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| September 2004
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| ALUMNI
PROFILE |
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“I can’t say no. You have to help people.” Lucas, a North Carolina native, has been busy helping people for years. He came to AU to get his master’s degree, while he worked full-time as an intern for the Department of Defense and then as a researcher for the Democratic National Committee. “I learned so much at AU—it has such a rich resource of teachers. I was taught by professors who were major decision-makers in Washington by day and adjunct professors by night,” he says. After graduating from American, he went into administrative work with the Peace Corps, a move that led into a lifelong career in public service. “The Peace Corps experience inspired me. It got me highly motivated to help people.” Lucas held several positions in the Peace Corps, then left in 1971 to cofound Africare. What started as a relief organization, which primarily dealt with the drought in West Africa and was funded by small donations from individuals, has become a diverse organization that has brought more than $450 million in aid to more than 2,000 projects in Africa. “Africare is so important because it shows the world that if you give Africans support, they can do the work themselves. It also gives the world a better understanding of the whole continent.” Lucas will be honored for his work by American University with the prestigious Alumni Recognition Award on Saturday, October 16, at the All-Alumni Gala, part of Homecoming & Reunion Weekend. His
recognition, no doubt, exemplifies one of his primary beliefs: “If
you do good things, good things will come back to you.” |
“I
tried to retire, but the phone kept ringing,” C. Payne Lucas,
SPA/MA ’61, says with a laugh. Lucas, the cofounder and
former president of