IN REMEMBRANCE
FRED E. COY JR., MD 1923-2014
I
n 1974, I was fortunate to join the orthopedic surgery practice of Drs. Costigan, Riley and Coy, PSC. Over the ensuing years, I came to
know Fred Coy as a true renaissance man as well as a talented and compassionate surgeon.
Fred graduated from Fern Creek High School in 1942 and subsequently enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in 1943. Although he rarely talked about it until later years, he was a P-47 pilot and squadron leader in WWII flying 130 missions in France and
Germany. Only last year did I find out he received the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal with twenty Oak Leaf Clusters. He was
a very modest man indeed.
After his military service, Fred received his medical degree and completed his orthopedic residency at the University of Louisville. He
then joined Dan Costigan, MD, and James Riley, MD, in the practice of orthopedic surgery. He particularly enjoyed spending time with
patients at Kosair Crippled Children’s Hospital (as it was then known).
When not practicing medicine, Fred was an expert on Kentucky’s Native American petroglyphs and was passionate about their preservation and documentation. In fact, he was the co-author of “Rock Art of Kentucky” which was published in 1997. He was a founding
member of the George Rogers Clark Press, amateur archaeologist and historian, a member of the Eastern States Rock Art Research Association, the American Heritage Council, the Old Mill Association, and the Red River Historical Society.
He was an expert photographer as well, using this art to become an authority and frequent lecturer on Kentucky wildflowers.
When Fred died we lost a most interesting person and a wonderful colleague and friend.
- Owen K. Hitt, MD
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LOUISVILLE MEDICINE