Earl Lucas
Earl Lucas is a man of many talents. Once known for creating extravagant jet interiors for Brunei’s Sultan, now serving as Ford’s lead exterior designer.
Lucas may be best known for giving the 2010 Ford Taurus an impressive upgrade, but he’s also contributed his skills in shaping Lincoln MKX and MKS models.
Early Life and Education
Earl Lucas was born January 20th 1940 in Charles Town, West Virginia and attended Booker T Washington High School where he participated in the arts program. His favorite activities were bluegrass music and fishing – plus spending time at fairs!
After graduating, he became interested in filmmaking, producing several acclaimed student films such as Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB. Later he assisted Francis Ford Coppola during filming of Finian’s Rainbow.
In 1973, Lucas wrote and directed American Graffiti to widespread critical acclaim, followed two years later by Star Wars which broke box-office records and won multiple Oscars. Star Wars revolutionized science fiction cinema by mixing cutting-edge technologies with classic Hollywood swashbucklers and frontier adventures from an intergalactic story he pioneered himself – founding Lucasfilm Ltd as his production company to do this work.
Professional Career
Earl Lucas began his career at the Buffalo Bulletin newspaper as its owner and publisher before entering Wyoming politics as both state representative and senator before running twice for governorship.
He was also an accomplished basketball player, winning championships at all three levels – high school, college and the pros. His acrobatics and dunks wowed fans while his memorization skills and affinity for numbers kept audiences enthralled.
Ford recently appointed him lead exteriors designer for Lincoln brand. As such, he designed several vehicles including 2010 Taurus and Flex crossover. Furthermore, he is an active member of Maranatha Bible Church as well as spending three years as part of an International Service Contract in England. Always creating, including painting, fashion design and sketching cars – his creativity can always be found somewhere!
Achievement and Honors
After receiving national acclaim for his work with Ford’s Taurus, Lucas became one of the world’s premier automotive designers. Additionally, Lucas is known as an active philanthropist who has undertaken projects related to racial tolerance such as Red Tails which tells the tale of America’s first all-black military air unit.
Lucas pioneered digital cinema technology in editing, sound design, scanning and projection in filmmaking. He returned as director in 1999 for Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace which became that year’s biggest box office hit.
In 2012, Lucasfilm was sold to Disney and now co-chair Kathleen Kennedy serves as president. Thalberg received many honors including the Irving G. Thalberg Award and American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award.
Personal Life
He was an esteemed husband, father and grandfather who excelled at brick masonry work. In his free time he enjoyed listening to bluegrass music, fishing and attending fairs. A member of Maranatha Bible Church, he deeply cared for his family.
He is Ford’s inaugural African American Lead Exteriors Designer and was responsible for revitalizing the 2010 Ford Taurus. Additionally, he participated in designing several vehicles such as Mustang, F-150 and Lincoln MK S models.
He grew up in Dallas, Texas and attended Booker T. Washington High School where he participated in the arts program. Following graduation he went to College for Creative Studies in Detroit to switch his major from crafts to industrial design. Clara Lucas survived him along with their children Deanna Lucas, Kristy Knighton, Sandra Lam and eight grandchildren – Heather Cook, Braydan Lucas Austin Lucas Ryan Lease Lindsey Lucas Haley Reed Cody Knighton as well as two great-grandchildren Miley and Kylan Yingling
Net Worth
Earl Lucas is an expert at creating luxurious designs, having spent the last several years designing automotive exteriors for Ford Motor Company – most notably on projects such as the 2010 Taurus and 2013 Lincoln MK S models.
George Lucas knew when making Star Wars that Darth Vader needed to sound powerful and intimidating; with only limited budget available, Lucas offered James Earl Jones who voiced Vader a choice between cash or “points,” which represented shares in its profits; Jones chose points, earning himself an impressive net worth in return.
John Lucas II has amassed an estimated net worth of $8 Million. A former professional basketball player and coach, Lucas was most famously affiliated with the ABA’s Miami Tropics, Lancaster Lightning, Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets during his playing days before later coaching Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets teams respectively.