He houses the largest private collection of natural fossils in the state of North Carolina, with fossils from Utah, Montana, North and South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia.
BLOWING ROCK, NC, February 23, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Randy "Doc" McCoy has been inducted into Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Now retired, Dr. McCoy garnered a laudable reputation for his work as an emergency field surgeon on behalf of the U.S. Army for more than a decade. Pursuing his second passion for rocks and minerals shortly thereafter, he returned to college to become better educated. During this period, he founded McCoy Minerals Inc. in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, in 2007, a jewelry business that also serves as a geology-based educational gemstone, mining and mineral supply company. Among his many services, Dr. McCoy provides his lapidary expertise in the form of gemstone cutting, polishing, repair work and appraisals.
Four years after the opening of McCoy Minerals Inc., Dr. McCoy established the Appalachian Fossil Museum in 2011. There, he houses the largest private collection of natural fossils in the state of North Carolina, with fossils from Utah, Montana, North and South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia. He also displays a large collection of minerals and rare gemstones that were originally from the Appalachian Mountain areas of North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Passionate about his work, Dr. McCoy and his team focus heavily on providing education to the many children that visit his museum, gemstone mining operation or jewelry store.
Since becoming involved in his field, Mr. McCoy has enjoyed the opportunity to work with such luminaries as Jerry Jacene, a renowned paleontologist, and Larry Bristol, a geologist for the state of Tennessee who oversaw the discovery and founding of the Gray Fossil Site located in Gray, Tennessee. Involved with various nonprofit and charitable organizations, he currently hosts Mining for a Purpose, a fundraising event via McCoy Minerals Inc., on an annual basis. The event has contributed nearly $140,000 for the Cancer Patient Emergency Fund since 2011, which helps alleviate the medical costs and living expenses of cancer patients. Dr. McCoy is also active with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he invites children to visit the museum and learn about science, paleontology and geology. Likewise, he serves as the Chairman of the Board for the Cancer Resource Alliance in North Carolina, where he has also served as a guest speaker for North Carolina's Oncology Conference in 2010.
Dr. McCoy earned a bachelor's degree at Quillen College of Medicine, followed by a Doctor of Medicine at Duke University. He subsequently received a surgical certification from Fort Sam Houston Medical Academy. Years later, he returned to college, earning a Bachelor of Science in recreation management, with a concentration in recreation and park management, at Appalachian State University in 2010. For his efforts in the U.S. Armed forces, Dr. McCoy was decorated with a Purple Heart in 2007 and a Bronze Star Medal.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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