C. Payne Lucas Wall of Remembrance

REMEMBERING C. PAYNE LUCAS
C Payne: Our Forever Monument

OUR LEGACY TO CHERISH, UPHOLD AND PROTECT
(by Dellaphine Belenda Rauch-Houekpon)

In this forever tribute to C. Payne, we need to ensure, even more than is being done so now, that fitting monuments to our Leader and Visionary, C. Payne Lucas, are planned, promoted, erected, supported and embraced, so his legacy will be long remembered for future generations and that his accomplishments, his intellect, his profound insights and thinking …. His magnificent, motivating strategy and actions, become an even greater rallying cry now that he has transitioned.

HE IS STILL OUR VISIONARY LEADER…. Now more than ever!

My condolences to Freddie and Hillary. Freddie was his rock and everyone knows, she was the wind beneath his wings. Stay strong and beautiful Dear Freddie. Great women such as yourself, are the hands that soothe, nurture and build the character of great men.

You ensured this with your dear C. Payne.

For me, I have already shed my tears for C. Payne, and after the last, single solitary tear had coursed down my face, I have no more tears to shed, and I am NOT going to cry anymore for C. Payne Lucas.

I can hear him now:
“What Are You Crying For Dellaphine? What are you going to do for Africa and for Africare?
Get up and Get Moving!”

So, I am not crying anymore. I am ready to turn my grief into action….just like all of you!

And, just like all of you, I am going to work harder and smarter and strategically, so that while many aspects of the Africare Dream is a Reality, I am going to plant more seeds for Africa while honoring and upholding C. Payne’s beautiful legacy OF AFRICARE!.

We all know that C. Payne did not want any monuments during his lifetime, but with the highest love, spiritual ascension and respect for his memory and legacy, we need to ensure as many “Honorary Monuments” in recognition of C. Payne Lucas as we can…. not only for Africa and Africare, but also for our children to uphold and remember and continue the legacy of C. Payne Lucas through continued building up and sharing of Africare throughout the world. We cannot do less.

I know, and hope, that many of these “monumental proposals” I am mentioning are already being done. But I will repeat some of the monuments I would like to work on “In Memory of C. Payne Lucas”:

Request the assistance and support of President Barack H. Obama to “Organize for Africare” in every way possible

A USAID Africa Conference or Meeting Room in C. Payne’s Honor at the Department of State
(if not already done)

An Honorary Chair for African Development at EACH HCBU…. EACH HCBU! (if not already done)

An Honorary Chair at the African Union

An African-African American “think tank” that is deep, intellectual, profound, unafraid and as “in-your-face” with reality regarding Africa and African-American affairs and relationships as C. Payne was….OH YES, WE CAN DO THIS! We have AFRICARE and more deep profound meta-thinking has always been the cornerstone of Africare and Africa

A plethora of buildings, institutions, clinics, schools and other related edifices in Africa…. and America …. bearing C. Payne Lucas’ name in each Africare Country Office

Annual “Tree Planting Exchanges” in Africa and America in honor of C. Payne
Further ensuring of our love and respect for the African environment

And yes, renaming the wonderful and pertinent Africare DC High School Essay Contest on Africa to the “C. Payne Lucas DC High School Africare Essay Contest “YES WE CAN!” ( more than willing to write the grant to pursue this)

We have memorialized and edified many of our African and African-American “sheroes and heroes”: Kwame Nkrumah, Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, Winnie Mandela, , Malcolm X, Harriet Tubman, Thomas Sankara, Wangari Maathai, Dorothy Height, Bishop John Walker.

C. Payne Lucas is and has been a member of this illustrious enclave…and should be memorialized and have monuments in his name as well.

I would also recommend….and challenge…. the current Africare Leadership….to ensure that all of us around the world….we who are the “Africare Seeds”, who have benefitted and kept the “Africare Legacy Alive” as we pursued our individual, and in many cases, outstanding, careers…that the leadership ensure a Vigorous, Vocal, Visible and Vibrant Africare Alumni Association, (if not already done so) building on the excellent outreach work of Alan Alemian and others to keep us more informed and more engaged.

YES WE REALLY REALLY CAN!

I know all of you want to, and will, memorialize our dear C. Payne in the ways and manners you deem best. And just as he was relentless, fearless, unafraid and in-your-face” regarding the work that needed to be done for Africa and Africare, we should continue to unapologetically embody the same single-minded vision and work ethic.

All of us, EACH OF US, have come out the better from our interaction with C. Payne Lucas .

And as “Africare Seeds”, we need to grow and plant and sow these seeds EVERYWHERE…. EVEN MORE TO ADD TO THE BEAUTIFUL AFRICARE LEGACY THAT C. PAYNE AND OTHERS HAVE ALREADY FORGED FOR US!

Rest in Peace, Dear C. Payne.

You are a hard act to follow but your “Africare Seeds “have been well-trained and we do know how to follow and take direction!

While the best memorial is your legacy, I will be very proud and happy to see the name of “C. Payne Lucas” gracing a primary school, a health clinic or an institution or building of higher learning.

I will always hold him in my heart and memory, but seeing that name engraved and blazoned in stone or a granite wall, will even further my resolve to hold C. Payne’s forever legacy even higher and share the good memories with others who may not know or ever hear of this wonderful wonderful “Giant Among Kings!” … whose voice and caliber of work is a memorial in and of itself!

