Professor Adetokunbo O. Lucas passed away peacefully on Christmas day at his home in Ibadan, Nigeria, at the age of 89.
Ade Lucas, as he was known to many outside Nigeria, had deep connections to Harvard. His ties to Harvard began with a Masters degree in Hygiene in 1964, when he was also elected President of his Class. In 1983, he gave the commencement address at the School. In 1986, he received one of 20 Harvard Medals awarded on the 350th Anniversary of the University. In the early 1990s, he joined the School’s faculty as Professor of International Health for five years, when he served as director of the Harvard International Health Leadership Forum, a pathbreaking forum for Ministers of Health. I had the honor and pleasure of working with him regularly then. He continued as Adjunct Professor of International Health until his death. He stands as the School’s most illustrious graduate and faculty member from Africa. A truly great leader in public health globally.
Professor Lucas played a leadership role in many public health organizations during the latter half of the last century, in Africa, in Europe, in Asia, in the Americas; there are so many organizations, so many honors, it is impossible to list them all; I listed some on the slide, along with the cover from his autobiography.
For those of you who never met Professor Lucas, I would like to read the opening of his acceptance speech, when he received the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award in 2013. He started with these words,
“Who made you?” the teacher asked his class at Sunday School. “How come?
Which part? Explain yourself”, the teacher pressed.
“God made me and I was small but I grew the rest myself”
Like the little boy, I was small when I arrived in the world. Unlike the cheeky boy, I am not so presumptuous to think that I did it all on my own. I followed the good advice that George Bernard Shaw gave: ‘To be successful in life, one must choose one’s parents with care’. I chose the best couple; my mother who taught me to read and write and to play the piano; and my father, a teacher and a pastor who embraced scholarly academic work as his leisure pursuit.
For me and for many, every encounter with Professor Lucas was a memorable experience. His conversations and his lectures sparkled with wide-ranging knowledge, an extraordinary story-telling capacity, and a sharp but gentle wit, and above all moral integrity.
The world and Harvard have lost a remarkable humanitarian in global health, and a great friend and mentor for many, including me.
