Inductees

He grew up in an era when folks had only a radio to follow their beloved St. Louis Cardinals every evening … when working jobs meant starting at the bottom … and when you still found ways to give back to a community that helped along the way.

In so many words, David McQueary will tell you that it was the best way to come of age.

“Back when I was growing up, there weren’t a lot of entertainment options. We didn’t have video games,” McQueary said. “We had Harry Caray and Jack Buck on Cardinals Baseball. I had a transistor radio by the pool. And we’d go to a Cardinals game only once a year.”

Thanks to the Cardinals – and then through swimming at a competitive level in high school, as well as through his family’s business – he saw how sports inspired and, later, realized how personal financial success could make a difference for the less fortunate.

However, he didn’t just see it. He lived it. And it’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to honor McQueary with the President’s Award during the 2022 Baseball & Softball Luncheon presented by the Ozarks Coca-Cola Dr Pepper Bottling Company.

The award recognizes individuals who champion the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and other sports across the state.

McQueary was the third generation to be involved in the McQueary Brothers Drug Co., a family-owned Springfield business that operated for 84 years before it sold in 2008. His dad and uncle, along with David, were among the first called by Jerald Andrews, the Hall of Fame’s CEO & President, upon his arrival in 1995.

The McQueary’s have been involved in almost everything since.

David has been a longtime member of the Hall of Fame’s Governing Board. He also supports the Ozarks children’s charities of the PGA Korn Ferry Tour’s Price Cutter Charity Championship, which has gifted nearly $18.4 million since its inception in 1990. A bulk of that figure has come in the past 23 years.

McQueary was a walking scorer for the tournament’s first 11 years, sponsored a team in the elite Price Cutter Pro-Am every year and, over the past decade, the McQueary Family has presented the Celebration of Sharing, a heart-warming ceremony in which the charities receive their checks.

“David has been a tremendous friend, not only to me, personally, but also to the Hall of Fame and the Price Cutter tournament,” Andrews said. “He has been one of the key people who have helped both organizations experience tremendous growth.”

McQueary still remembers meeting Andrews in his dad’s tucked-away office at their downtown building in 1995.

The Hall of Fame naturally piqued David’s interest not only because the Cardinals were his boyhood team but also, in part, because he had been a multi- state medalist for Glendale High School’s swim team.

To McQueary, the idea that he could play a role in furthering the mission of the Hall of Fame brought excitement.

“We just kind of bought into what Jerald was bringing to the Hall of Fame,” McQueary said.

McQueary’s hard work for the family business eventually positioned him to give back. He graduated from Missouri State University in 1982 and then did almost everything for McQueary Brothers, right down to cleaning toilets.

The willingness to do any job for the company was learned from watching his grandfather, dad and uncle over the years. And their eagerness to support local charities wasn’t lost on him either.

That’s why David not only served as a walking scorer of the PCCC but enhanced his support as Andrews expanded fundraising efforts.

And it’s easy to see that the tournament’s purpose means much to McQueary, as he and his family attend the Celebration of Sharing. Just hearing the impact on charities – many help developmentally disabled children – always tugs on his heart strings.

“Starting with my grandfather, you saw how (giving) affected a lot of people, and what it meant to them,” David said. “Hearing their stories inspires you to do the same.”

He has passed down the importance of charitable giving to his children, Kelsey, Taylor and Aidan. David also serves on the boards of the Mercy Foundation, Boys & Girls Club of Springfield and the Missouri State University Foundation.

“There are so many areas of need in our society and, knowing the importance it has on so many areas is why I’m involved,” McQueary said. “When Jerald gives me a contract for the next year, it’s, ‘Where do I sign?”