The Life of Jay “MorningStar” McCoy

Archive Entry

Subject: James Howard “Jay MorningStar” McCoy (1944–2022)
Author of memoir: Delyse McCoy
Publication: Milky-Way.Kiwi Archive
Topic: Astronomy, counterculture history, stage lighting, Mauna Kea observatory

Jay “MorningStar” McCoy was an American-born stage lighting designer, amateur astronomer, and entrepreneur whose life journey took him from the counterculture of the 1960s to building an off-grid observatory on the slopes of Mauna Kea in Hawai‘i.

Sometimes the history of astronomy is not written in observatories or scientific journals, but in the lives of people who simply could not stop looking up.

Jay “MorningStar” McCoy was one of those people.

Born in the early years of the space age, he grew up fascinated by rockets, science, music, and the mystery of the cosmos. His life took him across continents, through the counterculture of the 1960s, onto theatre stages and music festivals, into the health food movement, and eventually to the slopes of Mauna Kea in Hawai‘i, where he built an off-grid observatory and continued studying the Moon and the stars.

The following memoir was written by his wife, Delyse McCoy, and is published here with only light editorial corrections for readability. It preserves the voice and memories of a life lived in curiosity, creativity, and exploration.

Today, some of Jay’s telescopes and astronomy materials have found a new home at Star Safari Observatory in Aotearoa New Zealand, where they continue inspiring new generations of stargazers.

What follows is his story.

A memoir by Delyse McCoy

Early Life in Post-War America

James Howard McCoy was born in 1944 during the post-war period in America. Everything was looking good for a century of economic development and global Anglo–American dominance shaping world ideas.

He was born into a family of architects. His mother, Ruthie, from a family of 17 children in West Virginia, was taken into a home with her uncle after the flu pandemic devastated her siblings and she lost her mother.

Her uncle and his wife were childless, so they cherished Ruthie, and her upbringing was without lack. She was the only woman in her class at the Carnegie School of Architecture in 1932 and graduated with a degree. She began working life with her uncle (now father) in his architecture business, designing major projects such as the Pennsylvania Turnpike Highway and the main hospital lobby in Charleston, West Virginia.

James was named after his father and was the third in succession.

His father, Jim (James McCoy II), was a Major in the 94th Regiment and was killed on duty leading a platoon in France during the Second World War. James (Jay) Howard the Third was the only son, the “Sole Surviving Son.” He did not have to go to the Vietnam War because of this status.

He grew up in the tumultuous times of the late 1950s and 1960s in America. He loved space and everything to do with science.

As a child, he found a bottle of pure mercury in his grandfather’s closet, which he played with and also took to school. This affected his later health.

Discovering Space and Science

In 1952, his mother took him by train, aged 8, to the Smithsonian Museum at the Mall in Washington, DC, the home of the Capitol Building and seat of Congress, which had a lasting impact on his life. He loved the Air & Space Museum there, which inspired his interest in astronomy.

There, he saw early-model space capsules and rockets and became enthralled by space adventure. He built rockets as a young teen and showed the results of being injured by one that blew up near his left eye. He had obtained real dynamite from a local construction site in the 1950s.

He became a backyard auto mechanic at an early age after his mother bought him a 1956 Corvette when he was 16. He was always tinkering with and improving cars and frequently winning drag races in his late teens down long straight roads and on infrequently used old airstrips.

The Counterculture Years

This led him to music and to Woodstock on August 15, 1969, a great time of change and inspiration.

He hitchhiked from West Virginia with some hippies to the Altamont concert in California on December 6. This was anathema to the Woodstock concert.

In 1969, Jay wrote an article for the student newspaper titled “From The Dark Planet,” exploring consciousness, time, energy, physicality, and the effects of planets on us. He was a history major at
West Virginia University (in Morgantown)

James decided to drive from West Virginia to Chichén Itzá on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico at the age of 19 with a friend, having never left the state before. It was a distance of 4,576 kilometres and took over 48 hours. He explored the pyramids and the Mayan and Inca cultures in depth and climbed to the top of the temple.

Later, upon returning to the USA, he decided to fly to Borobudur and explore the temples and stupas of Indonesia.

Apollo Era Inspiration

In the early 1970s, he lived in Miami, Florida, where he was able to visit Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Centre. He became interested in the Apollo missions and watched one live.

Australia, New Zealand, and Stage Lighting

In 1971, Jay decided to travel to Australia. He caught a boat from Miami, Florida, on a working steamship to Perth, then moved to Melbourne, where he owned a successful health food shop, Vital Force, and blended and sold his popular herb teas.

In 1973, James was introduced to stage lighting by a friend and became the assistant lighting and sound technician at the Capitol Theatre in Melbourne.

The production company was going to New Zealand and asked him to accompany them. In 1973, he landed in New Zealand and travelled around doing stage lighting for Jesus Christ Superstar.

