Dear Editor,
Fred and Joyce Lucas will be honored with the dedication of a special bronze statue at 12:30 p.m. at the opening ceremony for the Cheese Festival on Friday. This dedication is very well deserved, and I am happy to see Fred and Joyce receive this recognition. Fred and Joyce and their son, Trey, have been family friends for so long that I don’t remember meeting them. I have known them my whole life. My grandparents, E. O. (Gene) and Valeska Wheeler, welcomed Fred and Joyce to town when they first moved to Watonga where Fred established his dental practice. They became close friends even though my grandparents were much older than them. My parents, Owen and Cinda Lafferty, were introduced to Fred and Joyce through my grandparents. They become close friends as well and took many trips together. Trey was a year a younger than me, and my brothers and I became close friends with him. My brothers and I grew up in the Texas Panhandle, but we took many trips to Watonga to visit my grandparents. I also worked several summers in Watonga for Wheeler Brothers when I was a teenager. I spend countless hours hanging out at the Lucas house.
I witnessed first-hand the dedication and investment Fred and Joyce made to Watonga. They built office buildings, duplexes, and renovated the downtown businesses that is now Petals and Pearls. They were very involved in the Watonga Chrisitan Church, the Watonga Chamber of Commerce, and the Watonga Main Street Organization. They helped restore the Liberty Theater, the Ferguson Chapel and the Noble House. Joyce spearheaded the development of Centennial Park on Main Street. Even though Trey lived out-of-state, he volunteered to be the architect for Centennial Park as well as the fellowship hall addition to the Watonga Christian Church.
When we moved to Watonga in 2003, Fred and Joyce paid it forward for how my grandparents welcomed them. They invited us over and introduced us to many friends that we now have. There was one occasion where I was leaving on a trip on Saturday afternoon. That Friday night, a cap to one of my front teeth came off when I bit into a pretzel at a football game. I called Fred and he told me to meet him at his dental office on Saturday morning. He replaced my cap on a Saturday morning, so I didn’t have to go on the trip missing a tooth. He would have done that for anyone. Fred and Joyce are a great inspiration and cared not only about Watonga but the people of Watonga. You can see their influence all over town. I hope everyone can make it to see their dedication at the opening ceremony of the Cheese Festival.
Todd Lafferty Watonga