In high school, he began practicing his craft as a cartoonist for The Eastonian, Easton High School’s newspaper, and graduated in 1967. He earned an associate’s degree from Chesapeake College in 1970, and a bachelor’s degree from Salisbury State College in 1973. Throughout his career, Rick’s wide range of styles and perspectives were noticed and rewarded by his peers. He was a member of the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists and the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association. He won dozens of awards – many first place — for editorial cartooning, including “Best in Show” for several years. He won the national Fischetti Award for Editorial Cartooning and was twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. One of Kollinger’s cartoons made the cover of the 2014 edition of “Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year.”