Lucinda and I had one of those immediate friendships that grew quickly. We met in 2006 soon after each of us had taken up new roles at the University of Florida. Lucinda, Ken and I enjoyed exploring the waterways of North Florida and finding good places to dine. She loved to laugh and spend time with friends, enjoying simple pleasures like listening to music, doing crossword puzzles or floating in her pool. Lucinda relished the excitement of live concerts, dance, theatre, and music. For 20 years, through trial and successes, Lucinda has been a dear friend, a family member not by birth, but by choice.
When I think of Lucinda, three special personal qualities come to mind: her generosity of spirit, her abilities as a leader, and the strength of her character.
Lucinda cared about the vulnerable, and she donated financially to many causes. More than just impersonal gifts, she shared her great generosity of spirit. Lucinda personally supported many others to move forward in their lives – via their art, scholarship, work or personal relationships. She was patient and endlessly positive in encouraging others. She and Ken sponsored a scholarship for saxophone – and even in her last days, she asked us to collect and donate his remaining saxophones to the University of Florida.
Lucinda always saw the best in every person – and would loyally find a nice interpretation for any issues, until the truth said otherwise. She did not rush to call out the failures of others. There was a reason for her patience – she kept hope for every person and held onto this as long as possible. But, when Lucinda sensed unfairness or inequity, she was quick to raise her voice in defense of those affected. She was no supporter of privilege or the illegitimate use of power.
Lucinda had a gift for bringing people together, and she expressed it in many ways. She served as Dean of the College of the Arts at the University of Florida for over 10 years, working with all her energy on behalf of the College and its faculty. She led the effort to link the Arts to other areas of the University of Florida. She called this initiative “Creative Campus”. She understood the intricate relationship between art and other disciplines. She saw patterns in nature, science, engineering, and human behavior as stimulus for all arts. And importantly, she knew the arts could be part of the creative process for these disciplines.
Lucinda led others through her natural enthusiasm, persistence and positive energy. She was an engaging figure, visible and known around campus –with a vibrant and distinctive presence of her own.
Lucinda fought cancer several times in her life, starting even in her twenties. More recently, she struggled for over five years against a devastating lung cancer – and with the help of her doctors, seemed to have beaten it. She told me that for any given month, she would have one week where she felt reasonably normal – the other three weeks were taken up with her treatments or the fallout from them. She was strong but not stoic – I remember many times when she would just need to cry. But then she would gather herself and move on. Even in her pain, she was still gracious and thanked anyone with helped her – in any small way.
During these grim times, she always thought first of Ken, whose health was also failing. She saw to his needs before her own and worried about what would happen to him if she failed and passed before he did.
She fought against her last bout of illness, through terrible pain. She resisted hospice until there were no more options for treatment. It was a brave but difficult decision. Lucinda wanted every drop of life.
I loved Lucinda and was inspired by her generous heart, enduring strength, and commitment to the wellbeing of all those around her. The way she led her life is her legacy.
Marie Zeglen
