Willie McCoy

Willie McCoy, an African-American man, endured 29 years of wrongful imprisonment on death row, the longest in U.S. history, before being exonerated in 1969.

Character

Literary

Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter

Willie McCoy, born in 1939, rose from humble beginnings as the son of Mississippi sharecroppers to become a celebrated mathematician and computer scientist. Despite the challenges of growing up in poverty, McCoy excelled academically, graduating summa cum laude from Tougaloo College in 1961.

His career took him to Chicago, where he held notable positions in the corporate and public sectors before establishing his successful consulting firm, McCoy and Associates, in 1971. McCoy’s expertise earned him prestigious awards, including the National Medal of Technology and the MacArthur Fellowship. He also achieved recognition as a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, McCoy actively contributed to his community, serving on the boards of various organizations dedicated to social progress. His personal interests included jazz music, playing the saxophone, and even piloting airplanes.

McCoy’s journey stands as an inspiration, demonstrating the power of determination and intellect to overcome adversity and achieve greatness.