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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly March 2003
Robert W McCoy '46
No. 16150 * 11 Mar 1924 - 11 Mar 2002
Died in Albuquerque, NM * Cremated and ashes scattered in North Carolina |
Robert Watt (Bob) McCoy was born in North Wilkesboro, NC. One of his
greatest joys growing up was his participation in the Boy Scouts where
he rose to Eagle Scout. He graduated from North Wilksboro High School.
He attended the Citadel in Charleston, SC in 1941, then Davidson College,
Davidson, NC in 1942. In 1943, he enlisted in the Army before gaining his
appointment to West Point. He joined the Class of 1946 on the banks of
the Hudson on 1 July 1943.
Cadet life was a challenge for Bob. C-1 Companymate, Jack Whitener wrote:
" Bob's Howitzer write up said, 'a tenth pro is a tenth wasted.' Bob claimed
from the start that the Tactical Department and the Academic Department
were out to get him, but his good nature and determination weathered the
storm. His familiar tactical laugh helped many of us pass the time on maneuvers.
A true field soldier, he was always in his element with the troops. His
desire for good fellowship, his love of the Deep South and mountain music
made him one of the most popular men in the class."
Roommate, Art Lochrie, remembered: "I think Bob's paramount characteristic
always was his sense of humor - he invariably saw the humor and ridiculousness
in every situation he encountered and was quick to share this humor with
everyone else. Everybody knew Bob; he was social and gregarious. He was
quite religious and proud of his record as a Sunday School teacher for
much of his time at the academy. He was unique in being completely unpredictable
-- no one could predict how he would react in a particular situation."
At graduation, Bob pinned on the bars of a second lieutenant in the Coast
Artillery Corps.
After Artillery schooling at Fort Sill, OK and Fort Bliss, TX, Bob was
assigned to Korea where he served as a battery commander in Seoul. He returned
to the States to Fort Bliss as a guided missile officer. It was during
that assignment that he met and married Robin Norton in 1951. The McCoys
then moved to Patrick AFB, FL where Bob was a guided missile project officer.
He decided to leave the Army in 1954 to enter the College of Law at the
University of NM where he earned his JDS in 1957.
His first position after gaining his law degree was as Assistant District
Attorney, Bernalillo County, NM. In 1961, Bob went into private practice
in Albuquerque, NM where he remained until 1971. Bob was sworn in as the
first US Magistrate for the District of New Mexico on ! April 1971. He
served in that capacity until his retirement in 1993. Bob had remained
in the Army Reserves and in 1984 retired as a Lieutenant Colonel, AUS.
When Bob moved to New Mexico, painting was a hobby. Upon his retirement
in 1993, he became a full time painter. He had his studio at the Harwood
Art Center in Albuquerque. He had a great passion for painting New Mexico
landscapes and northern NM and other locales in the Southwest were his
favorite subject matter. Bob exhibited his worked along with that of his
artistic classmates at the Special Art Exhibit during the Class of 1946
Fifty-year Reunion. A quotation from Sir Winston Churchill served as an
inspiration for Bob's avocation:
"Happy are the painters, for they
shall not be lonely. Light and colour,
peace and hope, will keep them
company to the end, or almost to
the end of the day."
Bob McCoy died at home from heart complications on 11 March 2002 exactly
78 years from the day he was born. Survivors include his wife, Robin; daughter,
Amy; sister, Emily; brother, Joseph and three grandsons, Dustin, Alex and
Zack. Bob was predeceased by two sons, Mathew and Dan.
Bob McCoy is sorely missed by family and friends who remember a man
of kindness, unfailing courtesy, good humor and unswerving devotion to
the ideals of West Point.
Jack Whitener recalled: "Bob McCoy was a true friend, a Southern Gentleman,
a distinguished judge and a talented artist. We shall miss him very much."
Art Lochrie wrote: "Above all, Bob was a great and loyal friend."
Bob's loving wife of over fifty years, Robin, remembered: "In all Bob's
seventy eight years, I think his time at West Point was one of the major
highlights of his life. He deeply admired the ideals upon which the school
was built and held fast to them always. He also held fast to the close
friendships that were formed while he was there, even after he chose to
change his life's work to the field of law. He looked to the ideals of
Duty, Honor, Country to guide him in any endeavor he undertook."
To these words of love and praise, the Class of 1946 proudly adds those
simple words that would mean so much to our classmate: "Well Done, Bob;
Be Thou At Peace!"
'46 Memorial Article Project and his wife, Robin
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