DATE: December 11, 2007

CONTACT: Cal Becker, (864) 656-2174
bcalvin@clemson.edu

WRITER: Teresa C. Hopkins, (864) 656-1222
hopkin1@clemson.edu

Charleston architect Frank Lucas to receive honorary degree from Clemson

CLEMSON – Charleston architect Frank Lucas will receive an honorary doctor of humanities degree during the winter graduation ceremony at Clemson University on Thursday, Dec. 20.

Nearly 1,000 degrees will be conferred during the 11 a.m. ceremony in Littlejohn Coliseum.

Lucas graduated from Clemson in 1959 and has been an advocate for Clemson in the years since. A charter member of the Presidents Club and an IPTAY member, Lucas served three terms as president of the Clemson Advancement Foundation for Design and Building. He also served on the university's Board of Visitors, the College of Architecture Advisory Council and the President's Advisory Council, and has shared his expertise with students as a visiting lecturer for ethics, licensing law and professional practice. In 1992, he received the Clemson Alumni Distinguished Service Award.

“Mr. Lucas has contributed his time, talent and resources in a very profound and meaningful way to Clemson,” President James F. Barker said. "It is a most significant occasion when Clemson recognizes and honors one of its own alumni with the presentation of an honorary doctorate.”

Lucas serves as the 45th chancellor of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the first South Carolinian to hold the position.

Lucas is co-founder and chairman of LS3P Associates Ltd. The firm has grown from a one-man company in 1963 to one of the largest architectural firms in the Southeast. With a staff of more than 250 and offices in Charleston, Columbia, Charlotte, Wilmington and Raleigh, LS3P has completed more than $5 billion in architectural commissions.