*****************************************************
REST IN AFRICAN PEACE AND POWER MR. LUCAS.
WITH MUCH RESPECT AND LOVE
DELLAPHINE BELENDA RAUCH-HOUEKPON
“A PROUD AFRICARE SEED”

In remembrance of Payne Lucas and Africare’s contribution towards transformation of communities in Uganda & Africa!

I vividly remember as is if it was yesterday when Payne Lucas, Allan Alemian came to visit us at Africare/Ntungamo-In Ngoma Sub-county they commissioned a newly constructed Nyamunyonyi protected spring where previously human beings competed with cows of the little water coming out of a rock, At Ruhega village spring the community women, children and men had spent the previous week carrying stones, cooking and helping the masons in anticipation of clean water they had never seen nor tested in their entire life and that was a memorable launch of their water project, while at Rwentobo secondary school, Lucas launched Africare Scholarship that gave hope to hundreds of HIV orphans and children from very poor families who never knew they would complete school. Today I am glad and in touch with two of the Africare products: Ediwinah holds MSc in Public Health and is a lecturer and researcher at prestigious Institute of Public Health Makerere University and Liziki Benard is a Civil Engineer with UMEME the leading electricity supplying company in Uganda. We are thankful to you Dr Abdalla Meftuh (First Expatriate Africare Coordinator in Ntungamo) for Africare’s tremendous contributions in transforming communities and building our careers in community mobilization, behavior change communication and grassroots development. Payne Lucas’s work and commitment to Africa’s development is not in vain-there is visible change on the ground in many communities in Uganda and Africa that will live on for years to come in remembrance of the great vision Africare leaders have for Africa today and tomorrow.

Denis Nuwagaba (Served as BCC and Training Specialist for Africare Child Survival Project 2000-2007) [email protected]

My late husband, Leon B Poullada, and worked until Leon retired in spring 1964, with Luc to develop Peace Corps Public Health ( a provincial hospital staffing) , natural resources-nutrition (fish ponds & motorized canoes)) and ESL- (public library,tutoring etc) programs in the earliest days. His energy, intelligence, humor and enthusiasm endeared Luc to Volunteers, Togolese and all of us at the Embassy.
May he rest in peace.

Remembering C. Payne Lucas:
As a Mentor, In Memoriam Poem,

Remembering C. Payne “In A Poem”
I shared a few “mentor memories” and wrote a poem in honor of C. Payne;
Here are a few stanzas:

They say a mighty oak has “fallen”, yet I strongly disagree,
A tree is never “fallen” when it spawns so many seeds.

So while we mourn his passing, we really must regroup,
Our C. Payne has not “fallen”, because he ensured strong Africare roots!

A brilliant intellectual enigma, A dynamic African-American mixture,
While others “saw the frame”, C. Payne ALWAYS “saw” the BIG picture!

Now he was never ever a wall flower, And he was sharper than a knife,
He encouraged Africare Ever Forward, As a LEADER, HE WAS LARGER THAN LIFE!

When others spoke in whispers, C. Payne like a lion roared,
And when others were testing the wind, C. Payne like an eagle soared.

Though C. Payne has now transitioned, He wouldn’t want us to grieve,
Because “WE ARE” HIS Africare Legacy….”WE ARE” are HIS Africare seeds!

So WE hold C. Payne in honor, his brilliance for the world to see,
He deserves the highest accolades, our TIMELESS R – E – S – P – E- C- T!

C. Payne left footprints to follow, The stars now sing his mantra,
A Giant among Kings, no ordinary man, Now Heaven is his African Savanna.

SO NO MIGHTY OAK HAS “FALLEN”, “OUR AFRICAN BAOBAB IS INTACT”,
AS AFRICA LIVES, SO DOES C. PAYNE….AND THAT IS AN AFRICARE FACT!
(From Dellaphine to C. Payne)

C. Payne as Mentor:
I was one of the very first interns at Africare in 1975 when I was a sophomore and registered for work study under the American University Work Study Program. Our Africare offices were then located at 1601 Connecticut Avenue. I had taken the work-study with Africare as I was slated to become an American University Resident Advisor the next year and the position was part of my long-term education goal to become a “feared and fearless” international humanitarian lawyer bringing perpetrators before the International World Court… and putting every human rights violater I could find and prosecute in jail.

Then I met C. Payne Lucas and Dr. Joseph C. Kennedy of Africare and my long-term plans to become a lawyer and “sock-it-to the prevailing establishment” gave way to a life-long love, understanding, conviction and capacity for International Development and International Relations for Africa that I have never strayed from …. and I have never regretted.

C. Payne and Dr. Joe gave me so much during those early years while I was at Africare and beyond, that it shaped my life and outlook on grassroots community awareness as relates to Africa and America, and towards building lasting relations with our African Brothers and Sisters. This *IS* my intrinsic “raison d’etre” which has brought me so much joy and happiness, life-long friends and a connection to Africa that I have embraced as my birthright….and is a calling that I ALWAYS hear and have never turned from.

C. Payne opened my eyes and helped me “see” this calling as my future. And C. Payne, as My Mentor, was that “driving force” that invested in me and challenged me to stay on that trajectory and that path and to “show that I belong”. I learned so much at Africare with both C. Payne and Dr. Joe and
Bob Wilson and Beloved Alameda among others.

And I had so many “growing jobs” and positions after my internship when C. Payne invited me back as an Africare Employee: Africare D.C. High School Essay Contest Coordinator, Research/Resource Associate, Constituency Officer, Africare Chapter Development Officer, Overseas Administrative Assistant and finally, Country Director. The mentoring and nurturing provided by C. Payne and many others at Africare truly prepared me for my life-long career in International Development and I have never looked back.

