(From left) Friends of Sylvia Collins, Frances Rizo and Sylvia Lagos, are presented with a dedication by Dr. Elba Garcia, Dallas County commissioner for District 4, during the unveiling ceremony of the Sylvia Collins Community Room at the Oak Cliff Government Center in Dallas, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
For years, Sylvia Collins was a fixture of Oak Cliff civic life, spending election seasons outside the Oak Cliff Government Center urging people to vote. Collins, who was killed in the May 28 explosion at The Clyde apartments, now has a permanent place inside the building that became so familiar to her.
Dallas County officials, friends and neighbors gathered Tuesday at the government center located at 702 E. Jefferson Blvd., to dedicate a first-floor conference room as the Sylvia Collins Community Room. Commissioners approved the naming in August, and Tuesday’s ceremony, led by District 4 Commissioner Dr. Elba Garcia during Hispanic Heritage Month, made it official.
Dr. Elba Garcia, Dallas County commissioner for District 4, unveils the Sylvia Collins Community Room at the Oak Cliff Government Center in Dallas, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. Frances Rizo, a longtime community leader and friend of Sylvia Collins, stands next to Garcia.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
People mingle following the unveiling ceremony of the Sylvia Collins Community Room at the Oak Cliff Government Center in Dallas, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Collins, 79, a longtime Oak Cliff resident and Dallas County Democratic Party precinct chair, was among three people who died in the natural gas-fueled explosion and fire that destroyed The Clyde apartments in the 400 block of East Ninth Street.
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Also killed were Marisol Pérez and her 18-month-old son, Erik Pérez Sanchez Jr. Multiple people were injured.
Before the explosion, a contractor had been drilling for soil samples near the building. Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to a reported natural gas leak and notified Atmos Energy of a cut line. Federal investigators said the gas line involved had not been identified and marked. The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation is ongoing.
Collins worked with LULAC, the 23rd Senatorial District Tejano Democrats, Human Rights Dallas and other groups. Friends remembered her raised fist as a signature gesture and described her as someone who consistently drew others into community work.
Related: Oak Cliff mourns neighbors lost in The Clyde apartment explosion
Dr. Elba Garcia, Dallas County commissioner for District 4, unveils the Sylvia Collins Community Room at the Oak Cliff Government Center in Dallas, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. Frances Rizo, a longtime community leader and friend of Sylvia Collins, stands next to Garcia.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Garcia, who said she knew Collins for at least 20 years, described her as a link between residents and elected officials, someone without wealth or formal office whose influence came from inspiring people to work toward a common cause.
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“She didn’t have a lot of power. She didn’t have a lot of money, but her power was in bringing people together,” Garcia said.
The lesson Collins left, she added, was simple: “Be there, and more importantly, get involved. Don’t ever let anyone decide for you.”
For Collins’ friend Sylvia Lagos, her absence feels sharpest during election season.
Collins would normally be outside the government center in the sun, urging people to vote. Lagos would bring her coffee and remind her to put on sunscreen.
“She’d say, ‘I’m fine,’” Lagos recalled. “ I feel I’m walking on this journey now, and I miss my friend. But I know she’s walking with me in spirit.”
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Lagos said Collins likely would have waved off the honor.
“She probably would say, ‘It’s not a big deal,’” Lagos said. “She never was looking for a payback for anything that she did.”
Related: Hearing canceled after Atmos agrees to terms in deadly Oak Cliff explosion cases, attorney says
Longtime friend Frances Rizo said recognition was never the point.
“Everything she did was as a volunteer,” Rizo said. “She gave of herself to the community all the time.”
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People sometimes came to Collins’ home when they needed help, Rizo said. Collins shared extra food when she had it and helped connect families with food banks according to Rizo.
Rizo routinely picked Collins up for meetings because Collins did not have a car. Months later, she said, the habit is still hard to break.
“Almost every time I leave my house or go to a meeting, I would always go pick her up,” Rizo said.
Then she reminds herself: “OK, comadre. Not today.”
A dedication in honor of Sylvia Collins during the unveiling ceremony of the Sylvia Collins Community Room at the Oak Cliff Government Center in Dallas, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Garcia said the decision to honor Collins at community center originated from calls and emails from people who wanted a lasting way to recognize Collins’ work.
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“Sylvia will never be replaced, and we need to honor her memory,” Garcia said.
Precinct 5 Constable Michael Orozco said elected officials come and go, “but we all know that Sylvia’s name will be here forever.”
Related: ‘This was enormous’: At least 3 dead in Dallas apartment fire as search continues