Victor Grainger McKOY, Sr.^[1]

• Name	Victor Grainger McKOY  [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]
  Suffix	Sr.
  Gender	Male
  HIST	of Stateburg, Sumter County, South Carolina Documentary explores McKoy's 'Recovery' Print PHOTO PROVIDED Documentary explores McKoy's 'Recovery' Grainger McKoy works on the model for his towering sculpture "Recovery," which now stands at Swan Lake-Iris Gardens. Documentary explores McKoy's 'Recovery Create a hardcopy of this page PHOTO PROVIDED Documentary explores McKoy's 'Recovery' Grainger McKoy works on the model for his towering sculpture "Recovery," which now stands at Swan Lake-Iris Gardens. Posted: Tuesday, May 10, 2011 6:00 am | Updated: 7:31 pm, Mon May 9, 2011. FROM STAFF REPORTS Since its dedication a year ago, many people have seen Grainger McKoy's towering sculpture of a bird's wing in the recovery stroke standing in a reflecting infinity pool at Swan Lake-Iris Gardens. Surrounded by irises and other foliage, with the lake's graceful swans swimming nearby, the sculpture is titled "Recovery," referring to a bird's weaker stroke and also to McKoy's belief, as he said at the May 2010 dedication, that most people are in some stage of recovery and that he hopes his sculpture will provide strength to those who see it. Vic Miller, station manager at ETV Sumter, has produced a documentary that provides a picture of the renowned sculptor at work. Titled "Recovery: A Sculpture by Grainger McKoy," the film is the newest in ETV's "Carolina Stories" documentary series. The 30-minute program airs statewide at 8 p.m. Thursday. During the opening minutes, McKoy explains his fascination with birds and breaks down the two parts to a bird's wings when it flies: The power stroke and the recovery stroke. And while he says it is the birds' weakest wing position, the recovery stroke is where McKoy finds the most grace and beauty, especially when it comes to his carvings. So when he was commissioned by the Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston to create a 6-foot bronze sculpture for their main hallway, the idea of "recovery" was a natural fit, both for its beauty and for the symbolism it represents for the hospital. Soon after, the Friends of Swan Lake Gardens and the City of Sumter called upon McKoy to replicate his "Recovery" piece at Swan Lake-Iris Gardens on a larger scale. At this point, the documentary follows McKoy from the initial planning stages on through installation. Beginning with a simple wooden model that McKoy can hold in his hand, viewers watch the step-by-step process and see the wing become literally larger than life. From painstakingly carving every detail to each individual feather, to forming the wax and ceramic casts and finally assembling the finished product, McKoy is there every step of the way. The commemorative plaque gives the final thought on the importance of this sculpture to McKoy and to the people of Sumter: "All of us are in recovery somewhere in our lives, as is our environment, of which Swan Lake is a unique part." Encore broadcasts of "Recovery: A Sculpture by Grainger McKoy" will air on ETV-HD at 4 p.m. May 15, 8:30 p.m. on May 19 and 4 p.m. on May 22; on the South Carolina Channel at 8 p.m. May 18 and 8:30 p.m. May 25; and on ETV World at 9 a.m. May 16 and 9:30 a.m. May 23. Item features editor Ivy Moore contributed to this story. Posted in Local news, News on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 Posted: Tuesday, May 10, 2011 6:00 am | Updated: 7:31 pm, Mon May 9, 2011. FROM STAFF REPORTS Since its dedication a year ago, many people have seen Grainger McKoy's towering sculpture of a bird's wing in the recovery stroke standing in a reflecting infinity pool at Swan Lake-Iris Gardens. Surrounded by irises and other foliage, with the lake's graceful swans swimming nearby, the sculpture is titled "Recovery," referring to a bird's weaker stroke and also to McKoy's belief, as he said at the May 2010 dedication, that most people are in some stage of recovery and that he hopes his sculpture will provide strength to those who see it. Vic Miller, station manager at ETV Sumter, has produced a documentary that provides a picture of the renowned sculptor at work. Titled "Recovery: A Sculpture by Grainger McKoy," the film is the newest in ETV's "Carolina Stories" documentary series. The 30-minute program airs statewide at 8 p.m. Thursday. Posted in Local news, News on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 Friends of Library to hear from McKoy FROM STAFF REPORTS Perhaps best known locally for his dramatic Recovery sculpture at Swan Lake-Iris Gardens, Grainger McKoy is known nationally and internationally for his realistic sculptures of birds and his ability to make wood and metal "fly." At 2 p.m. Sunday, the artist will be presented by the Friends of the Sumter County Library to talk about his art and his creative process. McKoy's presentation will be followed by a reception. The event is free, and the public is invited to attend. The Friends of the Sumter County Library is a citizen volunteer group with membership open to all. The group raises money through membership dues and fundraising activities, including an annual book sale and the Forrest Ray 5kRun/Walk Celebration. To join the Friends, pick up an application from the circulation desk at any of the library locations, on the Bookmobile, or download it at the website sumtercountylibrary.org. Sunday's presentation by McKoy will be held at 2 p.m. in the Main Library Meeting Room, 111 N. Harvin St., directly behind the Sumter County Courthouse. For more information, call (803) 773-7273, or visit the library's website. Posted in News, Local news on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 McKoy unveils his newest work of art 10 Feb 2015 Page A1 Grainer McKoy unveiled his latest unnamed sculpture of a covey of quail Sunday during a presentation at Swan Lake Visitors Center. During his presentation, he said he enjoyed having a mirror behind the sculpture so that people could see the details of his work from all sides. Sumter's Swan Lake-Iris Gardens expecting new Grainger McKoy sculpture Grainger McKoy’s newest sculpture will be installed at Swan Lake-Iris Gardens as part of the park’s new entrance. Construction begins July 29 on the six-month project. Posted Friday, July 19, 2019 6:00 am BY KAYLA ROBINS kayla@theitem.com A larger-than-life sculpture molded by the hands of an artist with Sumter roots and an international reach will soon welcome motorists and pedestrians to Sumter's iconic and nationally unique park. Grainger McKoy, an artist who creates sculptures and jewelry largely modeled after birds, has been working on his latest project, a 24-foot tower of birds upward in flight that will become the centerpiece of a new entrance to Swan Lake-Iris Gardens. "This is a major project and will be an improvement to Swan Lake," Mayor Joe McElveen said Tuesday at a Sumter City Council meeting. A six-month construction period beginning July 29 will close the drive-in entrance to the main parking lot on the Heath Gardens side of the park, which is where the visitor's center and playground are located. The park will remain open. Access will remain available through Garden Street and the Heath Pavilion, the crosswalk that connects the two sides over West Liberty Street and all parking across the street on the Bland Gardens side. "It will be worth it," McElveen said. Deron McCormick, city manager, said December's Fantasy of Lights is still planned to take place but with the inability to drive through the main parking lot until, as currently expected, the beginning of January. When the project is complete, motorists will be able to enter the parking lot heading east on Liberty Street in a new right-hand turn lane. The entrance will feature brick paving for pedestrians, granite cobblestone paving for vehicles and expanded landscaping, all with McKoy's sculpture mounted in a fountain in the center. City Council voted 5-0 on Tuesday - Councilman David Merchant was absent, and Councilwoman Ione Dwyer attended the meeting but had not yet arrived - to award the project to Hood Construction Co. for $2,198,221. The Columbia-based company completed construction on the new Public Safety Complex in May 2018, which now houses headquarters for the Sumter Police Department and Sumter Fire Department on North Lafayette Drive. According to city documents, two other companies also submitted bid proposals for the project. McCormick said the project is being paid for by a combination of private and state money and the city's Hospitality Fund. Special delivery for Sumter's Swan Lake lands at warehouse Posted Friday, August 2, 2019 6:00 am Swan Lake-Iris Gardens' new birds arrived in Sumter on Thursday. The 24-foot stainless sculpture created by Sumter's own Grainger McKoy of swans in flight was delivered to a city warehouse for safekeeping until it is installed at the front of Swan Lake-Iris Gardens later this year. The front entrance and main parking lot are now closed as construction crews work to remodel and expand the entrance. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CITY OF SUMTER  [2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12]
  Occupation	a sculpture, especially in Sumter, South Carolina, the latest is Seven Swans  [1]
  _UID	B2546F4D79834BFFB21770A493162EAE6AD6
  Person ID	I146654	Singleton and Related Families
  Last Modified	11 Aug 2020