You all know that C. Payne was so sharp and quick and savvy…. and he knew how to give you a title and a corresponding job description in a heartbeat! And it was always relevant, always pertinent….and always right on point…. providing there was funding. And if there wasn’t any funding, you needed to out and hustle and write the proposal and go get it! It was what you needed when you needed it and you NEVER wanted to disappoint C. Payne…and you didn’t want to return to Africare House without them project funding duckets!

According to former Africare Board Member Clyde Richardson, I was a “diamond in the rough” which C. Payne, as mentor broke down for me: Be Relentless, Be Fearless, Do Your Homework, Research Your Facts, Don’t lay down with dogs, STAND UP FOR AFRICA, BE THE BEST, 100% is not enough, what more can you do for Africa and Africare?

This level of “in-your-face” ….”can-you-handle it?” mentoring, coupled with my parent’s teachings and my own determination to do my part, made me more “than a diamond” ….it made me, as a young African-American woman, a FOREVER advocate for Africa as well as a proud “Africare Seed” who was given seeds to turn into roots from the pinnacle of the Africare Baobab Tree, C. Payne Lucas, to go out and plant other seeds and promote my very own “Africare Roots”.

So, C. Payne, I shed my tears and I am not crying anymore. I’m rolling up my sleeves even further to work and share what I have learned from you as a Great Leader and as My Mentor.

And like always, I am ready to rock and roll!

I took up the challenge, I AM planting seeds. And I STAND UP FOR AFRICA AND AFRICAN AMERICAN ROOTS IN AFRICA AND AMERICA. I don’t back down and I never give up.

And no way am I finished nor am I tired….just like YOU!
And yeah, I know how to write them proposals and get them duckets…. just like you taught me!

Thank you for your mentorship and for everything, Mr. C. Payne Lucas.
Rest in African Power and Forever Peace
Dellaphine Belenda Rauch-Houekpon A Proud Africare Seed!

It will be the little things
that you will remember,
the quiet moments,
the smiles, the laughter.
And although it may seem
hard right now,
it will be the memories
of these little things
that help to push
away the pain
and bring the smiles
back again.
We SAPI Uganda wish
We had worked together.
May Lucas have
Eternal rest

May your soul (C. Payne Lucas) rest in eternal peace, you have lived such an inspirational life…Words can’t express how saddened we are to hear of your loss in the field of Community enlightenment and Development. R.I.P

You will be remembered for your good works, Rest in Peace

UPON MY RETURN FROM PEACE CORPS SERVICE IN THE SUMMER OF 1968, I HAD THE GREAT GOOD FORTUNE TO BE EMPLOYED AS SOMALIA,UGANDA, AND MALAWI DESK OFFICER UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF C. PAYNE LUCAS. HE WAS THEN DIRECTOR OF THE AFRICA REGION. IT WAS UNDER HIS MENTORSHIP AND THAT OF OTHERS IN THE REGION (I.E. KEVIN LOWTHER, MARIE GADSEN, WALTER CARRINGTON, HANK RAULERSON, AND LEROY WALKER) THAT MY COMMITMENT TO DEVELOPMENT WORK WAS SOLIDIFIED. THESE MEN AND WOMEN HELPED ME TO SHARPEN SKILLS AND INTERESTS THAT SERVED ME WELL AS I LEFT PC/HQ TO ENTER GRADUATE SCHOOL AT THE HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION. I AM MORE THAN GRATEFUL FOR THE PROFESSIONAL MODELS PROVIDED BY THESE PIONEERS/GIANTS.

When I think of Mr. C. Payne Lucas, I marvel at his wisdom, his energy and his vision. But I also have to smile when I recall how direct, forceful and unabashed he was in sharing his advice … no actually, his directive, on how he wanted you to handle a given situation. When C. Payne was done sharing his “fatherly advice”, it was pretty clear what you needed to do and how quickly you should get to it!

But after every one of my conversations with C. Payne, I would always marvel at how brilliant he was. He understood every angle, had considered every possible outcome and was thus convinced he knew the best way forward. Whether he was ultimately right in how a given situation played out was really not the point. C. Payne Lucas was a leader! He was someone you would follow through thick and thin, the good times and the bad because he had an unwavering sense of purpose and direction.

C. Payne’s vision of the critical role Africare could and should play both for those in Africa and for Americans, particularly African Americans, can never be underestimated. He created a humanitarian organization that has a laser focus on responding to the needs and helping support the aspirations of people throughout the African continent. While the world often paid attention to the continent during times of crisis, C. Payne made sure Africare was able to sustain programs throughout Africa long after other organizations moved on to the next emergency “hot spot”. Africare has thus been able to build a bond of trust throughout Africa and the organization will long be viewed as a true and lasting friend by many.

C. Payne also understood the critical role Africare played in enabling young professionals, particularly African American development professionals, to have a place that welcomed them and was willing to invest time in helping them develop. It is not surprising that a generation of development professionals, especially African Americans, spent some time in their career’s working for or with Africare.

If greatness is defined by a person’s ability to create and build an institution that has positively impacted the lives of millions, both in Africa and here in America, then C. Payne Lucas deserves to be remembered, honored and respected for a very long time!

