Thomas McWilliams, a Class of 1978 Marketing Alumnus, Has Passed Away

Tom McWilliams was an esteemed 1978 Marketing graduate and former senior vice president at Mississippi Credit Union who enjoyed a distinguished career. Our College of Business family mourns his loss.

McWilliams had an uncanny ability to create meaningful personal connections with individuals, often marked by generous gestures of his own.

Early Life and Education

Tom McWilliams was born in New Zealand in 1940 and began his writing career shortly thereafter. He served as founding editor of Mate magazine before later being recruited onto Playdate’s staff, as well as writing film reviews and articles for both genres of media.

The McWilliams family’s collection traces the life and career of J.T. McWilliams, a civil engineer and surveyor who practiced in Nevada. Letters document his work both as a civil engineer in Goodsprings and 1904 when he surveyed Las Vegas and advertised lots for sale through Los Angeles newspapers.

In 2007, McWilliams made an endowment gift to Carnegie Mellon to fund research on cosmology, including establishing the McWilliams Center for Cosmology(opens in new window). As an avid supporter of science initiatives at CMU, he regularly met with faculty and leadership members to learn more.

Professional Career

McWilliams has received many honors and awards throughout his professional life. These include membership with Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi, both honorary engineering societies; Association of Computing Machinery and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. In addition, he was the recipient of the Bausch and Lomb Science and Math award.

He currently serves as vice president for Valid Logic Systems Inc of Mountain View, California, which specializes in verifying timing constraints and increasing simulation speeds using both hardware and software acceleration techniques.

Tom is not only involved with Valid Logic Systems but is a frequent speaker and writer for numerous magazines, serving as panelist for radio and TV shows and providing guest interviews for media publications.

Achievement and Honors

McWilliams accomplished much in a short career. He played on Cleburne High School’s 1963 championship football team before going on to the University of Texas, where he became three-time Southwest Conference Champion and top four national player.

As a student, he conducted research at his local hospital on psychiatric patients before writing his honors project on Christian ethics. In particular, he became fascinated by narrative theology as an emerging movement.

McWilliams graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) in 1968 with a major in psychology and minor in philosophy, before earning an M.Div. at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary as well as M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Vanderbilt University. Additionally, he has published several books and won many awards and honors for his work.

Personal Life

Tom loved people and had an extraordinary ability to connect with them on an individual basis, always remembering and remembering the details of their lives. Additionally, he was generous person who enjoyed giving back through simple gestures like handwritten notes or phone calls.

He holds memberships in Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi, the Association of Computing Machinery, and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Additionally, he serves on the Central Mississippi MSU Alumni Association Board and remains a dedicated supporter of MSU Athletics.

McWilliams was found guilty of possessing a firearm at the scene of a riot. He had taken it from a stolen Citroen car and hidden it behind a fridge at Flax Foyer building in Belfast.

Net Worth

Thomas McWilliams has an estimated net worth of around $6 Million and currently resides in Palm Beach, Florida at 14 Golfview Rd. Heidi Lynn McWilliams is his daughter.

Built in 1924 and located on one third of an acre, the 1924 house features 6,300 square feet of living space with four bedrooms and seven bathrooms. Former owners Cornelia and Richard E. Thornburgh of private-equity fame sold it to McWilliams and Heidi for sale.

McWilliams has been an advisor at Pfs Investments Inc. in Manchester, New Hampshire for five years and holds both Series 63 and 65 licenses which allow him to advise clients regarding their investment decisions as well as offer securities in New Hampshire.