From ocregister.com
Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Late police captain's wish fulfilled
Committee raises $200,000 to create Marine memorial featuring old war bird.
By GWENDOLYN DRISCOLL
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SANTA ANA – A 41-foot military A-4M Skyhawk plane will adorn the Santa Ana Civic Center, thanks to a dying police captain whose dream it was to fly.
The late Dan McCoy spearheaded efforts to display the plane in the Civic Center's War Memorial area as a salute to Orange County's Marine Corps heritage.
On Monday, a committee created by McCoy said it raised more than $200,000 to complete the project.
"When we reached the $200,000 mark I know he was shouting somewhere and pacing the halls," said Ann Gallegos, McCoy's former secretary. "This was so dear to his heart and he worked tirelessly."
McCoy, a Santa Ana police captain and Marine reservist, died of a brain tumor in 2002.
Retired Marine Corps Col. Stephen Mugg, who met McCoy at El Toro, where Mugg served as the base's last commanding officer, said the Orange County Marine Corps Memorial will feature a Skyhawk plane mounted on a pedestal and surrounded by a brick "ring of remembrance" inscribed with veterans' and contributors' names.
"This was a project that Dan really, really believed in," said Mugg. "It had everything to do with recognizing the Marines here in Orange County and their contributions to the community."
It was also, a natural melding of two of McCoy's loves: service to his country and aviation.
McCoy's dream was to fly Marine Corps fighter jets, but at 6-foot-5, he was too tall to fit in a cockpit.
Instead, the Long Beach native moved to Anaheim Hills, became a beat cop, police investigator, division commander, and finally a captain in the Santa Ana Police Department.
He never gave up his love of flying - he piloted a four-seat Piper Cherokee for fun - or his admiration for the Corps. When El Toro Marine base closed in 1999, McCoy came up with the idea of a memorial.
"This was right around when the airfield was closing, and there was a lot of emotion," Mugg recalled. "I became impressed with Dan's tenacity and vision to make it happen. He never gave up, never quit working the angles."
The angles were many, including the challenge of raising money for a local project in the aftermath of a national disaster: Sept. 11, 2001.
Then there was the abrupt diagnosis McCoy received in 2001 at the age of 52: inoperable brain cancer.
It didn't stop him. With less than 10 months to live, partially blind, and suffering the weakening effects of chemotherapy, McCoy would still hit the road to pitch his plan to veterans groups and city councils.
"Having watched him do that and suffer such a tragic end before he was able to complete the project, it's meant a lot to all of us to finish that work," said Mugg.
The project nearly stalled after McCoy's death.
"Dan was the key; he was the cog who kept the whole wheel turning," said Mugg. "When he passed away ... we basically stood idle for about a year."
Then McCoy's ghost reached out and gave his friends a gentle nudge in the form of a telephone call from the Department of the Navy.
Before his death McCoy, with the help of U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove, arranged a permanent loan of the Skyhawk plane from the Navy. Now the feds were on the line asking: Where should they send it?
"We had to go on. We had the airplane," Mugg said.
KOCE-TV host Ed Arnold came on board to help cultivate more than 300 donors, including American Sterling Corporation CEO Larry Dodge, who matched the group's fund-raising efforts with a gift of $100,000. Retired Marine Corps Col. Eleanor Wilson helped Mugg spearhead the effort, while The Orange County Community Foundation coordinated the influx of funds.
The group hopes to refurbish the unpainted plane, currently stored at Chino Airport, for a Nov. 10 ceremony.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTACT US: (714) 796-7722 or
gdriscoll@ocregister.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Great to see a good man's dream come true
Robbie
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
