NeveHarms The selection of Sheriff Mike McCoy as our Neve Harms Award winner this year was a natural. The Neve Harms Award is given each year to the person who makes significant contributions to the youth of the greater Peoria area. We've all heard and read about the run from Peoria to Memphis for St. Jude each August. Mike McCoy founded the St. Jude Run in 1982, and the children of St. Jude and their parents are well aware of this charity. This event has raised over $15.6 million dollars for St. Jude since its inception.
Sheriff McCoy graduated from the FBI National Academy in 1976, and in 1979 he was named Chief of Police in Peoria Heights. Then McCoy was appointed as the 55th Sheriff of Peoria County on June 10, 2002.
McCoy has always been a staunch supporter of youth activities in the Peoria area, earning the St. Jude Volunteer of the Year Award in 2004, and the 0SF /Children's Hospital Bill Houlihan Award in 2005.
Ron Dwyer, Sr.![]() Ron was an All-Conference, athlete in football, basketball, and baseball at Spalding Institute and achieved All-State honors in basketball. He accepted a full scholarship to Western Illinois University for basketball. After his freshman year he transferred to Bradley University on a baseball scholarship. At BU he played baseball for three years and football for two years. In 1964, he was selected for the All-Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Team. Ron was invited to play on the first Peoria Pacers Baseball Team in the Central Illinois Collegiate League, batting 4th in the lineup and playing 3rd base alongside Don Kessinger, the eventual star shortstop for the Chicago Cubs. After college he shared his sports acumen as an assistant coach for Spalding’s basketball teams that were the state runners-up in 1969 and 1970 Class AA Tournament. He was the pitching coach for the 1974 East Peoria team that placed 2nd in the Class AA Baseball Tournament. Ron was a player/manager in Peoria’s Sunday Morning League for 15 years; for 20 years he served as supervisor of the softball program for the Peoria Park District; for 6 years was active in Little League; and for 2 years helped lead a youth basketball program. He was an umpire/official in baseball, basketball, and football at various levels of competition over 21 seasons. |