  
  

  Father	Adair Morey McKOY, Jr.   d. Bef 13 Mar 2005
  Mother	Priscilla Claggett GRAINGER,   b. 1916, Wilmington, North Carolina d. 7 Dec 2007, Covenant Place, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina (Age 91 years)
  _UID	8EC5A2482C804F2090B092214E5D4FF338F6
  _UID	8EC5A2482C804F2090B092214E5D4FF338F6
  Family ID	F100408	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Floride OWENS
  _UID	0EC6443F3A804BF7960129017E65FA07F80E
  _UID	0EC6443F3A804BF7960129017E65FA07F80E
  Children	1. Mary Adair McKOY   2. Victor Grainger McKOY, Jr.   3. Elizabeth McKOY
  Family ID	F100404	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	23 Mar 2026

  
  

• Sources

  [S27970] Seven Swans take flight at landmark. [S4781] McKoy-Maddox. [S5272] McKoy-Maddox. [S7514] . [S9762] Priscilla Swartz. [S13370] Harriett B. Wilder. [S16015] Documentary explores McKoy’s ‘Recovery’. [S20756] Dr. Peter McKoy. [S22134] McKoy unveils his newest work of art. [S27008] Special delivery for Sumter’s Swan Lake lands at warehouse. [S20795] Friends of Library to hear from McKoy. [S27001] Swan Lake expecting new McKoy sculpture.