Bobby E. McCoy
1928 - 2011
Bobby McCoy, longtime TWUA member, died of cancer on April 11, 2011 at his home in Georgetown, Texas. He was 83. Born January 11, 1928 in Austin, TX of a sharecropper, Bobby began his quest to become the first in his family to graduate from college. His love of water soon became apparent when he became a lifeguard at Barton Springs in Austin and a member of the high school springboard diving team.
After graduating from Austin High School, Bobby joined the United States Navy in the waning years of World War II. He was most proud of his service to our country. Following his Navy hitch, Bobby used his GI Bill to enroll in Southwest Texas State Teacher’s College in San Marcos. It was there that he met the love of his life, Janice Rowell, to whom he later married. Bobby graduated from Southwest Texas with a double major in biology & chemistry. He was a varsity cheerleader and was in the Who’s Who Among American College Students. In the next few years, he worked for the Texas Parks and Wildlife, surveying the Pedernales River and Lake Medina, taught high school, and was a chemist for Rhome and Haas. When the Johnson Space Center opened in Houston, Bobby went to work with Graham Engineering, doing water laboratory analysis. He rose in position with the various contractors at NASA and was eventually responsible for all water that entered and all water that left the JSC, including the wash water from the moon walks. He was one of the few individuals that had full access to all buildings at JSC during space missions.
Bobby had AA licenses in water and wastewater, and was a member of TWUA since 1964, serving as Secretary-Treasurer of the Gulf Area District in the 1970’s and as a member of the Public Education Committee until last year. He was an instructor for TWUA and TEEX and authored the initial Surface Water I Manual. His TWUA honors included the Exemplary Service Award in Education and Training in 1996, the Distinguished Service Award in 1998, and the Meritorious Service Award in 2000. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Janice, a son, Craig McCoy, (who is also involved in TWUA) and daughters, Brenda McCoy of Coppell and Jean Peck of Humble.
Memorials can be made to the VM Ehler’s Central Texas Scholarship Fund.
