O
n a personal note, Jack believes that he has
been richly rewarded at every level throughout his
abundantly creative 40-year career in entertainment.
He relishes the many memories of meeting and
working alongside countless megastars of stage,
screen and music who he had greatly admired in
his earlier years as an aspiring performer himself.
One particular occasion Jack gleefully recalls, is
when he invited iconic singing star Tony Bennett to
perform the first non-Spokane Symphony concert
at the magnificent newly renovated Fox Theater in
2007. Taking Mr. Bennett on a short stroll around
the streets of Spokane they came across the Bing
Crosby Theater, and Tony quizzed “Hey, I was a
close friend of Bing. How come you didn’t book
me to play his theater?” Jack laughingly explained
that our lovely theater only had a seating capacity
of 756, and to be viable they would have to charge
a thousand bucks a ticket! As a lasting memory of
that encounter, one of Jack’s prize possessions is a
signed photograph and signed program from Tony
Bennett, which he has framed and prominently
positioned on his wall.
Jack now confidently hands over his leadership reins
to his successor Justin Kobluk, himself a three-
decade veteran in the entertainment industry and
whose qualifications include being the entertainment
director at Spokane’s Northern Quest Resort, as well
as managing venues which include Seattle’s Tacoma
Dome, the Xfinity Arena, the Clark County Event
Center, the Seattle Supersonics, and even the U.S.
Olympic Committee.
Don’t be surprised when you see Jack Lucas in
the audience at future STCU Best of Broadway
presentations, just as he has done for every single
performance during his tenure. Indeed, Jack will
still be an essential part of WestCoast Entertainment
and TicketsWest in an advisory and consultancy
capacity.
As for the rest of his retirement time, Jack is looking
forward to spending more time with his wife
Frances and family; a little more time on the golf
links; traveling to fascinating places; and, as a keen
private pilot with his own Cessna airplane at Felts
Field, a little more time enjoying elevated views
of the city he loves and has endowed with the very
“Best of Broadway.”
March | April 2019
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