Profile-Francis "Fran" McCoy-Editor of ColHums Newsletter

Role played in borough: Fran was a true Collingdale High School Alumni and worked tirelessly on the ColHums newsletter for over twenty years. He was one of the founding fathers of the Collingdale High School Alumni Association started in 1982. As with most of the school districts in the area, Collingdale High School was slated to close and merge with Darby Township and Sharon Hill High School in the fall of 1981. There was, however. a brief year long transition when the schools kept their names but students were sent to various schools depending on what scholastic area they planned to study. Technically the students still graduated from those schools, received diplomas, had yearbooks made and attended proms. However the reality was that they were really going to "Academy Park East" as one of the schools was called at the time. It wasn't until 1984 the new Academy Park students graduated together at one location. Fran and the other founding fathers mourned the loss of Collingdale High School and its rich history.

Accomplishments: Fran was instrumental in starting the Collingdale High School Alumni Association and did hours of research on war veterans like himself to place on a proposed All Wars Memorial which was dedicated November 8, 1997. His insights into the lives of athletes and other notable former classmates of Collingdale High School made entertaining and informative reading. He worked tirelessly to promote events such as the "Colls On The Cove" event and the Grand Reunions. He kept on top of memorials and dug up histories of both teachers and students of Collingdale High School to ensure that their history wasn't forgotten.
The Future of the Collingdale High School Alumni Association: The association is still a very active group which meets every third Tuesday at the Collingdale Community Center. The CHSAA honors Fran and the other founding fathers by continuing the work they started and moving forward with new programs and services. Catherine Basil Ramos and Pamela Basil Wright continue the work Fran did as editor of the ColHums ensuring that the Collingdale spirit remains alive and well.