Thank you C. Payne Lucas and the Lucas Family for all of your sacrifice, hard work and commitment to the great continent of Africa. It was through my first job in 1992 as a Program Manager in the Southern African Region, working for Kevin Lowther, Mr. Lucas and Dr. Joe Kennedy, along with Michael Carson that I built my interest in international development and Africa. My fondest memories from those years come from always running to meet with Mr. Lucas to present our progress, accomplishments and challenges as a region during the severe droughts in Southern Africa all those years ago. It was back that I learned about passion, commitment, living the courage of your convictions and strong fortitude. I always admired him, his vision and his work, and I know that his legacy lives on through the focus on Africa among USA policy makers and the USA public as a whole. Truly it was because of the work of Africare and C. Payne Lucas that Africa was on the map in Washington, DC and across this great nation, he was a force to be reckoned with for sure! We are all indebted to his legacy, commitment and dedication, as we continue to see and witness the transformation across Africa during these past 60 years. Thank you C. Payne Lucas for my first job working on Africa and instilling in me my passion for working in international development and in Africa. You set an example for all of us of a true life worth living, filled with trials, tribulations and triumphs! May the ancestors embrace you with gratitude, love and thanksgiving for your contributions, accomplishments and differences that you have made in so many lives all around the world. I leave you with this beautiful poem from Paul Laurence Dunbar as I send my sincere condolences to all his family and friends.

WHEN ALL IS DONE

by: Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

WHEN all is done, and my last word is said,
And ye who loved me murmur, “He is dead,”
Let no one weep, for fear that I should know,
And sorrow too that ye should sorrow so.

When all is done and in the oozing clay,
Ye lay this cast-off hull of mine away,
Pray not for me, for, after long despair,
The quiet of the grave will be a prayer.

For I have suffered loss and grievous pain,
The hurts of hatred and the world’s disdain,
And wounds so deep that love, well-tried and pure,
Had not the pow’r to ease them or to cure.

When all is done, say not my day is o’er,
And that thro’ night I seek a dimmer shore:
Say rather that my morn has just begun,–
I greet the dawn and not a setting sun,
When all is done.

Peace, Blessings and Well Wishes

EM NOME DE TODOS OS TRABALHADORES CÁ EM ANGOLA, VAI OS NOSSOS APRESSOS E MAIS SENTIDOS DE PESARES A ESTE GRANDE HOMEM QUE NOS TEM SERVIDO SUSTABILIDADE ATRAVÉS DE SEU LEGADO

In 1964 i was 20 years old and assigned as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Niamey, Niger working in the Peace Corps office and directly for C. Payne Lucas in his first Peace Corps directorship. I had come from a small town in Florida, had never been anywhere in my life and here i was working for a man who was larger than life. I was so intimidated – how was i ever going to survive? I was a challenge. He was a challenge. But he let me fly – and fall. It was an amazing, extraordinary two year trip in that office but an experience that I carried with me the rest of my life. His laughter has not been forgotten. At one point, in a philosophical moment he shared with me a 1910 quote from Theodore Roosevelt that i believe descibes him best: “it is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again because there is not effort without error and shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deeds, who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place should never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. End quote. I had that quote squirrled away in my address book for many, many years and i would stumble upon it from time to time, always finding renewed inspiration and always reminding me of C.Payne Lucas and my time in Africa where i ended up spending 16 years of my life.
That quote exemplified C. Payne Lucas whose charisma and personality influenced so many of his Peace Corps Volunteers and which carried me onto a great career and success.
“He ran the course.”
Rest in peace.
Condolences to Freddie, his rock in life, to Hiliary, his daughter, and his grandchildren. Could the world be so lucky to find another like him.

President C. Payne Lucas was a phenomenal gentleman and a great Africanist, a specialist in African culture and language. His legacy of connecting America with the development of Africa is legendary.

As a former intern at Africare right out of college from Howard University and returning from Leon Sullivan African – American Summits overseas, I knew I wanted to intern at Africare. I had the honor to intern at Africare and witnessed up close President C. Payne Lucas negotiations between American and African Leaders, Businesses, and Citizens. When my Africare internship ended, the love and attentiveness towards thoughtful ways Americans may support the development of Africa grew into a lifetime commitment to support African development causes, in particular, microenterprise and social entrepreneurship initiatives and woman empowerment programs.

President Lucas, you will remain an African – American Legend. Your legacy of work has assisted millions of Africans on the continent prosper and increased the economic development of African countries.

May His work leave on and continue to flowrish for he touched many lives. May the Lord soothe the grieving family . MHSRIP.

Trying to describe C. Payne Lucas is almost impossible! Simply put: the man was a force of nature.

I worked with him at Africare for 20 years in various roles. C. Payne encouraged me to do hard things, and to not be satisfied with getting a goal or a project accomplished. There was just so much that he wanted to do for the African continent and her peoples that we could not rest for long and congratulate ourselves for a job well done–and he was right.

I feel that one of the greatest contributions he made was the mentoring of young African Americans who wanted to work in the international development arena. I was one of those young persons, and he heaped a lot of responsibility on me and I benefitted from it so much. I was hired right after serving in the Peace Corps in Zaire. I thought I was a hard worker, but C. Payne could outhustle many of his more youthful staff big time. He was simply indefatigable.

He arrived early and stayed late at the office. I can still see him in my mind’s eye patrolling up and down the halls, dropping into the various departments to demand staus reports. Staff were regulary surprised that there was very little going on at Africare that Lucas didn’t know about.

