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Bequest of $3.5 million to benefit graduate
students
By Karen Rhodes
Margaret Lucas never took her Cal degree for granted. She earned
it while she was in her 40s, after two decades of secretarial
work. And while the sight of a re-entry student is a common one
today, Lucas' pursuit of a diploma, undertaken right after
World War II, makes her a pioneer.
Lucas died in 1998 at the age of 92, leaving the bulk of her estate
to the University. "She lived practically her whole life
in Berkeley and always felt close to the campus," explains
Jim Ferguson, a longtime friend and executor of Lucas' estate.
Her bequest of nearly $3.5 million will aid students in the College
of Engineer-ing, and serves as an apt tribute to Margaret Lucas
and her late husband, Frank, who graduated from Cal in 1930 with
a degree in civil engineering.
The couple lived for many years in a home on Dwight Way, across
from the Clark Kerr Campus. Frank Lucas took part in designing
and building the Bay Bridge and then spent the rest of his career
with Caltrans. Margaret Lucas worked as a secretary for the California
Board of Health and later with the California Department of Health
Services, where one of her co-workers was Ferguson.
"The student aid fund was her idea," says Ferguson.
"She talked about it a lot. She had the money and wanted
to make sure it went to the students."
Lucas' bequest comes at an opportune time. Students arriving
at Berkeley for graduate work find the cost of living to be one
of the highest in the nation. Available fellowship aid falls far
short of the true need. While Stanford and even Michigan -- a
public university like Berkeley -- are able to provide full, multi-year
fellowships to a majority of their graduate students, most students
at Berkeley must cobble together a patchwork of loans, instructorships,
and year-to-year fellowship aid.
"Berkeley is the best place in the nation for graduate study,"
says Berkeley engineering dean A. Richard Newton. "We want
to stay that way so we can provide leadership to tackle economic
growth and social problems. Fellowships like the Lucas fund are
essential if we are to attract and keep the most promising students."
Newton and other campus leaders estimate that the University's
fellowship endowment must grow by several hundred million dollars
if the campus is to compete effectively for first-rank graduate
students. A campuswide initiative is being launched to close the
gap over the next five to 10 years.
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