D.A.Quigley
NEWS & EVENTS
Santa’s Magic
A book by Don Quigley ’63
For nearly 40 years, each December Don Quigley ’63 has done the same thing: he’s donned a familiar red suit, added a temporary white beard and spent time listening to hundreds of children detail their Christmas wishes.
“My writers’ group was really interested in my motivation — why do I keep doing this, year after year, with nothing material in return? I credit my humble childhood Christmases and the values system taught by my parents: what’s important, and what isn’t. I wanted to use the role of a mythical character to bring out that focus.”
Published in 2012, Santa’s Magic chronicles Quigley’s four-decade stint as the jolly man. He based the book on his short story about a young girl whose father was paralyzed in a car accident the month before Christmas. Her one request of Santa? To have her father walk again.
“You never know the impact you can have on someone else’s life. I later learned that until that night when she sat on Santa’s lap, she hadn’t spoken a single word since her father’s accident. After I left, she finally spent time with her father,” said Quigley, who has kept in touch with the girl and her family. He sent her a copy of the book.
Quigley is an adjunct professor in the School of Business Administration.
Read more about Quigley and his student illustrator, Katie Kandrach ’10.
http://www.liftbridgebooks.com/event/local-author-letters-otto-da-quigley
Local Author LETTERS FROM OTTO by Don Quigley
The Letters From Otto is written by Don Quigley of the Quigley
family from Spencerport, NY. He has written a memoir of his early
growing up in that small town and then going off to college at Notre
Dame. The Letters From Otto is the correspondence he had over those years with his good
friend Otto, also known as still current resident of the Town of
Sweden, Elliot Reynolds, a former Superintendent of Highways for the
Town of Sweden. It reflects on days when letter writing was a valuable
means of communication.
Born in Spencerport and now living in Ohio author Don Quigley visits Lift Bridge to discuss his memoir LETTERS FROM OTTO. Elliot Reynolds, the writer of the letters and the "Otto" from the title will also be on hand. Join us for a fun evening. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing. Makes a great holiday gift! Free and open to the public.
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LOCAL AUTHOR SCORES WITH “SANTA'S MAGIC”
SPRINGBORO, OH—Local story teller extraordinaire Don Quigley has released his latest book, Santa's Magic, just in time for holiday gift giving and fun reading.
“For 30 years, I lead a double life of a sales professional during the day and a Santa for Christmas,” laughed Quigley. “I suited up as Santa and visited kids of all ages throughout the Midwest.”
Quigley's funny, touching and poignant stories of those years are collected in Santa’s Magic … 12 short stories that will take the reader back to their own early memories of this special holiday and all its enchantment.
The author had previously published a memoir in 2009: “Letters From Otto” describing the foibles of college life told through letters from a best friend. He has also published two books: Travels with Patti and Patti’s Secret Garden, containing exquisite photos of Quigley family travels and their love of garden flowers.
Don and Patti Quigley lead a quiet life in southwest Ohio, broken by bouts of merriment entertaining their eleven grandchildren.
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Merge Wright: ‘Santa’s Magic’ the book is Saturday
Today, I introduce you to D.A. Quigley, the author of “Santa’s Magic.” It’s that time of year to meet Mr. Quigley. I couldn’t write this at the pool in the summer. It wouldn’t vibe.
D.A. is actually Don, a former IBM sales executive that traveled the country for years in a profession he enjoyed. If you have a fun, outgoing personality, sales can be extremely rewarding. Could playing Santa every year for 30 years as an avocation in December, traveling across the Midwest be rewarding, too? Of course, when you do something for three full decades, there must be joy, love and a place in your heart or you’d have given it up years ago.
Don was introduced to Santa way back when he was four years old, holding his mother’s hand in a death grip. Guy in red suit, beard, boots, hat, the whole ensemble is not normal and that happens today with a few first-time visitors.
Don’s Santa that developed over the years is not comparable to mall or department store Santa Clauses. His wonderful wife, Patti (Mrs. Claus), runs the North Pole hot line, where calls come in for Santa visits and are scheduled throughout the season in geographical areas in time frames allowing for travel, meals, hotels, flights, rental car pickups, etc. Santa arrives with much knowledge of the child or children he’s visiting. Names, pets, teachers, favorite things are all memorized for each visit. Many times gifts are positioned outside homes for Santa to pick up and put in his bag for delivery at the visit with an explanation that he has a few others he’ll be bringing in his sleigh on Christmas morning.
Did Santa ever forget part of his wardrobe, miss a scheduled appointment with a child, make a stop to visit a child that was not on his list, get delayed in a snowstorm, meet with a non-Santa believer, bring a moment of love and peace to a family that words can not describe? Yes to all of the aforementioned, but you’ll have to read the book. Don will be autographing “Santa’s Magic” this Saturday between 5-8 p.m. at Ambiance Wine Bar & Café at 345 S. Main St., in the Springboro Historic District.
This is a quaint little café featuring wonderful art and photography for sale on their walls with a very homey atmosphere, genuine people and some of the most wonderful food you’ll ever eat. Please try their BLT pizza. Lucy and I love it! Don’s book features a collection of 12 stories and is a quick read that you’ll truly enjoy. I read 100 pages at first read and polished off the remaining 48 the next afternoon when I returned to my office. It will bless you and give you a wonderful feeling about Santas like Don. So glad to have this Santa right here in our back yard.