Conroe’s queen of the radio airwaves Mary McCoy will be getting a statue soon in the city in recognition of her 73 years on the radio.
The bust will be unveiled in Founders Plaza adjacent to the Owen Theatre in downtown Conroe on Dec. 7, McCoy’s 87th birthday. The bust will be unveiled at 11 a.m. Later the same day, a birthday celebration will take place at 6 p.m. at The Table at Madeley food truck park also in downtown.
“This bronze statue will serve as a permanent tribute at Founders Plaza,” said Judi Lanza, president of the Greater Conroe Arts Alliance which sponsored the project.
The south end of the park also features busts of Dave Parsons, Texas State Poet Laureate for 2011 and Annette Gordon-Reed, an American historian and law professor and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History. A statue commemorating the longevity of the Young Texas Artists music competition is also in the park.
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About Mary’s legacy
McCoy was born in Carthage, Texas, on Dec. 7, 1937, to Tom and Artimese McCoy. Her family moved to Conroe in 1949, where she soon developed a deep love for music, radio and people. At age 12, Mary began working at Conroe’s first radio station, KMCO, under the management of Jimmy Dorrell.
One of Mary’s most memorable life moments came in 1955, when she had the opportunity to share the stage with Elvis Presley twice — first on the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, Louisiana, and again in Conroe at the local high school football field. Today her Elvis room of memorabilia honors the time she spent with “The King.”
In September, McCoy was inducted into the national Radio Hall of Fame. In 2023, she was recognized by the Guinness Book of Records for holding the title of “World’s Longest Career as a Radio Presenter/DJ (Female).”
Still queen of the airwaves
At 86, she continues to host her popular daily radio show live on KVST K-Star Country 99.7 FM in Conroe from 10 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, and pre-records her Sunday show. Since 1998, she has co-hosted the “Larry and Mary Show” alongside Larry Galla and has no plans to stop anytime soon.
“It’s been a journey,” McCoy said this summer upon being notified she would be inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. “I knew what I wanted to do and I was determined. Every time someone tried to bring me down I would not listen and I became more determined.”
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The sculptor
The bust was created by Montgomery County sculptor Craig Campobella of Campobella Bronze Sculpture.
Just a few of his works include a statue of Country musician Marty Stewart titled “The Pilgrim,” and major monument-style pieces including “Navarro and Austin” that is featured at the former Spirits of Texas Bank in The Woodlands (now Simmons Bank), the Dave Parsons bust at Founders Plaza in Conroe, a 23.75 karat gold gild, named “Texas Lady Liberty” that graces the entrance of the former Spirit of Texas Bank’s headquarters (now Simmons Bank) in Conroe, a larger than life bronze bust, of trauma surgeon Dr. Red Duke for the Memorial Hermann Red Duke Trauma Institute and others.
He’s gone on to be the visionary and designer of The Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park in Conroe which was dedicated on San Jacinto Day 2011. He also sculpted “The Texian” and a bust of Charles B. Stewart — the designer of the Lone Star Flag for the flag park.
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