Where The Rubber Meets The Road: Leading In The Army And At Michelin

Both Pete Selleck and his wife come from a distinguished line of West Point graduates dating back to 1905. His great grandfather was COL Charles Daly, USMA 1905, who played three years of football at Harvard before attending West Point, becoming a 5-year All American football Player. His paternal grandfather, COL Clyde A. Selleck, USMA 1910, served 37 years, fought in the first ground battle of the Pacific war with the 71st Philippine Army Division, and survived the Bataan Death March. His maternal grandfather, COL Robert Totten, USMA 1933, served in the Air Force. His father, COL Clyde A. Selleck, Jr., USMA 1952, served as a District Engineer, and was classmates with Pete’s future wife’s (Nancy) father, COL Edward N. Eckert. Pete was born in July 1955, at the Valley Forge Hospital and grew up in Germantown, Pennsylvania, among other places, with his two younger siblings. His parents met at Sandhurst in England. As a boy, Pete enjoyed playing baseball, basketball, soccer, and golf. He also earned the rank of Eagle Scout for a project upgrading the scout building at Carlisle Barracks. Part of his childhood was in France, and he remembers attending a French Catholic school. His fluency in French later helped his career in business. In high school at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, he was involved in student government and the Key Club. He recalls his father’s two deployments to Vietnam (67-68 and 71-72), noting his mother’s grace under pressure and the fact that his father wrote a letter home every day. When he accepted his appointment to West Point, he knew the Army was “serious business.” R-Day changed him from a child to an adult in one day, and he was determined to do his best. He enjoyed field time during summer training and felt that he had good leaders during Beast. Remembering Yearling summer at Buckner, he appreciated learning about the different branches. He also completed flight school at Ft. Rucker one summer, learning to fly the OH 58. He did well academically and militarily, focusing on Civil Engineering and serving as the First Regimental Commander, but the Department of Physical Education was a challenge for him. He was in Company I-1 for the first three years, scrambling to A-1 as a Firstie. He started dating his wife as a Cow, and she came to Ring Weekend, which was held in April of their Cow year. He was involved in a number of extra-curricular activities, playing soccer as a Plebe, singing with the Catholic Choir, mentoring young scouts on the Scoutmaster Council, and participating in Class Governance, including helping to negotiate the $5,000 Cow Loan. During the spring of his Cow Year the EE 304 Electrical Engineering cheating scandal broke, and he describes how it “kept ballooning,” noting “it was terrible.” In the summer of 1976, the first women arrived at the Academy, and Pete was the 1st Detail Beast Regimental Executive Officer. He remembers the pressure and visibility in Beast that summer, remembering that “people were afraid to treat women like male new cadets.” He describes the first group of women Cadets as “tough” and “brave.” He commissioned as an Engineer Officer because he liked the civil engineering jobs and the fact that the Army Corps of Engineers serves the nation. His basic course was at Ft. Belvoir, and he completed Ranger school and Airborne school during the winter of 1977-1978. In 1979, he married his wife Nancy, who earned a teaching degree from the University of Kansas. From 1978 to 1982 he served in 4th Engineer Battalion in the 4th Infantry Division, where he commanded B Company from 1980 to 1982. He recalls that in the late 70s, the NCO Corps was broken from the War in Vietnam, but he saw improvement in the early 80s. One of his missions was reinforcing Germany in the event of a Soviet attack, and he participated in REFORGER 1981 (Return of Forces to Germany), where his mission was blowing up bridges to limit the mobility of Communist forces. He describes interacting with Colin Powell as his Brigade Commander. After company command, he transitioned to the Army Reserve, which was a difficult decision to make, and he commanded the 447th Chemical Reconnaissance Detachment based out of Greenwood, South Carolina, after the Chemical Advanced Course. He also served as a local recruiter for West Point and ROTC, and was a Military Academy Liaison Officer for 19 years, assisting over 70 candidates from North and South Carolina in gaining admittance to the Academy. He continues to help candidates from South Carolina because he wants them to “feel cared for” on their journey to West Point. In 1982, he joined the Michelin company, serving over 35 years in manufacturing and management positions in Greenville, South Carolina, and Clermont-Ferrand, France (his family spent over eight years in France). During his time with Michelin, he managed manufacturing plants and served as the COO of the North American Passenger Car Tire Division, the COO Of the European Passenger Car Tire Division, and the President of the Global Truck Tire Division before serving as the Chairman and President of Michelin North America. In 1987, he earned an MBA from Clemson University. He discusses leadership lessons he learned at West Point and how his style matured in the Army and in industry, noting, “You have to like and respect the people who work for you.” He served as the first President of the West Point Society of Upstate South Carolina and on the West Point Association of Graduates Board of Directors for 9 years, including chairing the Finance Committee. He is the Vice President of the Class of 1977 and has been active in bringing former classmates back into the ’77 family. Near the end of the interview, he talks about his daughter Lindsey and son Christopher. In 2007, his son graduated from West Point and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan as an Engineer (route clearance Platoon Leader) before earning an MBA at Duke University. Finally, he reflects on his faith, his service, and what West Point means to him, noting it is his “north star,” and “we will be buried here.”