Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Terry "T-MAC" McCoy will be missed...

Richland Northeast High School has many many memories for me. One of which will always Terry McCoy whom we affectionately called "T-MAC"!

Whom I personally studied under while at RNE and am forever grateful for are TMAC and Mrs. Barbara Thomson.

The following is today's post from the Greenville Newspaper regarding the life, accomplishment, and memory of one whom today I will greatly miss:

"Long-time educator, Terry McCoy of Columbia, died Sunday.

Mr. McCoy, 61, was student activities director at Richland Northeast High School and executive director of the South Carolina Association of Student Councils. A native of Easley, Mr. McCoy was born on August 4, 1947. Following a short illness, Mr. McCoy had spent the past week at Hospice of the Upstate in Anderson.

An English and French teacher with 40 years' experience, Mr. McCoy was a respected mentor to student government leaders throughout South Carolina. Today, there are countless civic, community and business leaders who first learned their lessons of service from Mr. McCoy, affectionately known to many of them as "T-Mac". An eloquent speaker of both languages that he taught, Mr. McCoy impressed on his students the value of precision in English. He passed this passion on to the many students who have served on his award-winning school yearbook staffs.

A towering figure with a beautiful bass voice, Mr. McCoy was a true gentleman who fostered courtesy among those around him. Each of the events, he touched bore his personal stamp, as he oversaw the many details that together made those occasions successful and memorable for the participants and spectators. As Richland Northeast's first student activities director, Mr. McCoy leaves a legacy of such events he created, including the Miss Richland Northeast pageant and the school's commencement ceremony, among many others.

At Richland Northeast, Mr. McCoy established the student government, a leadership effort that is nationally recognized for its success. Student life at the school has been immeasurably enriched by Mr. McCoy's efforts. Prior to coming to Richland Northeast at the school's opening, Mr. McCoy taught at Spring Valley and Dentsville high schools. For his efforts in Richland School District Two, Mr. McCoy was in 2005 presented the Richland School District Two Unsung Hero Award.

Mr. McCoy was a devoted and active member of Eastminster Presbyterian Church, where he served as bass soloist and section leader in the Chancel Choir for 25 years. In 1991, he served as chairman of the committee to adopt the new Presbyterian Hymnal. His good will and humor were credited with making the task a smooth one. Mr. McCoy has been a member of the Carolina Chorale and the Arpad Darazs Singers. In addition, for several seasons he was a leading member of the bass section in the Palmetto Mastersingers.

Among several solos he had with the group, many of its members recall his infectious rendering of "Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas".

Mr. McCoy was an avid Gamecock fan and a loyal supporter of the Richland Northeast Cavaliers. He enjoyed the fellowship of a group of teachers and friends who went to dinner and Cavalier games together on Friday nights. His love of sports was nurtured as a young man keeping score for a local textile league baseball team in his hometown.

Especially admired for his efforts to develop high quality student councils, Mr. McCoy was a member of the National Association of Student Councils, the National Association of Workshop Directors and National Association of State Student Council Executive Directors. He served as a mentor to new executive directors of the NASSCED and was on the organization's executive board. Mr. McCoy was a member of the Southern Association of Student Councils, one of the oldest student council organizations in the naation.

Prior to assuming the role of executive director of the South Carolina Association of Student Councils in 1985, Mr. McCoy was the assistant executive director for three years. Under Mr. McCoy's direction, the organization's state summer leadership training camp has grown to capacity, training hundreds of students in leadership skills. Many participants fondly recall their experiences at the camp, commonly referred to among them as "Cherry Grove" for the location in which it is held.

In 2007, Mr. McCoy developed the first Middle School Student Council Workshop in South Carolina, which is held in January in conjunction with the SCASC Advisors' Workshop.

Mr. McCoy was recognized for his service to student councils with the 1994 nomination for the Southern Association of Student Councils Advisor of the Year; the 1995 SCASC Advisor of the Year; the 1996 NASC South Carolina Warren E. Shull winner and the 2003 NASC/NAWD Earl Reum Award - Region 3 winner. In 2007, Mr. McCoy was recognized at the state convention for 30 years of service to SCASC.

A 1965 graduate of Easley High School, Mr. McCoy graduated in 1969 from the University of South Carolina. He was a former treasurer of the South Carolina Foreign Language Teachers Association.

Mr. McCoy was preceded in death by his parents, Troy E. and Varo McCoy. He is survived by two sisters, Dot M. Brown and Glenda M. Cannon and husband, Buddy, all of Easley; three nieces, Tomi Lane, Linda Adams and Teresa Bearden; and a nephew, Glenn Cannon; two great-nephews, Heath Lane and Bradley Cannon; three great-nieces, Kelli Hunt, Leslie Mousa and Marlee Cannon; two great-great-nephews, Kaleb Land and Kolton Lane; and a great-great-niece, Cadence Mousa.

Private graveside services will be at a later date at Hillcrest Memorial Park with Rev. Jeff Mousa officiating.

The family requests that memorials to Mr. McCoy be made to Hospice of the Upstate, 1835 Rogers Road, Anderson, SC 29621 or the Terry A. McCoy Leadership Scholarship, c/o the Central Carolina Community Foundation, 2711 Middleburg Drive, Suite 213, Columbia, SC 29204."

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Early December update

It has been awhile since i last put a blog post up so i thought a Sunday afternoon one would be a good time for one. I've got all the gifts bought, well except for Grandma who is always the person i need Mom's help with in buying. But I'm getting very excited, even though it does not seem like Christmas is 18 days away. It's been a slow month thus far and it appears as it will be a slow one all the way through, which I am thankful for!

I don't know if I've ever quoted Reverend Billy Graham on my blog, but i thought the following excerpt was worth it:

In his recent letter to supporters of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Graham writes: "I also told my friend that my main reaction as I have approached my 90th birthday has been one of deep gratitude and thankfulness. For seven decades, my calling has been to preach the simple message of the Gospel: that God loves us, that He sent His Son into the world to take away our sins by His death on the cross, that we can be forgiven adn reconciled to God through faith in Christ as our Lord and Savior, that through Him we can have hope--hope for a new life right now, and hope for a joyous eternity with Him in Heaven"

More Books I've Read for 2008:

I read at least one Lucado book a year, and usually it is not the current one! Facing your Giants gives a character look at the popular Old Testament figure David. Born a shepherd boy who later becomes King, Lucado drives the reader to see the successes and flaws of not just David but his/hers as well.


She may not be Liberal American's favorite, but she has instilled tenacity and a new wave of GOP leadership into American politics. This book gives a touching history and background of the Sarah Palin many know but don't know much about! Definite read if you enjoy US politics.

I usually don't read books very fast, as comprehension is a difficult for me; however, this book and the book above and below were all read in a matter of a few sit-downs. Mouw, though sometimes a little inclusive in his theology of salvation, describes an accurate description of anyone who describes to a non or pro calvinistic theology. What description would that be? Love! How important it is to love others like Christ loves us no matter where we agree, disagree, or agree to disagree!

Some of you may or may not know, but dad allowed us (randy and I) to watch professional wrestling growing up. To this day I do enjoy the matches and hoolah of wrestlers both on and off the mat. But by far, Sting has been my favorite ever since I can remember. This autobiographical looks shows how a man so well-known and involved in a world-ly lifestyle turned to place his faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Read it in about 3 hours.