John W. Lucas was born on March 14, 1923 (Pi Day) and passed peacefully on June 19, 2021 at the age of 98. His parents were Leo J. and Mary G. Lucas. His father was a member of the Lucas family that owned and operated the Lucas Ranching Company in Cucamonga, California. John’s mother’s maiden name was Schwamm. John had two brothers, Richard and Don, who predeceased him.
During the fall of 1944, John was a member of the 13th reserve class at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. He received his commission as an Engineering Officer in December 1944. He then reported aboard a “baby” aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Casablanca-CVE 55, and served in the South Pacific during 1945. While on the ship, he was the ship’s band manager and conductor. Music and dancing were always a deep passion of his. He became an accomplished pianist and danced into his 90s with the Stardusters Ballroom Dance Club.
John attended UC Davis and Berkeley for his undergraduate and graduate degrees, and he received his Ph.D. in Engineering from UCLA in 1953 after marrying his ever-lasting love Genevieve Marie Blessent on February 9, 1952. Shortly after their marriage, he was granted a Postdoctoral Fellowship by the National Science Foundation and moved with Genevieve and their first son to Berlin, Germany to conduct research at the Fritz Haber Institute (formerly the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physical Chemistry).
After one year in Berlin, John joined the Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1954 where he gradually transitioned from research to management activities. During that time, he was involved with the early space missions to the Moon, Venus and Mars. He was Manager for Research during 1970 to 1973. He was Executive Assistant to both the Deputy Director, Lt. General Charles Terhune Jr. and Director, William H. Pickering, Ph.D. from 1974 to 1976. From 1977 to his retirement in 1985, he was Project Manager for the Development of Technology for Solar Thermal Parabolic Dish Electricity Generation. Additionally, he edited several books relating to the thermodynamics of space bodies. He was actively involved with The Lucas Brothers Foundation, founded by his brother Don, and the now named John W. Lucas Adaptive Wind Tunnel at Caltech.
He was very dedicated to his San Marino community, where he was a long-time member of the San Marino City Club, San Marino Tennis Center, and the Athenaeum at Caltech. He had also taken the lead as a parent in the 1970s to recruit Burt Kanner to become a math teacher, water polo coach, and coach an eventual nationally ranked swim team at San Marino High School.
John was warm, constantly curious, enjoyed lively debates, and is remembered for his infectious smile and laugh. His greatest joy was his 69-year marriage to Genevieve and raising his family. His spirit lives on in her heart and in the hearts of their three children Christopher Lucas, Mark Lucas, and Susan Healy, together with their three grandchildren Jacquie, Cristina, Dick, and soon a great grandchild. He also lives on in the beloved traditions he introduced them to, including water skiing and camping on Lake Mead, water skiing and houseboating on Lake Powell, snow skiing at Mammoth and Telluride, and playing tennis, which he played well into his 90s. Whatever the sport he always had a unique hat on.
He is listed in Who’s Who Nationwide; received the Group Achievement Award, NASA (1984) and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Science Foundation.
Services will be held on Saturday, July 17th at 10am at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, 151 S. Hill Avenue in Pasadena, CA.
