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ADVANCEMENT NEWS
Ste wardship:
JOHN G. MCCOY
S A LU T E S H I S A L M A M AT E R
Good afternoon!” a robust John G. McCoy says as he
answers the telephone at his Michigan summer home
in early August. McCoy ’35, a longtime supporter of
the College, has been awaiting this call to talk about
his ongoing support for the College where he obtained a business degree
before going on to be one of the greatest leaders in the banking industry.
THE MCCOY
SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM
The McCoy Scholarship
(started in 1998) is the only
endowed scholarship at
Marietta College that covers full
tuition, fees, room and board,
and a computer. Awarded to
an incoming freshman in recognition
of outstanding academic
achievement, it is renewable
for all four years of study.
Recipients of the
McCoy Scholarship:
2006 Grace Elaine O’Dell
2005 Brandon Crane
2004 Harrison Potter
2003 Samantha Armacost
2002 Amanda Cobb
2001 Melissa Yusko
2000 Cody Lane
1999 Trent Reisberger
Despite years spent building the Bank One empire,
McCoy has never forgotten his roots in southeastern Ohio
and the time he spent on Marietta’s campus. He proudly
explains that his mother graduated in MC’s class of 1910
and that his father spent 24 years on the College’s Board
of Trustees. His father, John H. McCoy, was also a banker
and served as president of City National Bank and Trust
before passing the title to his son. The McCoy Memorial
Gateway, at the corner of Fourth and Putnam streets, was
erected in 1962 as a gift from the family in honor of the
late John H. McCoy. McCoy Residence Hall is also named
after the McCoy family.
After leaving Marietta, John G. McCoy received a master’s
degree from Stanford Business School and began his
career in banking at City National in 1937. During World
War II, he served in the U.S. Navy with an assignment as
chief financial officer for the War Production Board from
1943-1945. He left the service after the war to return to
Columbus where he eventually took over the helm of
City National in 1958.
McCoy was an innovator in the banking industry,
sparking ideas that included drive-through banking, bank
credit cards, automated teller machines and aggressive
marketing campaigns aimed at selling loan products to
consumers. He built City National to become the second
largest credit card company in the world, in the beginning
convincing BankAmerica to partner with him to create the
BankAmericard – the precursor to today’s Visa card.
McCoy retired from banking in 1984. Although he
was succeeded by his son, John B. McCoy, he continued
to stay involved in the industry. City National eventually
evolved into Bank One, which merged with First
Chicago NBD in 1998 to become the largest bank in the
Midwest and the fifth largest one in the country. (The
company is now known as JP Morgan Chase after yet
another merger.)
John G. McCoy joined Marietta’s Board of Trustees
in 1966 and served 21 years, among one of the longest
tenures of any Marietta College trustees. He is listed now
as an Emeritus Member of the Board and has been succeeded
by daughter, Virginia (Jinny) McCoy. In 1981, the
College honored him with an honorary Doctor of Laws
degree and he was inducted into the Ohio Foundation of
Independent College’s Hall of Excellence in 1991.
In 1993, the McCoy family established the John G. and
Jeanne B. McCoy Endowment for Teaching Excellence,
which provides Marietta College faculty members the
chance to receive a four-year designation and a $10,000
salary enhancement. “I think they have a great opportunity
and I hope they continue using it to get good professors,”
says McCoy. “I just tried to help.”
The McCoys also have endowed funding for The John
G. and Jeanne B. McCoy Scholarship Program, which
promotes and recognizes outstanding academic ability and
achievement by incoming freshmen. ( Jeanne B. McCoy,
John’s wife, died this summer. Please see page 32.) The
award includes tuition, room and board, a computer, as
well as incidental fees, and is renewable for four years.
“John G. McCoy represents a wonderful example of
how one family can continue giving for three generations,”
says Lori A. Lewis, Marietta’s vice president for advancement.
“We, at the College, are proud to be recipients of the
McCoy’s generosity as so many family members have given
unselfishly of their time, talent and treasure.”
SHERRY BECK PAPROCKI
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