The Real McCoys

Against all odds Art J. McCoy, Ph.D., became Missouri's youngest certified teacher at age nineteen and the youngest and first African-American superintendent of schools in Ferguson, Missouri, at age thirty-three.

His father was born during the lowest point of The Great Depression and had his right leg amputated as a young boy. Eventually, his father began using drugs and living a tumultuous life.

But he changed his life forever after his sister died in a horrific accident, and by the time his son—the author—came along, he was a man of God who had co-founded a church with his wife, Norma. The two of them would provide McCoy the solid foundation he needed to achieve great things in the midst of adversity.

In these candid reflections, the author reveals his family background—the good and the bad—discovering insights about himself and the world in which we live along the way. He also shares poems and writings from his teens through his thirties, including expressions from various speeches, commencements, sermons, and community addresses.

Join McCoy as he celebrates faith, family, and serving his community from student to superintendent and systems leader in The Real McCoys.