When my daughters were in intermediate school they attended South Houston Intermediate in Pasadena Independent School District. Their time at the school was fraught with the usual growing pains but they always felt safe and important because of the principal, Lucas Vegas. The foundation of their education was strengthened there and they would go on to excel in high school, college and life. 

Several years after my two children were students at South Houston Intermediate I applied for a job there. I had been reluctant to do so when they were still there but by that time they were launching themselves into adulthood and I was ready to use my educational expertise in service of my community. I had spoken with a couple of principals in the Pasadena district both of whom seemed to think that my recent background in a private school would not be a good fit with public school students. When I finally received a call from Mr. Vegas to set up an interview I was determined to overcome any preconceptions that he might have about my fitness for the job. 

I was amazed that Mr. Vegas remembered me and my two daughters and we mostly spoke about them at the beginning of the interview. Eventually he got around to asking me if I thought that I would be able to work with the underserved population of the school which included many students with low incomes and stressful backgrounds. I suppose that I was wearing my anger on my sleeve when he suggested such a thing and I shot back at him with the argument that kids are kids and that my well to do private school students had their own share of problems to overcome. In the middle of my rant Mr. Vegas smiled and asked me if I really wanted to work for him. When I nodded he picked up the phone and announced that he had found his teacher. 

I began my journey with Lucas Vegas as a hybrid teacher in the sixth grade who taught Social Studies and Science. Given that my educational background had focused on English and Mathematics I had to do lots of study to keep up with a curriculum that was mostly unfamiliar to me. Mr. Vegas would cheer me on, confident that I was up to the task and so it was. 

Even as I learned to enjoy both science and social studies I was elated when a teacher of mathematics left the school in the middle of the year to become an administrator. I marched straight to Mr. Vegas and asked him to put me in the math class but he had been overjoyed to see how well I was doing with science and social studies and was reluctant to make so many changes in one feel swoop. 

For a time Mr. Vegas brought in several teachers to try out for the job of teaching math. None of them lasted more than a few days and I kept up the pressure to land the job that was in keeping with what I had been doing for most of my career. Soon he saw the wisdom of my thinking and conceded that I should be the sixth grade math teacher. 

It was a tougher gig than I had expected because by the time I walked into the classroom the students had been without continuity for a fairly long time. They challenged me like few groups have ever done but I was determined and Mr. Vegas was supportive of my efforts like no principal for whom I had ever worked. By the end of the school year my course was set. I was switched to seventh grade mathematics and began working with a talented group of teachers under the guidance of Mr. Vegas who began enrolling me in one learning opportunity after another to further hone my skills. By the time I had taken course after course I was his choice for Mathematics Department Head when the former teacher decided to retire and move away. 

Working with Lucas Vegas was a wonderful experience. He was like a coach encouraging me to fulfill my dreams and improve my skills. His office was open whenever I faltered. There I would get a boost of confidence, always leaving more determined than ever to overcome the kind of problems that teachers face from day to day. I don’t believe that I would ever have achieved all that I eventually did without the encouragement from Lucas Vegas. He was not only a fantastic teacher of young people but also a motivator for those of us who were teaching. 

Lucas Vegas retired before I left South Houston Intermediate. A new principal came and eventually created a position for me that allowed me to be the kind of mentor to my fellow teachers that Mr. Vegas had been for me. I would move on to other jobs and other schools eventually becoming a high school mathematics teacher and Dean of Faculty. I knew at every moment that all of my success took root under the enthusiastic guidance of Lucas Vegas.

Lucas and I kept in touch with each other over the years. He would call me on the phone just to see how I was doing. We exchanged Christmas letters and sometimes met at local restaurants. A few year ago Lucas had a physical crisis and ended up in a nursing home near where I live. I visited him and he was as optimistic and chatty as he had ever been. I always knew that when I met up with him our visits would last for hours because he wanted to know how everyone was doing. 

Lucas Vegas died in May just as I was celebrating the graduations of twin grandchildren who were the children of my youngest daughter. I think that Mr. Vegas would have been pleased to know that his heritage was living on through them. Sadly I never got to tell him how much his influence has impacted the lives of thousands of students and teaches who once had the pleasure of being in a school with him. 

May Lucas Vegas rest in peace. He has earned a special place in heaven. I hope that his children and grandchildren and great grandchildren understand the incredible legacy that this great man left behind. We all will miss him.