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This August, Grand View University found a new addition to the History Department in Thomas Lecaque, a dual-citizen originally from France.

Lecaque was born in Bouillon Coeur, a suburb of Paris. He moved to the United States with his parents and younger sister at the age of 2, and he has since grown up in rural Missouri.

However, that did not cut him off from his French background, as he spent significant time in France each year during his childhood.

“We took incredible summer vacations to France,” Lecaque said. “My grandparents have a summer house in central France, so I spent a lot of time with my French cousins, aunt and uncle and grandparents.”

Even while growing up in the Midwest, his family’s French connection had a presence in his home.

“We spoke in French pretty often,” Lecaque said. “My parents would switch into French when they wanted to say things but didn’t want us to understand. Eventually, it became clear that we could understand everything.”

After high school, Lecaque spent two years at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he moved through a few different majors, starting with theater.

“I was completely convinced I was going to be an actor,” Lecaque said. “I knew I had to go to college because that’s what was expected, and I had no idea what I was doing with my life.”

After theater, Lecaque spent one semester as an anthropology major before some supportive teachers helped him uncover his love for history.

“I think in the end, oftentimes, you go into college with a firm idea of what it is you want to do, and then you have a good teacher, or one or two, and it opens new doors,” Lecaque said.

Hurricane Katrina drove Lecaque back to the Midwest, where he finished school at Truman State University as a history major with a double-minor in philosophy and religion. He proceeded to get a master’s degree in English, which is when he discovered his love for teaching. This prompted him to go even further and get a doctorate
in history.

After he recieved his doctorate in 2015, Lecaque spent one year teaching history courses at SUNY Orange Community College before moving to the Des Moines area with his family and getting hired at Grand View.

Lecaque said he believes the time students spend in the classroom, especially introduction courses, should be fun. He described himself as a “pleasantly eccentric” professor.

“I make the attempt to perform,” he said. “I don’t take myself very seriously.”

Lecaque said he expects his students to carry themselves as adults, do their work and respect the subject of history. However, he understands it might not be everyone’s “thing,” and he said that’s OK.

When he’s not teaching, Lecaque said he has a few central hobbies he likes to take part in.

“I’m married with three boys, so when I’m not here, I’m with them,” Lecaque said. “That usually means a lot of Legos, a lot of Star Wars and a lot of running around like a crazy person … Right now, I am mostly fueled by coffee. Coffee and inertia.”

Aside from family time, Lecaque said he intends to get involved in community theater again to further develop his passion for acting.

“I really miss being on stage,” Lecaque said.

Likewise, he said he loves karaoke and would like to find a good spot to sing in the area.

“Karaoke is the greatest thing on Earth,” he said. “It’s amazing.”

Lecaque also tries to travel back to France as often as possible. He said he loves to get back there frequently to visit friends and family, as well as get reacquainted with the culture.

Lecaque said he is excited to continue the year at Grand View, participate in school activities and absorb campus culture as much as possible. He said he enjoys getting to know his students and looks forward to supporting them in the classroom as well as in extracurricular activities and athletics events.

“I try to show up to as many events as possible,” Lecaque said. “It’s fun to see your students play and be badasses. The least I can do is show up and support people.”

As a college professor, Lecaque has a principled mission of values that are important to him when deciding which environment is right for him to teach in.

“There is a kind of calling I feel to be a professor, and parts of that that matter to me really seem to be what Grand View’s world view is all about. I could not be happier,” Lecaque said. “My colleagues are great, the students are super nice, campus is pretty … It’s wonderful! I’m sold.”