Thanks so much for everything, C. Payne. We’re gonna miss you.

It is my heartfelt condolence to the family of the Late, partners of Africare and the Dearest Friends of Africare. May the Soul of the Deceased RIP.
In my one year of partnership with Africace org, we shall in memory of C.PAYNE LUCAS as one the founders we gona him forever!

C. Payne looms large in the collective memories of all those involved in the Peace Corps in its early years. My fondest memory, however, is from a little later — 1985 when I appeared next to him on one of the morning talk shows following Peace Corps’ announcement of the Africa Food Systems Initiative. AFSI was the Peace Corps’ response to the famine ravaging Africa that year. I was a relatively young and inexperienced but tasked with setting up the AFSI. C. Payne was the seasoned expert who actually know what he was doing! I was intimidated at the thought of being on TV — and all the more so to appear next to someone larger than life. As we sat down in the downtown DC studio to be interviewed remotely by Bob Schieffer, C. Payne turned to me with a big and knowing smile and said something like “Relax, young man. Just be yourself.” It was just what I needed to hear and the interview went just fine.

May C. Payne’s soul rest in eternal peace. Like so many others who worked at Africare, I feel a deep sense of both appreciation and loss in learning of his passing. C. Payne gave so many opportunities to contribute to and learn about Africa and global development. During my nearly five years at Africare, I had the opportunity to spend almost half of my time on the ground, especially in Francophone Africa, supporting our public health programs. The work was rewarding–but challenging. C’. Payne never let any of us forget that we were privileged to perform the work and that we were about more than projects–Africare was a mission, a movement.

We all shared many laughs, often when C. Payne’s booming voice echoed through the halls of Africare House, looking for “Alameda!” or “Kevin!” or “Alan!” I was fortunate and got called by my last name “Hoemeke, where are you?” He was all about getting the work done, and wasn’t overly bureaucratic or hierarchical. He was passionate about the work at hand. And it seemed that he always loved mentoring young people; even if his approach was sometimes a little “tough love.” He cared about everyone at Africare–and about the people of Africa. He was just as comfortable in a village meeting as he was meeting with ministers or heads of state.

Lots of love to the Lucas family and the entire Africare community.

We applaud the founding of Africare by C. Payne Lucas and his team. He created a concrete way for African-Americans and others to participate in supporting African development. I first met C. Payne as a Congressional Staffer working with Congressman Howard Wolpe in the 1980s while working on the establishment of the Development Fund for Africa. He was a great advocate for the US Congress legislative focus to increase funding to support African development. C. Payne will be remembered for his concrete actions in Africa. Let us celebrate his life. My condolences to the family for their loss. I hope the memories will be with you forever.

Yours was a truly purpose-filled life, Mr. C. Payne Lucas. You dared to dream, and we proudly stood on your shoulders serving our compatriots on the continent. Grateful to have known you in furtherance of the mission.

Zorora murugare, Lala ngoxolo, Pumzika kwa amani, Rest in peace.

Personal Reflections: The Impact of C. Payne Lucas on my Life
After graduating from Morgan State University (Class of 1964), I was driving a taxi in Washington while going on job interviews and awaiting to get results from graduate and law school applications. On July 3rd I delivered a passenger to the 800 block of Connecticut Avenue a few doors from the Peace Corps office. There had been recruiters to visit the campus, so I was aware of the newly created volunteer service seeking people to serve in foreign lands that has been proposed by President Kennedy. I entered the building at 806 and was greeted by a receptionist for direction. I indicated that I was a recent college graduate and was interested in Africa. She responded, “go to 7th floor”.
As I arrived on the 7th floor, I saw a distinguished gentleman in a tie and short sleeved shirt with an arm full of file folders. “Pardon me sir, can you direct me to someone who can speak with me about the Peace Corps?” “Come with me,” said this gentleman with a strong and demanding voice. I wondered why this important looking administrator, who was headed to meeting, would take time to talk to a “walk-in”. As we entered his corner office, he dialed someone and said, “I will be there in ten minutes.”
This meeting was like watching a tennis match with this gentleman moving to and froe. The name plate on his desk read C Payne Lucas. He then turned his attention to me. “Who are you?”, he asked. I shared with him that I was a recent college graduate with a major in history and political science. I felt that I could teach although I had not taken any education courses in college. I also shared that I had spent my early childhood on a farm in Prince Edward County, Virginia and knew something about farming. Then asked me a most shocking question, “Why do you wish to leave the US? Do you have someone pregnant? My first reaction to such a personal question, who is this man who wishes to get into my personal business. My response was “no sir.” He then called someone and gave them instructions to take me upstairs to complete an application, reference form, and the appropriate form for a back-ground check. He instructed that these documents be returned directly to him. A month later I was invited to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanganyika, (Tanzania), East Africa as an education volunteer. I have been eternally grateful to C. Payne for this act that changed my career for life.
In 1967 when I returned to the US, I worked at Peace Corps/Washington in the office to Talent Search responsible for recruiting staff personal to manage volunteers and programs overseas. I would always schedule questionable applicants to the Africa region because I could be assured that a true and accurate assessment would be given as to the applicant’s suitability to serve as a field officer.
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, founder of Ghanaian independence, while a student at Lincoln University, Oxford, Pa, observed that Africans of the Diaspora (Western Hemisphere Africans) despite their slave experience have learned to cultivate, build, organize sufficient to build a nation. He argued that if half of these Western Hemisphere Africans returned to Africa, Africa would be transformed within a Century.
C. Payne Lucas answered this call to help in the building of a continent. Along the way he inspired many more, including myself, to do the same. C. Payne Lucas has touched and influenced hundreds of people to commit to the economic and human development of Africa. We are all better off because we have crossed paths with this great humanitarian. The ancestors must now be pleased to have such a faithful and dedicated servant to join them.
MY BROTHER, GO IN PEACE, GO IN PEACE
Earl M. Brown, Jr
Greenville, NC

