Remembrance provided by Rob’s sister, Megan Lucas Chong:

Robert “Rob” Anthony Lucas, Jr. was born September 21, 1978. He passed away on July 2, 2020 of cancer, a disease he fought for seven painful years. He is survived by his wife, Sara; daughter, Grace; parents, Robert and Martha Lucas; sister, Megan Lucas-Chong (Karl); niece, Lotus; and nephews, River and Zephyr Chong.

Throughout his life, Rob was focused on doing for the greater good and giving back. He did this through volunteerism at a local animal shelter, a homeless shelter for men, and a literacy program. He was told on many occasions by family members that his middle initial, A, was really for altruism and not Anthony. He developed his commitment to giving back and doing for others as a child and young man. Rob attained the rank of Eagle Scout at the age of 14.

Rob achieved his dream of having his first feature length film, American Stories, featured at the Cleveland Cinematheque during a local filmmakers’ festival in 2005. At the age of 18 his first short film, “Montezuma’s Revenge,” was nominated for Best Comedy Short at the Cleveland Independent Film Festival.

Early in his career, Rob was an adjunct professor at the University of Akron, his alma mater, where he received a Master of Arts degree in Electronic Communication Mass Media with a full academic scholarship. During that time, he initiated the Akron Independent Film Festival, which became an annual event.

Then, in 2014, Rob’s dream of creating a permanent home for independent film in Akron became reality as he worked with colleagues to establish The Nightlight Cinema, Akron’s first and only theater featuring independent films.

Rob’s work in media extended to national projects, such as working as production coordinator for the network drama, “Bet Your Life”, featuring actor Billy Zane. He then went on to work on commercials for Nike featuring LeBron James as well as Toyota and Six Flags.

He worked as a writer and correspondent for MTV’s website, a job which entailed attending film premiers and concerts to interview musicians and actors, such as his one-on-one interview with David Duchovny in Los Angeles.

Rob was also a graduate school intern with Alternative Press. While in graduate school he was the Arts and Entertainment Editor of the Buchtelite, University of Akron publication where he had one-on-one interviews with Ray Bradbury and Joe Esterhaus.

Rob used his talent as a gifted filmmaker to communicate the narratives of those who may be isolated or their stories untold.

In 2013 he created the documentary Stella Walsh, chronicling the life of the track and field star from Cleveland who won the Olympic gold medal in 1932 and the silver medal in 1936. Walsh was killed in a robbery after which there was a discovery that she had some physical attributes of a man. This new information stirred controversy over whether or not the Olympic medals she had won in the women’s races should still be in her name.

Rob chose to highlight Walsh’s life to honor a local figure and to tell the inspiring story of one who faced adversity due to gender issues, but also to shed light on the topic of the spectrum of gender. The documentary appeared in over 40 film festivals throughout the globe, including the prestigious Cannes Festival, where Rob walked the red carpet in 2014.

Research and reporting were always among Rob’s interests as he strove to discover new information and share the truth. This led him to his career as editor of Gray Publishing from 2006-2015, where he worked closely with local celebrities such as Neil Zurcher, Dick Goddard, and Terry Pluto to unveil rich histories and quirky tales about Ohio. Publisher David Gray commented, “Rob was a favorite of our authors. Every author with whom he worked was glad to have him on their side. They remarked how sincere, thoughtful and diligent he was. Rob had such a wide range of interests and knowledge (some delightfully obscure). He could talk with anyone engagingly on almost any topic—a handy skill for someone who might alternate between Charles Ramsey, Terry Pluto and Dick Goddard in one afternoon.”

Rob’s goal in life was to make a difference.

He worked to attain that goal in a number of spheres, but he thought the most effective way he would make a difference was in his position as Managing Editor of Pathogens and Immunity Journal at the Case Western Reserve University Medical School. In addition to his work with the journal, Lucas was also a member of the World Association of Medical Editors.

As Managing Editor, Rob was responsible for the new journal attaining the coveted accreditation status of Pub Med and SCOPUS. Since the global pandemic began in March 2020, the journal became inundated with articles revealing the latest research on COVID-19. Despite the physical agony and mental stress of his own treatments and surgeries, Rob worked tirelessly from his hospital bed to publish these articles in order to bring medical news of health and healing to the world.

Dr. Michael Lederman, Professor Medicine at CWRU School of Medicine and Editor-in-Chief of Pathogens and Immunity Journal recollected in a tribute: “We needed a managing editor. We interviewed Rob and it didn’t take more than a few minutes into the interview for me to realize that he was the editor we wanted. We were not disappointed. He was just incredible. He took a diffuse idea by a bunch of crackpot scientists and he created our journal, Pathogens and Immunity. It was an enormous undertaking that Rob managed seamlessly. Our international board of more than 130 editors and scores of scientists whose papers he published loved working with him. There is no journal in the world like this one and it would not be what it is but for his skill.”

Lederman added, “Rob was a wonderful colleague, a spectacular employee and a fine man. He was the driving force behind the success of the journal, and I know he was deeply committed to the success of the journal.”

Rob is missed by us here at The Nightlight. Please read Rob's obituary by Dan Coughlin, and this remembrance by Case Western Reserve University, to learn more about Rob and his legacy.