1973–74: Manager of the health food section at the Institute of Natural Health in Sydney, Australia.

In 1974, Jay moved to New Zealand.

From 1975 to 1981, James became the assistant lighting and sound technician at His Majesty’s Theatre in Queen Street, Auckland, later becoming the head lighting technician. During this time, he was also in charge of the stage lighting for Sweetwaters and Nambassa, two of New Zealand’s iconic alternative music festivals in 1979–1981.

In 1977, he did a 9-week tour of New Zealand with Sir Michael Redgrave and later a 12-week NZ tour with Derek Nimmo. He also did stage lighting for the Torvill and Dean Ice Show at Western Springs and lit the main spotlight for Stevie Nicks in the early 1980s.

Other shows included lighting for local bands and artists in the 1970s and 1980s, such as the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Ross Burrows on Fender Stratocaster guitar, Split Enz, and others.

His lifelong love of astronomy was incorporated into his shows with a cosmic space theme. His professional stage name was Jay MorningStar.

“I am quite looking forward to it.”

— Jay MorningStar McCoy

Lifestream and the Spirulina Years

In 1980, James developed a health food company and imported Spirulina platensis into the New Zealand market. His company, founded in 1980, was called Lifestream Research. He wanted to bring wholefood nutrition to everyone through spirulina tablets.

This company became one of New Zealand’s successful health companies, now known as Lifestream International, based on the North Shore in Auckland.

After a few busy years of managing and directing his company and looking for a change, he moved to Australia’s Gold Coast and began doing video work, Blue Light discos, and contract work for a video production company (1986–1988).

A friend, Michael Hendrickson, who had purchased Lifestream Research, later asked Jay to return to New Zealand to help develop an American branch of the company.

Sedona and Sirius Rising

This led to a move back to America in 1990, where he settled in the town of Sedona, Arizona. There, he continued his love of lighting with local shows featuring Dean Olch on shakuhachi flute, dancers, and artists, always with space-themed backdrops.

Jay continued marketing spirulina products in America and developed a line of amino-acid products called “Star Medicine,” which sold well online on the emerging computer systems of the early 1990s.

He began his website, “Sirius Rising,” in 1993, which became widely followed around the world and was based on Egyptian mythology and the star Sirius.

He was an innovator with strong business acumen and many original ideas.

Life in Hawaii and Building an Observatory

This led him to study entheogens and nutritional supplements involving amino acids. He became interested in the raw-food community, and the decision was made to move to the island of Hawai‘i (the Big Island) to grow tropical plants.

In 1994, on the Hamakua Coast, Jay purchased a large piece of land with waterfalls on both sides, off-road and isolated, with no power or running water. He developed the property using his skills in mechanics and engineering, building an off-grid home, a 12,000-gallon water tank, and a wind generator.

Jay continued to perform professional stage shows, including the Hamakua Music Festival, a yearly charity concert for towns suffering high unemployment after sugar-cane factory closures. He often worked with the violinist Tony Salvage, who became a good friend.

Jay bought an 8-inch Celestron telescope as his first telescope and designed and built a home observatory called Morning Star Park on the eastern slopes of Mauna Kea.

Mauna Kea, rising over 13,800 feet above sea level, is one of the world’s leading astronomical sites because of its clear, high-altitude skies and the observatories located there.

Telescopes and Lunar Observing

After 14 years of living off-grid, James decided to move to Arkansas and return to electrified living.

He later purchased a Meade LX200 Maksutov GPS telescope for lunar study and became very proficient at recognising details on the Moon, from rilles and maria to other phenomena.

Return to New Zealand

In 2010, Jay moved back to New Zealand.

He settled in Hawke’s Bay and built another home there. He purchased an Orion SkyQuest telescope to complement his other instruments for deep-sky and lunar observing.

He also founded a charitable organisation called Sirian Nation, inspired by the star Sirius.

A Lifelong Fascination with the Cosmos

Jay wanted to pursue astrophotography, but health and energy limitations prevented him from fully developing this interest. Nevertheless, he maintained a lifelong fascination with space.

He left an incredible legacy, especially for those who experienced his shows and cosmic performances around the world.

Jay “Morningstar” James Howard McCoy III sadly passed from this dimension to eternal life in The Field in October 2022.

When doctors asked how he felt about dying soon, he replied:

“I am quite looking forward to it.”

A space adventurer and philosopher to the end.

(Written by Delyse McCoy)

Editor’s note:

This memoir was written by Delyse McCoy and is published here with light editorial corrections for readability. Some of Jay MorningStar’s telescopes and astronomy materials were later donated to Star Safari Observatory in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Some of Jay MorningStar’s telescopes and materials were later donated to Star Safari Observatory in New Zealand, where they continue to inspire new generations of stargazers. Today, they continue their journey under the dark skies of Wairarapa, where visitors to Star Safari use them to explore the Moon, planets, and distant galaxies.