Last Word: Quint Studer

In July 2005, we started “The Last Word,” a column in which locals answer questions about themselves. It was patterned after Vanity Fair’s The Proust Questionnaire – which had its origins in a parlor game popularized by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature.

Quint Studer

Inweekly, 7/7/2005

Yes, Studer is that guy spearheading the controversial new Trillium-site development – the largest downtown waterfront revitalization project in Pensacola history. The 53-year-old is also the owner of the minor league baseball team Pensacola Pelicans, owner of the nationally recognized healthcare consulting firm The Studer Group and a local philanthropist. Amid one of his biggest projects yet, Studer talks about his 1951 Woodie car, camping in Wisconsin, and the fact he’s no Spelling Bee champion.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Watching others become successful and happy.

What is your greatest fear?
Letting people down.

What is the trait you most deplore?
Bullying.

Which living person do you most admire?
My friend, Mort O’Sullivan.

What is your greatest extravagance?
My 1951 Woodie car. I bought it on eBay.

What is your favorite journey?
Camping with my wife Rishy and our kids in with the Wisconsin Dells.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Intelligence.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Insane.

When and where are you happiest?
When others are enjoying themselves. I really enjoy watching kids get autographs from the Pelican players.

Which talent would you most like to have?
Better organizational skills. Also would like to write better. I can’t spell.

What is your current state of mind?
Serenity.

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
That we would be more comfortable not doing anything. Not long ago, we were staying in a cabin in North Carolina. We all just sat on the balcony together listening to a Pelicans game. It was great.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Dealing with my alcoholism.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Christmas Day 1982 – my personal surrender day.

What is your favorite occupation?
I respect Emergency Medical Technicians. They don’t get paid much and rarely get credit for their efforts.

What is your most marked characteristic?
Optimism.

What is the quality you most like in the opposite sex?
Goodness.

What do you most value in friends?
To share vulnerabilities and judge in a non-judgmental way. Don’t feed me, but help me make good decisions.

Who are your heroes in real life?
People who volunteer to be mentors for youth. I also admire Dr. Spencer Foreman, president of Montefiore Medical Center, who has developed innovative ways to deal with HIV in New York City.

What is your motto?
When the student is ready, the teacher appears.