Jean-Michel Choquet
Jean-Michel is an architect who graduated from the Beaux-Arts, the National Superior School of Architecture in Paris, France. He also obtained a Master of Science in Architecture from Georgia Tech in Atlanta, as well as a Master's degree in History from Paris VII.
He met his wife, who is from Dubuque, in Osaka, Japan, where they were both pursuing their careers as commercial artists. They lived happily together for the next 25 years in France, Germany, Austria, Hong Kong, the USA, and Spain. He speaks three languages and has written a published book, in addition to translating one from Catalan to French, along with various other translations (including theses, post-faces, papers, articles, and presentations) from Spanish, Catalan, and English to French.
Thirteen years ago, when his wife asked him and their teenage son to move to Dubuque to be near her aging mother while she prepared for her Ph.D. he agreed to leave behind life in sunny Barcelona, where the economic crisis was impacting the country. Two years later, they divorced, but he chose to remain in Dubuque.
After working at the Dubuque Rescue Mission, where he helped reconstruct and open the new thrift store and assisted in managing it, he was asked to direct a team of artists restoring the stained glass windows of St. Mary’s Church (Steeple Square) for a time. Eventually, he was offered the opportunity to take charge of the restoration of a large house on Jackson Street as part of the Community Housing Initiative Program, a project that received an award of excellence from the city. This soon became his dedicated specialty, and he founded his own company, which he named Old Window Restoration.
In addition to his involvement with the Dubuque Rescue Mission, he has been part of the film screening team for the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival for the past 12 years.
Born to professional musician parents in France, he never misses a concert by the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and actively supports the arts in general, as well as all his artist friends from the Driftless area.
An enthusiastic tennis player, he belongs to the Dubuque Tennis Association, plays on the Wahlert courts, and has created his own open league.
His younger son now lives in Barcelona, Spain, while his elder son, father of three children, lives and works in Lyon, France, as a judge, and also serves at the Court of Appeals in Paris.
Jean-Michel holds the Crescent Community Health Center in high regard, from which he is a grateful patient for medical, dental, and physical therapy services. As part of his routine, he starts his days at the Wellness Center, which offers all Crescent patients free access to a well-equipped gym. His purpose would be to see it expand even further in terms of space and equipment.
