This month, the Altadena Library District looks to honor and celebrate the work, accomplishments, and lives of just a few of the African Americans, both past and present, who are making or have made a significant impact on or contribution to Altadena and the local community.
Who Is Bob Lucas?
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Robert “Bob” Lucas was raised with an appreciation and reverence for books. His interest in science and research led him to pre-med studies. When his father passed away, Bob – the oldest of three children – left school to help support the family.
His first professional writing position was as a journalist with the Chicago Defender. In the 1940s, his writing expanded to the field of radio, for which he penned docu-dramas, documentaries and stories for mystery productions, including the famous “Shadow” series. His love for reading all areas of literature enabled him to write on a variety of subjects, and in 1948, he was awarded the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship.
In 1950, Bob moved to New York, where he continued to write for radio and magazines and edited several fan magazines for some years. Bob moved to Los Angeles after traveling to the city with Life Magazine photographer Gordon Parks. He worked as a news writer at NBC-TV and as a press relations publicist at ABC-TV. He wrote and produced a 1970 documentary – “Compton: The Quiet Revolution” for which he received an Image Award nomination.
In 1970, he also researched and wrote Black Gladiator, a biography about Jack Johnson. He reached back to his Chicago Defender days in compiling data for it, and he received an Award of Merit in 1970 from the California Association of Teachers of English for the book.
Bob Lucas (right) with Sammy Davis Jr.
From 1975-1981, he served as West Coast editor for Jet Magazine, to which he continued to contribute into his retirement. In his later years, Bob worked as a journalist for the Los Angeles Sentinel and did a vast amount of freelance writing. Throughout his career he took photographs to run with his stories and articles.
Bob became an Altadena resident in 1971, and he enjoyed the local library and its beautiful surroundings. But he was very aware of the need for a library on the west side, especially for young people in the community and for those unable to travel to the main branch. His understood well that the ability to read and comprehend are vital skills that everyone needs; this led him to advocate and strongly encourage the library board and its supporters to re-open the site at Ventura and Lincoln, which closed after the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, when local governments were limited in their ability to finance parks, infrastructure and other services. Bob understood well the enormous influence and power of the written word, and he hoped that by making books, literature and literacy skills training more available, others would learn how personal freedom could be achieved through reading.
In his semi-retirement, Bob served as President of the Board of Trustee at the Altadena Library District, and he visited the library almost every day.
Throughout his life he inspired and motivated others with his quiet, yet strong drive and determination. In his work he pushed open doors and created opportunities for others. He did it not by being in the headlines, but by writing them.
Before he passed, Bob was informed that the branch library would be re-opened, and he was greatly pleased that his efforts were successful. Sadly, he did not live to see the facility named in his honor on October 21, 1991.
Today the Bob Lucas Memorial Library & Literacy Center continues to remind and inspire us all to meet the challenges in the fight for literacy and education in our community.
Bob Lucas’ Family at the 30th anniversary ceremony of the reopening of the library in October 2021. Photo by Deb Squared Photo.
