/Marion. The two screenings are at 9 and 10:30 a.m. Admission is free.

• Listen to the conversation. This LINK will take you to the KFMG Internet Archive Page.
Click on the ► button...
The Internet Connection - Trailer
 published: 2025-09-09 12:05:33  New documentary tells the story of how a Cedar Rapids-based company played a crucial role in the birth of the internet.

“The Collins Story – The Internet Connection” premieres November 1, in Cedar Rapids.
The internet is born on November 22, 1977.

A global engineering firm with roots in Iowa is there providing a key piece of mobile technology for a new network that revolutionizes human connection.

“We needed somebody to build the radios and Collins was clearly the gold standard choice. That’s why we picked them.”
—Bob Kahn, Ph.D., Former DARPA Program Director; Current Chairman, CEO & President, Corp. for National Research Initiatives

“We started the packet radio business as a result of that. And, so, we were in on the ground floor of developing internet.”
—Bob Cattoi, Collins Sr. Vice President Engineering

“So the internet idea, in those days, we did not call it internet. That’s the interesting part of it. We, nobody, had the vision of what became of it later on.”
—Anant Jain, Ph.D., Collins Project Engineer, Packet Radio Program

“…it was quite an adventure.”
—Mike Cisco, Hardware & Field Engineer, Collins Packet Radio Program

“The Collins Story — The Internet Connection” will premiere at Collins Road Theatres in Marion, Saturday, Nov. 1, with two screenings at 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. Admission is free. Additional screenings are being planned around Iowa and at film festivals across the country. The documentary is one of a series of award-winning films presented by the Arthur A. Collins Legacy Association and produced by Busbee Creative Media and Wired Production Group.

The Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Its mission is to collect, preserve and interpret the legacy of Arthur Collins and the Collins Radio Company he founded.



★ The Internet Connection ★
 published: 2025-09-04 22:22:47 
Movie Poster
Collins Aerospace Museum
 published: 2025-09-03 22:28:36  • Lately, we have seen a dramatic increase of guided tours at the Collins Aerospace Museum !!

• Thanks to a recent article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette regarding our new "Arthur's Attic Laboratory" recreation, there has been a growing interest in the history of the Collins Radio Co.

• Our seven volunteer "Historians" have been busy taking turns serving our normal public open time - Wednesdays from 11:30 to 1 o'clock.
We should note, with advance notice, we can accommodate alternate days and hours.

• Active Employees, with their company badge, can walk in during regular open hours, non-employee guests will need to make arrangements through Becky, our Administrator, who will assure your personnel information is loaded into the company's SAFE system. Then, when you arrive for a tour, you'll be "good-to-go" and "in the system" ... just bring a photo ID.

• Interested? This LINK will take you to the Museum's Page.

EMAIL
info@thecollinsstory.org

Arthur A. Collins Legacy Association
ADDRESS
690 Eastview Drive
Robins, IA 52328
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