Gerald Richard Lucas

Gerald Richard Lucas
In the classroom, 2013. Photo by Brooke Manolis.
Born	(1969-08-18) August 18, 1969 Fort Thomas, KY
Other names	Jerry
Education	Ph.D., M.A., B.A., A.A.
Occupation	Professor of English
Employer	Middle Georgia State University
Spouse(s)	Autumn Noelle Anderson (m. 2006)
Children	Henry Sawyer Lucas
Parent(s)	Gerald Henry Lucas (father) Donna Lucas (mother)
Relatives	Timothy Barton Lucas (brother)

Gerald Richard Lucas (“Jerry”) is an American academic and writer who is a Professor of English at Middle Georgia State University, the Vice President of the Norman Mailer Society, and the editor of Project Mailer. He edited Norman Mailer: Works and Days and serves as the online editor of The Mailer Review.

Early Life

Lucas was born in Ft. Thomas, Kentucky, on August 18, 1969. He moved to Bradenton, FL, in 1974 and lived there until his early twenties. He attended Blanche H. Daughtrey Elementary School (1974–1980), Sara Scott Harllee Middle School (1980–1983), and Bayshore High School (1983–1987) in Manatee Country. In middle school, Jerry first read about Odysseus and Homer with Ms. Kathryn Farmer, beginning his life-long interest in epic poetry. He played trumpet for the Bruin Marching Band, for which he served as president his senior year, and read fantasy and science fiction from an early age. While he did not excel as an academic, his interests in drama, music, and literature seemed to shape his later pursuits.

Undergraduate Education

Lucas attended Manatee Community College (1989–1990) and the University of South Florida (1990–1994), earning his A.A. and B.A., respectively. At MCC, Lucas got his first hint of literary studies in higher ed with a contemporary fiction course with Dr. Carole Cole. After trying a major in music, then a short-lived effort in business, Lucas had found his passion: a major in English Literature with an emphasis on feminist literary criticism. Later at USF, he picked up interests in classical mythology, ancient literature (especially Greek tragedy and epic poetry), nineteenth-century Russian Literature, American romanticism, Shakespeare, and eastern religions (especially Buddhism). These new interests should be credited to the excellent instruction he had at both undergraduate institutions, including: Robert Hall, Donald Wyly, Dan Wells, Frank Fabry, Sara Deats, and John Campbell.

Graduate Education

Lucas continued his education at USF, earning his Master of Arts in 1997 and his Doctor of Philosophy in 2002. He excelled in his studies, passing his qualifying exams for both degrees with distinction. His emphasis was on comparative literature during his Master’s studies. He further explored his interest in non-Christian religion and Russian Literature in his thesis on Salman Rushdie and Makhail Bulgakov.