Quenton Tompkins’ family tree is deeply rooted in rural McCormick County, South Carolina. His grandfather was a sharecropper in McCormick. His mother, who turns 88 this month, grew up as the youngest of 24 children. Branches of aunts, uncles, and cousins now stretch from Florida to Chicago. And although 48-year-old Tompkins has heard plenty of stories, his family holds its secrets, too. He didn’t know until he was an adult that his grandfather died of leukemia. And he’s still unsure if his father’s bout with prostate cancer runs in the family. Tompkins’ mother and her siblings have dealt with …
