Frankly Speaking with Tyra G

Frankly Speaking with Tyra G


What We Know Now Featuring Environmental Chemist, Photographer, Art Collector, Patric Gregory McCoy

July 15, 2025

Everyone has a story, and in fact, each person is a story. Our stories evolve as part of a journey rather than a destination; they are a process, not just an event. We grow emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically throughout this journey. It is only when we look back and reflect that we can truly understand our paths.

This week, we take a look at the life journey of one intelligent, evolving, and creative individual. Patric Gregory McCoy has learned that life works in his favor because he understands that everything he manifests outwardly is a result of who he has become inwardly.

Patric was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 20, 1946. He graduated as class valedictorian from Englewood High School in Chicago in 1964. He earned his B.A. in chemistry from the University of Chicago in 1969. In 1972, McCoy became the chief chemist for the Air Pollution Control Department in Gary, Indiana, while also taking part-time graduate courses. He received his M.A. in environmental science from Governors State University in 1979. McCoy retired from the EPA in 2006 after serving for ten years as a national expert on air pollution control measures for the petroleum refining industry.

Currently, Patric is deeply engaged in his passion for art, which was nurtured in his childhood home in Chicago, filled with art and books. His art collection features over one thousand pieces, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, collages, and assemblages of African-American art. In 2003, he co-founded Diasporal Rhythms, a not-for-profit arts organization that promotes the collection of artworks by living artists of African descent. He is dedicated to mentoring the next generations, encouraging them to live in the present moment, embrace their mistakes, and recognize their intrinsic worth. His favorite quote is, “Stop Trying, Just Do!”

The highlight of this episode is Patric’s exceptional storytelling style. Get comfortable, learn, and be inspired. Don’t forget to share and subscribe!