Calep "Joe" A. Boyd III

After a life spent caring for and solving the problems of others, Calep Allan Boyd, III, is now worry and care free, captaining his boat on sparkling, celestial seas. Known to all as Joe, he died peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones on Christmas Eve after a short illness. The sweet soprano of Emmylou Harris, a lifelong favorite, was singing in his ear. Joe began life on May 30, 1953, in Meadows of Dan, Virginia, a small Appalachian town on the Blue Ridge Parkway, where his parents, Calep Boyd, Jr. and Mary Vipperman, met as young teens. These simple, rural beginnings laid the foundation for a working life that began at age 10 when Joe delivered newspapers on his bicycle to help his family make ends meet. The early development of a strong work ethic and Joe’s desire to make a difference in the world led him by age 17 into a career in journalism, delivering newscasts and spinning tunes at AM/FM radio stations in central Florida. He later had crime and court reporting stints at the Lakeland Ledger where he covered local police, domestic violence cases and politics, and could claim the distinction of being tear-gassed while on assignment during the volatile 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami. After completing an internship in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, he received an undergraduate degree in Journalism at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he held wildly diverse jobs to fund his education, later becoming a journalism instructor at the university. In 1980, he left Gainesville for the corporate world, moving to Greensboro, North Carolina, to serve as assistant director of public relations in the agricultural division of what was then Ciba-Geigy. That experience opened new horizons for Joe as he traveled to company headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, and attended conferences throughout Europe and the U.S. He was later named director of public relations in the pharmaceutical division in Summit, New Jersey, making him the youngest person to ever hold this position at the company. It was during this time that Joe’s childhood love of boating was reignited when he arranged a press event to promote a transdermal patch for motion sickness aboard a 70-ft sportfisherman vessel during the 1984 America’s Cup Races in Newport, RI. With a growing young family, an independent spirit poorly suited to rigid corporate life in the 80s, and a continued desire to contribute to society, Joe co-founded MCS in 1985 with his former wife, Losana. Over the next few years, Joe’s business acumen, commitment to employees and clients, wide-ranging intellect and ability to ask – and answer – the toughest questions, helped to transform MCS from a small business consulting firm into a full-service public relations agency specializing exclusively in healthcare and pharmaceuticals. MCS Healthcare Public Relations, as it is now known, is the longest existing independent agency of its kind, serving worldwide leaders in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, health advocacy and clinical trial recruitment. Through its now 40-year history, Joe led teams that ushered in transformative moments in healthcare. From the eradication of smallpox to the first treatment approved for acute stroke, to the mapping of the human genome, Joe was behind the scenes as counselor and communications leader to prominent scientific minds and industry innovators. In 2004, Joe’s eldest son, Eliot Harrison, joined the company to follow in his father’s footsteps and learn from an iconic industry leader. In 2017, Eliot was named president and has run the day-to-day operations of the agency over the last several years, allowing Joe to gracefully take a step back from the company he had built and refocus on other interests. Inspiration to slow down and savor life came too from the quaint and beautiful Colonial era village of Oxford on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Discovered by Joe and his wife, Lauren Luik, on a 2015 scouting mission to find a home for their new boat, Oxford became to him a place of unparalleled enjoyment and serenity, enabling him to lay down the mantle of “CEO” and just be “Joe.” Days in Oxford were filled with interesting new friends, long bike rides, puttering on the boat to fix something inevitably broken, sunset cocktail cruises and leisurely walks. After a lifetime of work and stress, Joe was able to indulge his passions: for music, from classical and jazz to the country rock of the 60s and 70s, especially the Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, The Band, Grahm Parsons and Emmylou Harris; for reading – the world philosophers on the bedside table, Raymond Chandler on the boat, Le Carre’ or Vonnegut in the living room; and for golf, a sport Joe took up at age 45, claiming that one is never too old to be a beginner and gain new skills and proficiency. But it was family that was Joe’s greatest passion. To his children, he was a firm hand and a soft touch, always available with guidance and advice, a wry quip or a kind word of sympathy and understanding. To his grandchildren, “Papa Joe” was the calm, secure presence who could watch an endless stream of cartoons on iPad or teach them to drive the boat. To his large extended family, he was a devoted son, brother, uncle, cousin and friend, ready with a helping hand and a warm smile. And to his wife of 23 years, he will always be the love of her life – and the feeling was mutual. In addition to Lauren and Eliot (Cedar Knolls, New Jersey), Joe’s survivors include his son the Very Reverend Ambros Boyd of Vienna, Austria, his daughter, Amanda Boyd of Winchester, England, and his stepson, Christian Luik of Falls Church, Virginia; daughters-in-law Heather Harrison and Lara Luik; and grandchildren, Hunter and Hayden Harrison and Rory Luik. Also surviving Joe are his mother, Mary Boyd, brother Danny Boyd and sister-in-law Brenda Boyd, all of Tallahassee, Florida. Joe was predeceased by his father, Calep A. Boyd, Jr., and his brother Mark Boyd, as well as his brother-in-law Phil Bartholomew. Brother-in-law Chris Bartholomew and sisters-in-law Mary Todd Bartholomew, Tracey Bartholomew and Nancy Burden survive him, as do nine nieces and nephews, a great-niece and numerous cousins. A memorial celebration will be held on Monday, February 3, at 11:00 AM at the Church of the Holy Trinity at 502 S. Morris St. in Oxford with a reception following at the Tred Avon Yacht Club. Joe’s family wishes to thank the nursing staff of Talbot Hospice and the home health partners at Aging At Home Solution for their devoted care and support during his illness. With humble appreciation, the family suggests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Joe’s memory to Talbot Hospice, 586 Cynwood Drive, Easton, MD, 21601 or https://talbothospice.org/donate/.

Calep "Joe" A. Boyd III

May 30, 1953 - December 24, 2024