Ambassador Kenneth Quinn joined our Monday Zoom lunch bunch fresh from another triumph. He and Simon Estes, the famous Iowa opera singer, worked for over a year to officially honor George Washington Carver as an Iowa Award Winner with an annual Official Day of Recognition. This is the third such honor awarded in Iowa’s 175-year history. Carver now shares this distinction with Quinn and Estes. More: Opinion
Quinn has walked a bi-partisan tightrope throughout his many career moves, in the state department, as ambassador to Cambodia, and most recently through his leadership of the World Food Prize.
The tightrope can be hard to master, even for the happy warrior, Kenneth Quinn.
We talked about leadership, his belief in doing the ‘right thing,’ his working for the State Department as a diplomat then-ambassador, and balancing competing interests regarding the various stakeholders in the World Food Prize, dedicated to addressing hunger worldwide.
Quinn has met many famous people in his lifetime. Many.
He told us he was in the East Room of the White House when President Richard Nixon bade his farewell after resigning the presidency. He said there is a picture of himself walking with Gerald Ford when he was newly sworn in as president. Quinn was holding down his hair, which looked like he was waving to the crowd. A photo of the scene was captured and displayed in the Ford Presidential Library, no doubt causing some observers to wonder: who is that guy with Gerald Ford.
Perhaps that penchant for being six degrees of separation from famous folks caused former Register publisher Rick Green to dub Quinn the Forrest Gump of Iowa.
Whatever it is, Ken Quinn has a super-sized ability to connect folks around a cause. He strongly believes in bipartisan cooperation and acknowledges it is not always easy. Clearly, we are living in polarized times, but it isn’t the first time. While Quinn was in Vietnam and Cambodia, folks like me were protesting the war.
Quinn acknowledged the parallels and said it was hard in the 1970s when he was serving on the National Security Council staff at the White House when a clerk looked at his White House credential and commented, ”I wouldn't be proud of that.”
Today, many folks are cringing over anti-immigration rhetoric (fueled by the far-right, an issue he holds as dear as anyone through his work with Governor Bob Ray, who brought refugees from Vietnam to Iowa). He worries about targeting Asians today.
Quinn met his wife, Le Son, in Vietnam during his time there in the 1960s. He sometimes worries about their children's safety today.
Our Monday Zoom Lunch bunch found the hour-plus with Quinn inspiring, although we all wish we'd had more time to talk about food and agricultural issues facing the world today. Quinn describes this as the ‘greatest challenge humans have ever confronted.’
Quinn’s guiding principle as leader of the World Food Prize was to prioritize the hungry throughout the world above all else. He said we would come face to face with these issues as the possibility of food shortages looms before us, and ethical questions will abound regarding picking the winners and losers in a catastrophic scenario.
This column does not begin to do justice to a man who has served many throughout his life. Even an 800-page memoir will leave data points out, but I hope you understand why Quinn is exceptional in our midst.
Our Participants React:
Chuck Offenburger hasn’t missed a Monday Lunch Zoom so far and asks questions from his decades-long experience reporting on newsmakers like Quinn throughout his career. The two of them reminisced about a call they had in the midst of when the ambassador was surrounded by gunfire.
Nicky Schissel: As you listen to the myriad of stories from over decades and from around the world, there is one clear fact - Ken Quinn is an honorable man. He is as human as the rest of us in most ways, but his courage and integrity make him unique. While many of us might stop to think about sacrificing ourselves for our fellow man, with Ken,, there is never any question. And it is not just in life-threatening circumstances but is present when managing his staff, raising funds for the World Food Prize, and working internationally. Ken is not only a man in the right place at the right time but a man who does the right thing. [Schissel has worked for Quinn.}
Judy McClure: Pretty impressive, I thought. I was surprised at what a good and thoughtful (and perhaps genius) man he is.
I had (and still have) issues with what feels like the immorality of pushing for using, exporting, and approving of GMOs to feed the world. Maybe it IS better to feed starving people with poisoned or toxic food, so they don't ultimately starve to death, although they do get sickened, at least don't die outright. That's kind of what supporting GMOs felt/feels like to me. So there's that.
Nonetheless, it is impressive how collaboratively he has led his life with personally very exemplary moral principles and worked for the greater good. And the synchronicity of all the historical events he has witnessed is amazing. I wish he were taking a very active role in the Republican party and doing everything he could to heal it.
Kirk Stauss: Enjoyed, but wished would have talked more about the worldwide food situation. I understand his background but Viet Nam, but let’s talk more about what we can do to make things better - everywhere. But I do look forward to Monday noons.
You got it, Kirk. See you for our Monday Zoom Lunch with Ambassador Terry Branstad.
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Kenneth Quinn was a fascinating guest with so many life experiences that I want to hear a continuation of him as your guest again sometime. I especially liked his strong morals shown when he saved a woman from torture, he put his own life at risk to save a Cambodian American trapped near enemies at night and other harrowing and heroic deeds.
He gave me hope for good that has and is happening that can help turn the arc of Justice towards better days.
He was a great guest. Thanks, Julie.