John Lucas

John Harding Lucas (November 7, 1920 – March 31, 2025) was an American educator and university administrator. He served as president of Shaw University and was instrumental in founding the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE).

Early life and career An alumnus of Shaw University and a World War II veteran who served in the Asiatic-Pacific theater, Lucas began his career as an elementary school and high school teacher, subsequently serving as principal of Orange Street Elementary and Mary Potter School in the town of Oxford.

From 1961 to 1972, Lucas headed the North Carolina chapter of the National Education Association (NEA), and following the era of segregation, was instrumental in forming a new statewide educators' association from the White N. C. Education Association and the Black N C. Teachers' Association. and during the following year oversaw the university's recovery from a severe financial crisis. and was the grandfather of professional basketball players and coaches John Lucas III and Jai Lucas.

John Lucas died on March 31, 2025, at the age of 104.

Awards and recognition Lucas was awarded the Trenholm Memorial Award of the National Education Association for state-level and national-level educational leadership in July 2000. In 2012, a Durham public middle school, Lucas Middle School, was dedicated in his honor. In November 2013, he was conferred with the North Carolina Award, the state's highest civil honor, for his distinguished career in public service.