Sam McQuade

On his study abroad application, Sam McQuade explained his top two motivations for going: to purchase a Porsche at the factory in Germany and to attend the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. But studying abroad in Nantes proved far deeper than cars – it was a truly life-changing adventure. What he came back with was a French fiancée, a 3.9 GPA, and a Porsche 912 – experiences detailed in his memoir, There is a Road in North Dakota. After graduating, Sam fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming an English professor, but left soon after to join Xerox. When tragedy struck at home, Sam returned to North Dakota to help his father with the family beer distributorship. Now retired as President of McQuade Distributing Co. Inc, Sam reflects on his experiences and shares the inspiration behind his creation of an endowed scholarship for IES Abroad students in Nantes.

IES Abroad: How did you hear about IES Abroad and what motivated you to study in Nantes?

Sam McQuade: I am sorry to say that I never heard of IES Abroad or Nantes before studying there in 1967-68. It was during my sophomore year at St. John’s University, an all-male college connected to a Benedictine Abbey in central Minnesota where my mother insisted that I spend my college years, that I decided to study in Europe my junior year. The school had hired an old life-long bachelorette to oversee the French department and the study abroad program. She took an instant disliking to me when I submitted my study abroad application. Her first question: “State two reasons why you want to study in Europe.” I wrote: 1) Purchase a Porsche at the factory in Stuttgart, Germany; 2) Attend the 24 Hours of Le Mans. She insisted those were not valid reasons, but she couldn’t stop me because I had the requisite GPA and the letters of recommendation. She told me the only way she would sign off on my application was if I agreed to attend IES Abroad in Nantes, so I wouldn’t waste the two years I had already spent studying French. I thought, “What the heck? The 24 Hours of Le Mans is in France.” The rest is history. A year later, I returned with a French fiancée, a 3.9 GPA in French studies, and a Porsche 912 that I purchased at the factory for $4,125 USD.

 

 

IES Abroad: How did you change most during your time in Nantes?

 

SM: Quite simply: I grew up. Intellectually; socially; practically (as in how to make my way on my own); in maturity (I was engaged to a beautiful French girl). The hardest part in spending a year in Europe, mostly France, was the return to complete my final year at St. John’s University where my buddies only cared about watching the sports teams and getting drunk on weekends. I wanted better because I had known better and had lived more.

IES Abroad: After graduating, you taught English and Humanities at the collegiate level and worked for Xerox before embarking on a career with McQuade Distributing Co Inc., the beer distribution company started by your father. Why did you decide to join the family company?

SM: I am the eldest of seven. Two of my brothers were killed in separate car accidents, the first in 1966 when I was a sophomore in college, the second in 1975 when I was working at Xerox Corp in Denver. My father asked me to return to Bismarck, North Dakota, where I was born and raised, to learn the family business and eventually take it over.

Throughout late grade school, high school, and college, all I ever aspired to be was a college English professor. After three years of being an English professor, I decided I didn’t much like fellow professors, who struck me as sheep. I left my dream job to work for Xerox, where in one year I tripled my salary.

 

 

IES Abroad: Were there skills developed in Nantes that helped you to step into your role at McQuade Distributing Co., Inc. and grow the business?

SM: I have always been self-motivated, but in Nantes, I found I was completely on my own to make the very best out of my year abroad, which I was determined to do, and feel I succeeded quite well.

 

IES Abroad: You have had a successful career that culminated in transferring leadership of McQuade Distributing Co., Inc. to the next generation. As you look back on your career, what are you most proud of?

SM: I am very proud of what I accomplished with my education, which included my year at IES Abroad in Nantes, which was the very best, most influential year of my life. I am proud of my family and our two daughters, who are motivated, successful businesswomen. I am proud of how I transformed the business I inherited from my father to what it is today, now being managed by our older daughter.

IES Abroad: You have written and published five books, three of which detail your experiences traveling both abroad and throughout the U.S. What has writing about travel done to help you more fully understand the impact of those experiences?

SM: More than anything, travel has broadened my understanding of the many cultures I have encountered and their positive differences. We hear so much these days about “American Exceptionalism.” But we can learn a lot from other countries and how their citizens view the world. And we should. Everything is globalized. The sooner Americans accept the truth that we need to get along with others in a globalized world, the better off we all will be.

IES Abroad: We are grateful to you and your wife, Maryvonne, for your generous support in creating The Sam McQuade Nantes Endowed Scholarship in Memory of Mme Suzanne Hugues, that enables IES Abroad students to study in Nantes. What motivated you to establish this fund?

SM: My year with IES Abroad in Nantes, 1967-68, was the defining year of my life. Although I left education for our family business, education remains one of the most important things in my life. I am still studying and reading voraciously, mostly history now. I consider the Nantes scholarship to be my life’s legacy. I hope it will enable students to have the opportunity to live even a little of what I lived during that defining year.

IES Abroad: What is the one thing you learned while studying abroad in Nantes that remains a constant in your life?

SM: Be as open-minded as possible. Consider before deciding.

Sam’s books are available on amazon.com and Kindle. All proceeds go to a local summer camp for people with special needs.