Who is McKay?

I woke up this morning to the sound of Hispanic construction workers shouting Spanish right outside my windows. I can't wait till this complex is finished. It woke me up early and I had nothing really to but lay in bed and think. Somehow my thoughts went back to my venting from the night before to my roommate about my professors. It's probably just my pessimism, but I don't really like the way my professors teach. In fact, I would argue that they don't teach at all. Here's my theory: Teachers teach and Professors profess to teach. High school teachers receive constant training and evaluation and are tested and have to take classes to improve their teaching and in some cases are paid based on how well they teach and how well their students learn. Somehow, when one becomes a professor it no longer is their responsibility to teach. Perhaps they are more interested in their own personal research and teaching is just a side job so that they can get their funding for their research. It seems like my professors are very disinterested in my learning. They will stand before a class of 200, write things that make sense only to them on the board, and show the same boring, colorless slides they've shown for years. Questions from the students are a bother and if you need help, bother my TAs not me! My office hours are at the most inconvenient time of the day and if you try to e-mail me about a problem you have on an assignment, I'll get around to it before the end of the semester. You will not be tested on what you learn, but on what you should already know. If you don't already know it, too bad. Oh, I didn't cover that in class? Well, you should have read about it in the text. Honestly, I really don't care about your education. Well, thank you Doctor! May your name get in the most prestigious scientific journal of our day.

Ok, I'm done venting. You can start reading again. This got me thinking of professions and surnames. Workers work. Teachers teach. Professors profess. Tylers...well, Tylers tile. It's what they do. I feel a batman quote coming on . "It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me". Give yourself two points if you read that quote in a hoarse manly voice. This thought took me to my genealogy nerd self. We define who we are and who others are by their name, but when people start naming their children after the same celebrities and royalty and biblical characters, things get confusing. So, surnames, family names, and tribal names come about to further define who we are. A Baker bakes and is so successful and teaches his children the trade and they become bakers as well. They become the Baker family. Everyone knows the local Baker family, but don't get them confused with the Cook family. And the Tailors or Taylors who help in hemming theirs clothes, but don't get them confused with the Hemmings. Then we have the Farmers, the Barbers, the Carvers, the Fishers, the Minors, the Potters, the Bishops, the Shoemakers, and the Stoners...or Masons. Some families started a tradition of being named after the patriarch of the home. Niels had a son and named him Ols, but to distinguish Ols from his namesake and their neighbor friend, they call him Ols Nielsen. He names his son after his father and called him Niels Olsen. The same thing happened in other places which is where we get the names McDonald (Son of Donald), McKay, MacIntyre, MacIntosh. They did the same thing in biblical times. Peter of the New Testament was surnamed Barjona (son of Jona)

So, why the heck am I thinking about all this as I lay awake in my bed this morning? I don't know, but I did come to a realization. We are defined by what we do and by the legacy we leave behind. My names are very special to me.  They are all surnames and are a constant reminder of the blessings I have been given. I was named McKay after the Prophet David O. McKay. This serves as a reminder of my duty in the church in fulfilling my calling and serving others. It means a lot to me to learn of how much President McKay did to reorganize the Sunday School of the Church since I am now called to serve as my ward's Sunday School President. I am blessed by his service and am encouraged to bless the lives of others as I serve in my calling.

I was given the middle name of Croft after my great-great-great-great grandfather, John Crofts. This is to remind me of the sacrifice and faith of my ancestors. The Crofts family came in contact with early church missionaries and immigrated to America. Because of this name, I am reminded of the need to be faithful in times of trial. I am also reminded of the need to search out my ancestors and to perform the saving work which they so desperately yearn for. I am reminded that they know me and are concerned for my safety. I look forward to the day when I will see them again.

My surname is Coffey, which seems strange and funny to many who hear it for the first time, but to me it is a constant reminder of the legacy I have been given. A legacy of faith, courage, and strength. My grandfather, Marvin Dale Coffey, is an amazing example for me. At the age of 14 he met the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was the only baptized member of his family. He worked to bring his whole family into the church. To him were born five children whose children and grandchildren are all members of the church. What a blessing he has been to his descendants as well as his ancestors. He did so much research on the Coffey family line and has blessed the lives of thousands who have gone before because of his service in researching his family's history. Here is an excerpt from one of his published books on our family:
This famous Irish surname is recorded in many spellings including O'Coffey, O'Coffie, O'Cohey, Coffee, Coffey, Coshey and Cowhiy. It is an Anglicized form of the pre 10th century Gaelic O' Cobhthaigh, meaning the descendant of "Cobhthaigh", the latter being a tribal personal name translating as "The victorious one", no doubt a reference to a legendary warrior of ancient times. There were three main septs in Ireland making up the clan. The first sept belongs to "Corca Laoidh" or South West Cork, where local pronunciation produced the spelling forms Cowhig and Cowhey. It is claimed that the Cork sept is of the same stock as the great sea-faring clan O' Driscoll, although quite why this should be so is one of the mysteries of Irish mythology. The hamlet of Dunocowhey in County Cork is named after the clan. A second "Cobhthaigh" sept of considerable importance belongs to the county of Westmeath, in the province of Leinster. This sept were renowned as a great bardic family, the first nameholder as shown below being a famous Gaelic poet. Charles Coffey (1700-1745), the Dublin dramatist and actor, was the first to introduce Irish airs in a play. A third minor sept was a branch of the O' Maddens in the ancient territory known as Ui Maine. This comprised the modern counties of Galway and Roscommon, in the midlands and west of Irleand. Curiously "Rathcoffey" occurs as a placename, not in those counties but in County Kildare and County Leix, suggesting that the tribe may have migrated at an earlier period. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Dermot O' Coffey, which was dated 1580, in the "Records and charters of County Westmeath", during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling. 
The legacy of faith, and family given to me lifts my vision for myself and my future.

So, who am I? I'll let my actions answer that one. I hope to live up to my name and show through my deeds that I am a worthy disciple of Christ and I hope to live so my whole life through.