Tom Seegmueller honored by Outdoor Writers Association

ALBANY — When he was a young man, Tom Seegmueller used to drink liquor on the beach and tell girls he was going to be a writer one day.

While most would agree that’s not exactly the best line for picking up members of the opposite sex, it did provide the beginnings of a blueprint that would become Seegmueller’s life. Oh, and that writing thing? Many would say he’s pretty well mastered that.

You’ll get no argument from the members of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association, which recently rewarded Seegmueller’s efforts with a second-pace finish in the group’s Excellence in Craft awards in the Newspaper Features category. The honor came for an Albany Herald article titled “Fear of Snakes” that ran in the newspaper in 2019.

“The 2020 conference was postponed due to COVID,” Seegmueller explained. “Next year will be a combined 2020-2021 conference to get back on annual rotation in 2023.”

The Georgia Outdoor Writers Association has an active membership of more than 40 participants in outdoor media fields, including staff writers for newspapers, magazines and online media. The organization’s membership also includes freelance writers and magazine editors. Members can be found in metro Atlanta, Albany, Warner Robins, Athens, Augusta, Jesup, Suches, Clarkesville and points between. In other words, GOWA is all over Georgia.

Seegmueller, a regular contributor to The Albany Herald and a GOWA member for “about 20 years or so, said he’s always loved the written word.

“It’s always amazed me how a writer like Robert Raurk can write a book like ‘The Old Man and the Boy’ that is a biography of how he grew up with his grandfather and how that experience shaped his life, and that story still have an impact 50 years later,” Seegmueller said. “It’s always amazed me how a good writer, with just a few words, can take you places.”

The articles presented for award consideration by GOWA members were judged by the group’s companion organization, the South Carolina Writers Association. Taking first place in the newspaper writing category was writer Ken Cook’s “Outdoors with Ken Cook” column. Seegmueller’s feature on snakes took second place, while Duncan Dobie took third in the category.

“Man, that’s some good company to be in,” Seegmueller said of his fellow award winners. “Those guys are outstanding writers, and (wife) Kelly and I have become good friends with Ken Cook.”

Seegmueller said the inspiration for his article came from his love for snakes … paired with Kelly’s disdain for the reptiles.

“The picture I ran with the story was of my granddaughter Adeline holding a 9 1/2-foot bald python that I caught and gave to Chehaw,” he said. “The story was based on my research, plus personal experiences.”