W. Thomas McQueeney
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
W. Thomas McQueeney is a 1974 graduate of The Citadel with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. His community involvement include the chairmanship of The National Medal of Honor Center for Leadership (a $93 million project), and The Medal of Honor Bowl (college football all-star game). He also chaired the Johnson Hagood Stadium Revitalization project ($44.5 million), and the Charleston Metro Sports Council. He chaired the Southern Conference Basketball Championships in 2001 and 2002. McQueeney has served as president of the State of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. He has served as Grand Knight of Knights of Columbus Council 704 and as Race Director of the annual Turkey Day Run, the largest 5K race in South Carolina. He was the founder of the Gobble Wobble Fun Walk. He also founded a charitable organization, Santa’s Kind Intentions (the SKI Foundation Inc.). He was appointed as a director of the Patriots Point Development Authority by the governor of South Carolina. He has served on boards of another two dozen community organizations, all as a volunteer. He is a local businessman.
His literary career includes over one hundred Lowcountry Senior Sun articles and twenty-one published books – and counting – in genres to include history, humor, biography, sports, and fiction. His favorite “character” is the city of his youth, Charleston, with its “broken bottles on the broken sidewalks affronting boarded buildings.” Charleston’s mortar has been its enchanting people who render a legendary warmth of welcome.
McQueeney has also written a screenplay, The Boracle of WiFi, from his epic novel, Disaffections of Time, the first of a trilogy. The screenplay may emerge someday – or remain beneath a dusty pile on an overcrowded Hollywood desk. Time will decide. The entire proceeds of each of the author’s publications have been gifted to an array of Lowcountry charities. The author writes as an avocation. In doing so, McQueeney has become the most prolific author in the history of The Citadel, passing the great Robert Jordan (James O. Rigney), also from his graduating Class of 1974. Popular author Pat Conroy, The Citadel Class of 1967, produced twelve books.
McQueeney is one of six brothers to graduate from The Citadel, a military college record in the United States. He is married and lives in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. He has four children and five grandchildren. Among other tributes, he was accorded the prestigious Order of the Palmetto in 2009, the highest civilian award presented to a citizen of South Carolina.