Mr. Lucas, who was a staff sergeant during the war, devised a number of tools, attachments for wrenches and mechanical procedures that improved the efficiency of aircraft maintenance. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his achievements.
After the war, he taught airplane mechanics at Phelps Vocational High School in Washington. He was a graduate of Howard University, and in 1952 he received a master's degree in education from New York University.
He taught vocational education at several Washington schools and entered school administration as a principal of evening and summer programs at Woodson Junior High School. He also taught swimming and supervised a variety of extracurricular activities.
In 1964, he was named principal of Armstrong Adult Education Center, his alma mater. One highlight of his career was presenting an honorary high school diploma to former Armstrong student Duke Ellington. He retired in 1977.
Mr. Lucas was a member of the Kiwanis club and enjoyed playing golf into his eighties. He was a member of the M Club, a teachers' organization, and the University of Maryland Senior Men's Golf Association. He also enjoyed international travel.
He attended Calvary Episcopal Church in Washington.
Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Marguerite Lucas of Chevy Chase; a daughter, Karen Lucas of Chevy Chase; and a son, Dr. Elliott W. Lucas Jr. of Hampton, Va.
Sophie RosenbaumVolunteer
Sophie Rosenbaum, 99, a retired New York elementary school teacher who volunteered with Montgomery County senior services organizations, died Nov. 10 at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda of injuries sustained in a fall.
The Chevy Chase resident and 50-year cancer survivor was born in Russia and raised in Brooklyn. She graduated from City College of New York and for many years was a first-grade teacher.
Upon moving to the Washington area in 1975, she joined a number of civic groups and rose to a leadership position with the Jewish Community Center, the Blair Senior Club and the Montgomery County Association of Senior Citizens, as well as local chapters of the National Council of Senior Citizens and AARP.
She also served on the board of the Forest Glen Senior Center and headed Seniors for Organized Change, an organization through which she served briefly as an intern in 1982 for Rep. Michael D. Barnes (D-Md.).
Her husband of 55 years, Hyman Rosenbaum, died in 1986.
