February 20, 2023

From Gerald R. Lucas

Happy 85th, Dad!

Today is Dad’s 85th birthday, and I want to share something Sharon sent me a few days ago. I guess they’ve been getting into the photo albums and shoeboxes of memorabilia, as this is a jem. It’s entitled “Gearld Lucas,” and it seems like a regular column in what I infer is the student newspaper at Eastern Kentucky University, circa 1956.

Ghl-1956-hats-off.jpeg

OK, who the hell is “Gearld”? In his diary, William, his father, spells Dad’s name “Gearl,” leaving off the trailing “–d.” I’m assuming that Dad’s real name is Gearl—I can hear their thick Kentucky hillbilly accents saying “Geeer-l” maybe implying the “–d”—and Dad probably later added the “–d” officially. I guess, too, that he also changed the spelling at some point to the more main-stream “Gerald.” Maybe they happened simultaneously when he moved to the big city.

French horn? Get the fuck out of here.

Pre-dentistry? LOL. The last thing I could see Dad doing is practicing dentistry. Maybe...? Nah!

But seriously, he doesn’t like Elvis?! How can he not like Elvis when he looks so much like him? I’m beginning to reevaluate Dad’s cool factor. At least listing chicken and pizza tracks.

Happy birthday, Gearl! I hope to see you soon. Oh, and if you see him before me, give him a big gay hello!