The past is recreated in the
present for Virginia soldier and his family
Michael Lucas had just finished framing the first floor of a new
home that he was building for his family in Rice, Va. Ultimately, he
hoped to create a structure to resemble the pre-Civil War home that
had stood on the property from 1859 until the 1980s.
“The ‘Chatham House’ was not located on the
exact spot of our new home, but was within walking distance,”
advised Jean Lucas, Michael’s wife. “We wanted to build a home that
would look like it was from the Civil War era, but not on such a
grand scale.”
In June 2007, the building project and Lucas
family life would be disrupted when Michael Lucas was called for
duty by the Virginia National Guard. Jean Lucas and the couple’s two
sons—Michael Henry, 12, and Joseph, 6—would “make do” as their
husband and father trained for his eventual deployment to Iraq.
“We were living in a rented home as the house
was being built—so there wasn’t much room for the boys to run
around,” explained their mother. “Plus, Joseph has autism spectrum
disorder, so he has special needs of his own.”
A “stay-at-home mom” who home-schools her two
sons, Jean Lucas said friends from her home-school group nominated
the family for consideration by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition:
“It was very nice, but we didn’t think there was any way we would be
selected. We were surprised when we were told a house would be built
for us.”
Harleysville steps up … again
Even before the new home was revealed to a
national audience during the March 2, 2008, episode of Extreme
Makeover: Home Edition, Harleysville had already insured it—free
of charge for the next year, through Carr & Hyde, Inc. of Warrenton,
Va.
Harleysville now has helped nine families since
establishing its connection with the ABC series in 2006.
On Feb. 26, 2008, the Lucas family received a
visit from their new insurers. In attendance from Carr & Hyde were
Wayne Eastham, president; Tab Vollrath, vice president, and Linda
Lee, life and health specialist (who, ironically, is Jean Lucas’s
mother!). Harleysville was represented by Kevin Glancy, Richmond
branch resident vice president, and Brenda Adkins, personal lines
territory manager for Virginia.
“It was so nice of Harleysville to provide us
with homeowners insurance,” observed Jean Lucas. “We’ve had so many
other details to worry about, so it’s good to know we’re insured by
a company that has such a good reputation.”
In addition to being insured for its
replacement cost value, the Lucas home also is protected by
Harleysville’s SignatureSM endorsement—which provides
broadened insurance coverage and policy features.
Facing adversity, maintaining tradition “It was a very heartwarming get-together,”
said Eastham of the late February 2008 visit. “Because Jean’s
mother, Linda, works here in our agency, we’ve had a special
interest in this project and it’s been fascinating for us to
watch the home being built. This young family has faced a lot of
adversity—and they’ve done extremely well.” |
Jean Lucas
(second from l.) gathers on her living room sofa with sons Michael
Henry (l.) and Joseph. Also pictured is Lucas’s mother, Linda Lee, a
life and health specialist at Carr & Hyde, Inc.
Harleysville’s Kevin Glancy stands next to an authentic Civil War-era fireplace façade restored by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
On the mantelpiece is a photo of Michael Lucas in military uniform,
and above is one of many paintings of Civil War scenes on display
throughout the home.
Jean Lucas
sits in her master bedroom in front of a large painting of “Chatham
House,” the Civil War-era structure Michael Lucas used as his model
when designing the home Extreme Makeover: Home Edition would
eventually build.
The Lucas family’s new home in Rice, Va.
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