C. Payne Lucas was an extraordinary individual who devoted most of his professional life to strengthening U.S.-Africa relations; to improving America’s understanding of Africa, and more importantly to partnering with the people of African to end poverty and to accelerate economic development. I first met C. Payne when I joined the Peace Corps in the late 1960s. He had already established himself as one of the most credible, thoughtful and committed Washington voices on Africa and he was an early catalyst for more meaningful and widespread American engagement with Africa that would follow. His unbounded commitment, energy and vision led him from Peace Corps to Africare, but it also inspired dozens of others to try to follow in his professional footsteps and millions of others to work harder to make his vision of a more prosperous and internationally respected Africa a reality.
There is no doubt that C. Payne will be missed, but it is important not to let his work be set aside or forgotten.
Ambassador Johnnie Carson

Mr. C. Payne Lucas, was a trail blazer and commanded respect among political and intellectual leaders across Africa and in the United States. He made Africare the “go to” development organization on Africa. Many including myself watched him with admiration led the movement that created bi-partisan support
on capitol hill for Africa that we all benefit from today”

In 1999 The Foundation for Democracy in Africa presented The Medal of Glory Award to C. Payne Lucas and Dr, Dorothy Heights, of the National Council of Negro Women – two legends of our time, During AfrICANDO 1999 for there work on Africa-The Next Frontier. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Staff and Members of the Foundation for Democracy we express our condolences to the Lucas Family and Africare family.

A great humanitarian, visionary and strong advocate for Africa has passed, but his legacy of achievements will live on forever. Some of his most notable achievements include helping to firmly establish the Peace Corps on the continent of Africa, being the co-founder of AFRICARE, taking this NGO from an operation in his basement to become one of the premier development organizations working to improve the quality of life for the people of Africa and the mentoring of countless young people to become leaders in the field of humanitarian and development assistance. May this distinguished American rest in eternal peace that is so richly deserved.

Julius E. Coles
9-20-18

I write to extend my sincerest sympathy to the bereaved family and May God’s choicest blessings be upon them.
I did not meet Mr. Lucas but I find it a binding and a pleasant duty and opportunity to say thanks and may his soul rest in peace.

I was truly one of the fortunate ones to be able to work with Africare when C. Payne was still head of Africare. He gave me my first job after I completed my Masters Degree in Public Health and that job forever changed me. I am very grateful for all that I learned during my tenure with Africare. You have fought a good fight and finished the race. Well Done! Rest on.

He built an empire of dedicated staff whose mission was to assist developing African Nations with professional help to improve their quality of life. He accomplished this mission. I am grateful I had the opportunity to work and learn under his leadership. He is at peace with a life well lived and shared with so many others. God bless him and rest in peace forever..

I worked with C. Payne as Africare’s Development Director in the ’90’s. I did a lot of the writing also and I always told C. Payne that some day I was going to write a book about him that would be called LARGER THAN LIFE. He truly was!
Dear Freddie, take care of yourself now.
Mary Ann Larkin

Though I only knew you briefly, it was evident that you were a good man with a good heart. You lived through this earth, supporting worthy causes and today you have left a legacy. I wish you eternal rest in the bosom of our Lord. Sleep on GIANT. ADIEU! REST IN PERFECT PEACE.

I had the good fortune to meet C. Payne Lucas upon my return to the States after 5 years working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, part of the time spent as a Public Health Peace Corps Volunteer. He provided me with great advice and encouragement, as I looked towards my next steps in health and development work. I have made a donation to Africare today in his memory. Thank you for all you contributed to this world. You will be missed and may you rest in peace. My sincere condolences to his family.

It was a great privilege to have worked for Mr C. Payne Lucas in the 1990s. He was a visionary and inspiration to so many. What an extraordinary legacy he leaves behind.
It was an honor to have known him.

C. Payne Lucas earned a proud legacy for his dedication to Africa and African development. It is a legacy richly deserved and for which he will be justly remembered. I hope his family will also take pride in knowing the profound positive impact his life’s work had on many individuals and on me personally. As Peace Corps Director of Returned Volunteer Services, he initiated the Transition Center program which proved to be one of the pivotal experiences in my life, guiding me to a career of more than 45 years in affordable housing and community development. Looking back on the projects I’ve worked on and the thousands of housing units I’ve had a hand in making possible, I am obliged to say that C. Payne Lucas can also take credit for these accomplishments. I and all those who benefited are forever grateful. Thank you. May the memory of C. Payne Lucas always be for a blessing.
Charles Kreiman, Peace Corps Volunteer Ethiopia X 1968-70

C. Payne was a dynamic and magnetic personalty. He put Africare on the map as the first international NGO with its base in the African-American community. He and his sidekick Joe Kennedy were highly effective as hosts to the many African leaders visiting the Washington D.C. region. C. Payne was also a leader in the U.S. NGO community. He and Joe turned that abandon school house into a center of African ideas, art and culture. His leadership and vision will be sorely missed.

