It would be hard to imagine a Watonga without the influence of Dr. Fred and Joyce Lucas. To commemorate that influence, Watonga Main Street is dedicating a special bronze statue to honor the couple.
They were well known for their commitment to and support of bettering Watonga. Dr. Lucas was a dentist, first sharing a practice with Dr. S.M. Barrett and then on his own until retiring in 2014. He taught at the University of Oklahoma, lectured at many different areas at the OU Dental School, Baylor College and OU Hygiene School. He was on the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry for two terms and was on many other state dental committees. Locally he was a director of the First State Bank and on the loan committee. He was a deacon and elder at the Christian Church and a member of the Lions Club.
Joyce Lucas was a beloved educator whether in her own classroom at Lomega or Greenfield, or as a substitute here in Watonga. She also served nine years on the Watonga School Board.
Fred and Joyce did restoration work on multiple projects around town. Those projects included Noble House, Presbyterian Church (Ferguson Chapel) the Liberty Theatre and Veatch Drugs. That building came Temptations, which Joyce ran as a gift shop for many years before selling to Roberta House. Today it is Petals and Pearls.
They were both part of the Main Street Program, working on sidewalks, planting flowers and trees, and Centennial Park, where their commemorative statue will stand.
They were members and leaders of the Watonga Chamber of Commerce, and Dr. Lucas served as president of the Chamber in 1968, ’81 and ’87. The couple helped develop the Cheese Festival, asked to do so by John Knudsen who ran the Watonga Cheese Factory for many years.
Fred Lucas passed away slightly over a year ago and his influence on the town is sorely missed. Joyce Lucas now lives predominately in Oklahoma City but is a frequent visitor to the town she and her husband did so much to enrich and build up.
The dedication will take place during the opening ceremony of the 47th annual Cheese Festival at noon on October 11 in Centennial Park. At that time the commemorative bronze will be unveiled and the ceremonial cutting of the cheese to mark the beginning of the festival will take place, with the rides, venues and vendors opening at 1 p.m.