MCCOY, Judy

MCCOY, Judy. (Dubuque, IA,- ). A graduate of WAHLERT CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL, McCoy attended the Catholic University in Washington, D. C. and the University of Iowa. After marriage, she and Robert returned to Dubuque and opened a small goldsmith shop at 261 Main. Twelve years later, they purchased the building, later listed on the NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES, and expanded their business, McCoy Goldsmiths & Jewelers. In deciding to remain downtown, the McCoys became strong supporters of the Downtown Association. (1)

Named the first woman to serve on the executive board in 1983, she continued by becoming the first female president of the DUBUQUE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (1985). As co-owner of the highly successful McCoy Goldsmiths and Jewelers, Judy McCoy established a solid reputation as a community leader. Her interest in historic preservation led her to joining the TRUSS AND BUTTRESS SOCIETY. (2)

McCoy was a member of the Dubuque Downtown Association; president of the Advertisers of Dubuque; and helped establish in 1977 Families of Northeast Iowa, a non-profit family services agency. In 1984 McCoy, active in the Democratic Party as a campaigner, was named to the Iowa Program for Economic Progress, a think-tank established for the Iowa Development Commission. She was considered a leader in the efforts to develop the DUBUQUE GREYHOUND PARK AND CASINO. (3)

McCoy was honored in 1985 at the Third Annual Governor's Volunteer Awards program. (4) In 2018 she and her husband were honored as Outstanding Individual Philanthropist by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Tri-State Chapter. (5)

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Source:

1. "Women's Political Caucus," Telegraph Herald, May 2, 1973, p. 8

2. Johnson, Patti, "Faces of Business," Telegraph Herald, June 24, 1985, p. 5

3. Ibid.

4. "People of Note," Telegraph Herald, April 28, 1985, p. 20

5. "Philanthropic Commitment Honored at Dubuque Event," Telegraph Herald, November 16, 2018, p. 5