I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the Lucas family. C. Payne touched the lives of millions of people, including mine, and his passing is a loss to us all. It was my greatest fortune to be part of Africare over so many years and to be able to share his vision.

My deep condolences to the Lucas family. He was one of the first people I met when I moved from Kenya (ten years as PPFA’s Africa Director) 28 years ago, and during my time at JSI. He was unfailingly kind to me and unfailingly generous with his wisdom and advice. I was always an admirer.

C. Payne Lucas has touched and influenced hundreds of people to follow international careers. We are all better off because we have crossed paths with this great humanitarian. The ancestors must be pleased to have such a faithful and dedicated worker to join them.
MY BROTHER, GO IN PEACE, GO IN PEACE
Earl M. Brown, Jr
Greenville, NC
PCV Tanganyika 1964- ‘66
PC/Washington 1967
PCD 1992-’94 Papua New Guinea
PCD 2002-2004 Guyana, South America

C. Payne Lucas as Director of the Africa Region of the Peace Corps Washington staff was a giant of an independent political man who weathered so much of the ups and downs of Washington. I have many memories of C. Payne as a strong leader but the one that meant the most to me personally was: When he stopped me one day in the halls of PC/W and said to me: Margurette, you’ll always have a place in the Africa region.

I was a young returned PC Volunteer from Thailand and Georgia and was hired to be in Talent Search to find and hire the best former PCV’s for overseas and training positions with the PC. And staff always had to deal with the changing politics and administrations in HQ. C. Payne was a bright spot for me in the period of 1966-1970 in PC/W. Since I spent the rest of my career in development with private employers, I followed C. Payne and Kevin L’s work at Africare and referred good people to them. Fond memories.

” A man who can sell ice to eskimos”. It was so that my Africare colleagues and I used to name C.Payne Lucas. Needless to tell explain the meaning of this phrase to you.

C. Payne Lucas was able to build a House with mere and intelligent thougths. Mister Lucas was an humble and sipmle person, a boss, a brother, a coach and everything to all of us.

May his soul rest in peace.

Al-Hassana Idriss Outman
+235 66140507

Dr. Martin Luther King is quoted as saying, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Mr. Lucas gave. He fit the model of a transformational leader who could motivate others. My experience with him was brief, but memorable. I sought information for research on African-Americans’ role in US foreign policy. Mr. Lucas gave selflessly of his time and shared his knowledge on the subject most willingly.

Rest well…may your family and friends find comfort in knowing that you touched many hearts and your work was felt from many miles away. I pray to touch and have half an impact as you , once again rest well, you deserve it!

My condolences to his immediate family and his global family. Mr. C. Payne Lucas played a major part in my life. He took a chance in a young Black man and assigned me to lead Africa’s first country office in Ethiopia in 1984. Throughout my time with Africare and after he’d provided me with valuable guidance which has helped me in my career and life.
May he rest in peace.

You fought a good fight and finish strong. The legacy you left behind will run through many generations. Your family and the entire Africare team will miss you greatly. May the Lord grant the entire family the fortitude to bear the loss. Continue to rest in the bosom of the Lord. Adieu.

Great man has gone. May your soul rest in peace. The good you left behind will continue to wax strong, your indeed a legend. May God console Africa.

C.Payne,
You were truly an inspiration, a Leader unafraid to encourage me to take risks and succeed on the Continent. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute and shine. Rest now “Giant Baobab”, the Continent you loved and its People will never forget what you have done to raise us up. I believe you will Rest In Peace, Home with the Ancestors.
RIP, Robert, Maureen, Ralph & Bobby Jr. Taylor-Smith.

C Payne Lucas will always be remembered for what he did for Africa and the world. Under his leadership AFRICARE became a leading NGO in development. He played a major role during the drought in Africa. I had the pleasure to meet him in Niger where several Africare projects were on-going. May he rest in peace .

A great pioneer with a rich legacy. The WORLD has benefitted from your life, and I pray that the impact will be even greater in your physical absence. To the family, I send the warmest embrace. After the cards and calls cease, and after the weeks extend to months, it is my deepest prayer that The LORD extends His arms of Comfort and continues to console and heal wounded hearts, as only He can.

RIP, Mr. Lucas. I did not know you but I know of all the wonderful acts you have helped happen.

One of our Giants, C. Payne has left a legacy on plant earth that will have a positive impact on our people and the world forever. I feel so blessed to have been able to have been in his presence. I thank his family and I thank our Lord for my man C Payne. Long Live!

Payne Lucas has indeed left his footprints on the sands of time. He saw a gap and created opportunities to fill it. His legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of many people around the World, especially in Africa. My prayers go out to his family and the entire Africare family

There will never be anyone else like C. Payne; my prayers and deepest condolences go out to his family; he will be sorely missed by all of his friends throughout the world.

“The difference One Human being can make”
Your passion, steadfast commitment & boundless optimism is what has propelled this dream to where it is today. You lived by example and caused us all to believe that we can all make a difference if we are committed to the cause of human dignity. The legacy you left behind will continue to inspire several thousands across the African continent and beyond.
Our hearts go out to his immediate family and those closest to him.

This is indeed a great loss to Africare. May God give Africare the ability to bear this great loss and fill the vacuum his departure has created to both Africare and the family. May his soul rest in peace.

I will never forget what Mr. Lucas has said to me in his Office that changes my lifetime engagement for and with Africare work.

