We don’t usually publish two columns in a day, but this story can’t wait. Gammack loves being the first to report the news.
Friday evening, April 29, Ambassador Kenneth Quinn and his wife Le Son were driving west on I-80, having attended an event at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Foundation in West Branch.
“By chance, it was our 48th wedding anniversary,” wrote Quinn to friends. “so we were planning on spending the night in Iowa City to celebrate.”
While driving, without warning, a speeding pickup slammed into the back end of the Quinns 2015 E 350 Mercedes, then fled the scene.
Shaken, the Quinns kept driving to a nearby exit.
“I wondered if I was going to make it to the big 8-0 birthday in three weeks,” said Quinn. Although their injuries were minor, Le Son was bruised and had 20 x-rays to make sure nothing was broken.
The driver of that pickup hadn’t counted on former First Lady Chris Branstad, and her husband, Ambassador Terry Branstad (Iowa’s longest-serving governor), were following close behind. They attended the same event at the Hoover Presidential Library because he is leading in support of an expansion of the library.
Chris was at the wheel of their car. They were horrified by the accident and that the driver had taken off.
Don’t mess with Chris Branstad.
She followed in pursuit.
“It might have been one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done, but I couldn’t let someone hit my friend’s car and take off,” said Iowa’s former First Lady.
Since I wasn’t there to clock how fast their cars were going, nor put into print speculation as to whether or not said former First Lady exceeded the posted speed limit, let me leave the speedometer reading to your imagination.
Let’s say some speculated speeds exceeded 100 mph.
The Branstads caught up with the pickup, and Chris laid into the horn. The driver pulled off the exit and sheepishly got out of the car, dressed in a black, sequined cocktail dress. Cocktail, perhaps, being the operative word. Allegedly.
The Branstad’s waited for law enforcement to arrive. In the meantime, the mortified hit-and-run driver, who OF COURSE recognized the Branstad’s, chatted them up.
Quinn reports the driver was charged with a DUI and leaving the scene of an accident.
There’s much to catch up on with the former governor and former ambassador to China. He’s agreed to be one of our Potluck Monday Lunch Zoom guests. I will be hosting one-hour conversations with notable influencers. I cannot wait to hear about Branstad’s experience in China and what he’s doing now to assist companies wanting to do business there. He and his former chief of staff, Steve Churchill, have formed a consulting group to that end: BranstadChurchill.
Also, Branstad is affiliated with Drake University as Ambassador in Residence and will be hosting a book club event on Friday, May 6th, discussing China’s Leaders: From Mao to Now by David Shambaugh. Sign up here: https://calendar.drake.edu/event/ambassadors_book_club_-_chinas_leaders_from_mao_to_now#.YnLGSy-B0rY
The Monday Lunch Zoom series for paid subscribers will begin on May 16 with bestie and Des Moines Register columnist Rekha Basu! There will be much laughter. And spice. There will be spice.
Paid subscribers will receive a Zoom invitation via email.
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