Maze! Toy!

Rehabilitation through Training
(ORT).
These days, on the lapel of her
business blazer she wears a small,
green, ribbon pin representing her
commitment to kidney transplants
as her oldest daughter waits for her
second.
"My mother is a strong woman
who never gives up," says Berman, a
public relations consultant who
often turns to Lucas for some care-
giving on kidney-dialysis days.
"Before my first transplant, mother
was completely encouraging and
kept telling me that I'd be fine. Her
faith is amazing."
Lucas feels she is becoming more
spiritual with each day. She main-
tains that giving to others is an
important part of her belief system.
She keeps donation con-
tainers in the kitchen for
the Jewish National Fund,
Lubavitch and the Juvenile
Diabetes Foundation.
"I believe there's an
angel on my shoulder,
Lucas says.
Binder, an interior
designer, believes it's the
human connection that
makes her mother special.
"She's a great lady,
friend and confidante, and
she just doesn't seem 80 to
me," Binder says. "She
always taught us to con-
nect with others, and she
never tried to live her life through
longest-term salesper-
her daughters."
son. She bonds with
Lucas's recent 80th birthday cele-
each client, and they
bration
lasted an entire day. It start-
feel she's like family.
ed
with
a leisurely visit with her
She has a young atti-
daughters to the hairdresser's and
tude and easily relates
moved on to lunch at the Townsend
to young people."
in Birmingham, where her only
Lucas, now a widow
grandchild, Brooke Berman, made a
who got her real estate
surprise visit from New York, where
license in 1965 after
she's in a playwright fellowship pro-
working as a school
gram at Juilliard.
secretary, attributes her
The afternoon was filled with a
business success to
photography session to update trea-
treating everyone who
Ida Lucas with, from left, daughters Marilyn Berman and Suzanne Binder, and granddaughter
sured albums, and the festivities
walks in the door as a
Brooke Berman.
concluded with dinner, joined by
prospective client. She
son-in-law Robert Binder, who had
has toys ready to enter-
Maybe, she says, she will cut back
treated the clan to lunch. The Bill
SUZANNE CHESSLER
tain children while she talks with
from
her
six-days-a-week
schedule
Knapp's meal was a tradition for the
Special to The Jewish News
their parents.
selling homes in new subdivisions
businesswoman, who wouldn't
savvy
While her own children —
around Detroit. Her two daughters
da Lucas could sit back in her
dream of fora b oina b a discount.
Marilyn Berman and Suzy Binder —
are not so sure. There's a cluster of
With a Dec. 23 birthday, Lucas
upscale, high-rise, Southfield
were quite young, Lucas filled avail-
70 just-built houses in Northville
came home to cards and presents
apartment and laze her days
able time with organizational com-
ready for her to offer buyers.
sent by satisfied customers. A lun-
away.
mitments. Now a member of Temple
"I need purpose for my days, and
cheon in January was arranged by
But that would not be enough
Shir Shalom, she has been president
I
consider
every
home
that
I
sell
an
her employer.
meaningful activity for this ener-
of the Music Study Club and pro-
important experience," says Lucas,
getic, just-turned-80, working mom
moted the Organization for
dressed for the '90s in pants and
and grandmom.

blazer, nails perfectly
o manicured and hair
fixed in a classic
t
"I hope that
every day brings me
someplace to go and
something worthwhile
4 to do."
Lucas started work-
ing after her children
t were grown and while
her husband Sam fol-
lowed his professional
interests as a pharma-
cist and owner of
DeLuxe Drug Stores.
"Ida is dynamite,"
says Scott Jacobson,
owner of S.J. Jacobson
Development, who
boasts about his

Ida Lucas
has no plans
to slow down
after a
milestone
birthday.

I

2/19
1999

44 Detroit Jewish News

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