Mr Lucas : We will never forget how your work and your involvement change life of millions of Africans including those who have the opportunity to serve their own countries as Africare agents – RIP

I am so sorry to hear of C. Payne’s death. We served on the HELP Commission together. I learned so much from him, greatly respected him and wanted to ensure that my government service would live up to his high standards. He was a force of nature. You should have seen him sit in the US Ambassador’s home in Liberia in 2007 and ask all the assembled global development representatives to Liberia why Mount Coffee Dam wasn’t being fixed and then start giving them a hard time when the finger-pointng and excuses started flying. And when Phil Christenson and I said the Commission should look at procurement issues, C. Payne was the only other Commissioner to get why that was critical and be crazy enough to jump into that morass. My one regret is that we never got to go fishing together in North Carolina – that often seemed to be his secret joy (in additiiton to his family) and even though I don’t fish, I would have done so with him just to be able to hang out together. My very deepest condolences to his family.

Another Giant joins the ancestors. I can still hear C.Payne’s powerful and strong voice urging us middle class uppity blacks onto Africa. He along with Rev. Dr. Sullivan pushed so many of us educated and well established African Americans to turn our attention to Africa, even when we were reluctant, he pushed and pushed and made us understand our duty and responsibility to our Motherland.  He never missed an opportunity to ensure the well being for Africa for which millions have felt that love and compassion and the benefit of his strong and courageous leadership. May his wondrous spirit rest in peace, and may we be bold and courageous enough as he was to continue his legacy for the full and equitable development of Africa.

C Payne Lucas brought me into his office on a couple of occasions to give me inspiration before I heading out once again to another challenge in West Africa. Whether it was Mali or Sierra Leone that I was headed to I cannot remember. In that meeting he declared that I had transcended issues of race and bias and that he was convinced that I would do my best to promote and support Africare. I may not have always walked the walk but that he gave me the chance to prove myself I am forever grateful. He always welcomed me and made me feel that I was part of something big. Thank you C. Payne and rest easy.

As you walk with the ancestors and arrive among them, they will embrace and welcome you as one of theirs as your earthly leadership was profound, impactful, and visionary. All of us of — those with you now among the heavenly bodies, and those of us who remain among the earthly ground — owe you an enormous debt of gratitude for ensuring that Africa was a core part of US policy, that African leaders, African nationals and the African Diaspora had a ” DC & US home — Africare House and the annual Africare Dinner” to voice their views, concerns, opinions, and vision for the Continent. Your leadership on Africa was well before its time and whatever “positive” changes in the US-Africa relationship over the last 30 years are truly and wholeheartedly due to you. You will be missed here, but we know you are beloved and welcomed where your spirit is now. May you rest in eternal peace – Sincerely Amb. Robin Renee Sanders

C. Payne was an inspiration, mentor and friend. I first met Luke twenty five years ago and always marveled at his dynamism, vision and strength of personality. Every visit to Africare was, and is, special, and I deeply respected how C. Payne built the organization on such a strong and broad base of support. He was a true leader among us and his commitment to human and social progress in Africa, as well strong U.S.-African relations, will serve as true north for anyone seeking to embrace the mantle he left behind. My deepest condolences to Freddie, Hilary and the extended Africare family.

C. Payne was an institution! Apart from his legendary work with AFRICARE, he was instrumental in the evolution of Peace Corps from an aspirational idea to a practical reality. The last time I saw him was when I invited him to a panel at the University of Wisconsin’s 50th anniversary celebration of Peace Corps. He was on joined by Johnnie Carson, Mark Green, John Campbell and Bill Josephson. If C. Payne was the heart and soul of the Peace Corps, Bill was its intellectual font and Johnnie, Mark and John its emissaries. Our host was Crawford Young, the eminence grise of Africanist academics in the US. As always, he stole the show.

Condolences to the Payne family and his legion of friends.

Tony Carroll

I remember first meeting C. Payne nearly 25 years ago. His legend preceded him, and he lived up to it in every respect. He was unabashedly pro-African, visionary, dashing, persuasive, and just about every other superlative his personality-type serves up. Now that I am part of his legacy as an Africare leader, I cannot help but marvel at how easy he made it all seem. We have Africare today because he worried a lot about its tomorrows, as do I. His are shoes that can never quite be filled, but he challenges us not to be comfortable but to keep dreaming bigger and doing better for the thousands upon thousands of Africans who have better lives because of a dream called Africare.

C Payne worked tirelessly to build strong, durable & mutually beneficial U.S.-Africa ties. Not only did he devote his life to building Africare into a great organization, following his 2002 retirement he joined AllAfrica as senior adviser & later chair of the AllAfrica Foundation. Working tirelessly to generate support, he had no patience for people who did not respond to his entreaties to contribute to a cause that he viewed as vital.
No one can replicate the immeasurable impact he has had. Our best tribute is redouble our efforts and march forward on the pathway he charted.

C. Payne Lucas leaves a true legacy that will continue to foster good things for Africa and the United States. My most sincere condolences to his family and the multitude of friends who mourn his passing. May he rest in peace.

We’ve lost a champion, a mentor to many of us, and most importantly a friend. His impact will be felt for generations to come as many of the seeds he planted continue to grow and multiply. Rest in peace my friend.

I was saddened to learn of the passing of C. Payne Lucas over the weekend. He has been a role model, mentor and friend to Africa for more years than I can remember. His departure from this earth will leave a large hole that will be filled by his legacy and the many lives he touched across the continent. My deepest sympathy to his family and friends. May he rest in peace.