Devon Lucas Tribute

Many adults care about historic buildings, but it is uncommon to find a child who connects with them on a personal level. Devon Lucas was that exceptional child. I interviewed him for the documentary Our Vanishing Past. It was his second year at the Old Barracks Summer Camp and I asked him why he wanted to return.

 

“I really like the camp at the Old Barracks because it allows me to go back in time, sort of, and allows me to feel like I’m back in the 1700s,” he said. “It feels pretty cool, I mean, this is a piece of history right here. I get to see the walls that were built here. I get to see what they used to do, where they used to sleep, what the conditions were.”

 

Devon’s appreciation for history started at a young age. He was eleven at the time we met. I could see the excitement in his eyes when he talked about the Barracks and the connection that he felt for this special place. His parents, Kim and William Lucas, supported his enthusiasm for the past and made sure that he could learn as much about history as possible. Devon went on to play music of the Revolutionary period in the Fifes and Drum Corps at the Barracks.

 

When I interviewed his mother for Our Vanishing Past, she said, “Devon has always had a passion for history. We were looking for a camp that would provide history, not army renditions, we really wanted a historical profile that he could experience and this is a wonderful program.”

 

Devon and his family came to see the documentary’s premiere at NJN’s studios in Trenton this past May. His mother and I spoke on the phone a couple times beforehand and she told me how excited they were to be attending.

 

Only a few months later, I had another call from Kim. At first I thought that it was a pleasant surprise, but then I could hear in her voice that something was wrong. She told me that Devon had died. He lost his life in a tragic accident. He was thirteen.

 

Kim said that she wanted me to know how much it meant to Devon to be part of a historical documentary. She said the whole family liked the show because it covered so many places throughout the entire state. She mentioned the joy they shared while watching the program when it first aired on television. They had celebrated with a small party for family and friends.

 

I told her what a positive impression Devon had made on me when I did his interview. He seemed to have a maturity beyond his years and his enthusiasm for history was inspiring. I knew immediately when I heard him speak about the Barracks that he would be in the final program. And I treasured his words about the Barrack’s being “a piece of history right here” that can be experienced firsthand.

 

“I wanted you to know about Devon,” Kim said. “And I want to thank NJN for letting him be a part of the documentary. It really made him happy, because he loved history so much.”

 

Memorial contributions can be made in Devon’s memory to the Old Barracks Fifes & Drums Corps, Old Barracks Museum, 101 Barrack Street, Trenton, NJ 08608.