Local figure 'Ernie the Can Man' remembered by community
By SARAH MCEVILLY
The State News
He biked across campus and the city every day to collect cans. No one knew why, and few asked. He was dubbed "Ernie the Can Man" by the MSU community and seemingly became a legend.
So when rumors of his death began swirling earlier this week, those who knew of him began to wonder if what they heard was true. On Thursday, police officials confirmed Ernst Lucas, the man known to most as Ernie, had died. He was 68 years old.
East Lansing police Capt. Juli Liebler said officers were called to his house Saturday after a friend reported he hadn't heard from Lucas in a couple of weeks.
The cause of his death is unknown, but Liebler said it's possible he died from hypothermia. There was no heat in his house when officers arrived, and there were no signs of foul play. Officials are waiting for a final autopsy report.
Born on Aug. 3, 1935, Lucas spent the first three years of his life in a small farming village 25 miles from Vienna, Austria. He was the youngest of four children.
In 1940, during World War II, he and his family fled Europe and came to the United States as refugees. Lucas gained official American citizenship in 1945.
His father, Eugene Lucas, became a professor of horticulture at MSU, and his mother, Margaret Lucas, was a homemaker.
A 1953 graduate of East Lansing High School, Lucas went on to earn a bachelor's degree from MSU in 1957.
Following his father's death in 1959, Lucas lived with his mother until she passed away in 1991. Ernst Lucas lived in East Lansing until the time of his death.
Lucas is survived by his brothers, Jack Lucas of West Hartford, Conn., and Alexander Lucas of Rochester, Minn. He is preceded in death by his sister, Anne Fonken, who died in 2002.
Lucas mostly kept to himself, but often was seen collecting cans from buildings across campus. His trademark bicycle now sits alone on the porch of his red-brick house on Sycamore Street.
When no-preference sophomore Lisa Scher moved into her Sycamore Street duplex last fall, she had no idea she would be living across the street from a near-legend.
Scher said Lucas had a daily routine, and every time she saw him, the two would smile at each other.
"It was reassuring to see him every day," she said.
After returning from winter break, Scher said she and her roommates noticed his absence almost immediately.
"We were keeping our eyes out for him," she said. "It's weird not seeing him around campus."
Even those who never spoke to Lucas said they were saddened by his passing.
Economics junior Brad Turley and marketing junior Marse� Jenkins were both in shock when they learned of Lucas' death. The two said they remember seeing Lucas since they were freshmen, especially in the Main Library.
"Everywhere I go, I'd see him, no matter where I was on campus," Jenkins said. "He was such a nice guy."
Paul Hunter, director of general chemistry, said he would see Lucas quite often in the Chemistry Building.
"He used to come into the lecture hall looking for empty cans after lectures," Hunter said. "I know some people objected to him coming into the lecture halls, but I didn't mind."
Lucas was known to keep to himself, and Hunter said the two never spoke in the many years they crossed paths.
"I was always curious about his background and what prompted him in his endeavor to pick up all those cans," he said.
Some of the people who might have been closest to Lucas were employees at Goodrich's Shop-Rite, 940 Trowbridge Road, who often talked with Lucas as he returned cans at the store.
Employees reminisced about Lucas on Thursday, remembering him as a friendly man who loved to talk about cars. He sometimes came in four times a day to return cans, have some coffee and read the magazines.
"He was always someone you knew you could look forward to seeing," said Philip Garlitz, an employee of Goodrich's for six months. "He was fun to talk to."
Though they never asked why he collected so many cans, the employees said they always enjoyed his company.
Jose Sanchez said he worked at Goodrich's for two and a half years and always looked forward to seeing Lucas.
"I stopped and talked to him when I wasn't too busy," Sanchez said. "He was a nice, sweet old man."
The employees said they assumed Lucas hadn't been coming in recently because of the cold weather. All were devastated by the news.
"You get used to seeing someone every week, and then you find out they're gone," Sanchez said. "I'm in shock."
His brother Alexander Lucas said he and Jack Lucas use to stay in touch regularly with their brother, but lost contact when he disconnected his telephone. It had been almost two years since Alexander Lucas said he had seen Ernst Lucas.
Alexander Lucas said his brother avoided technology, but loved to listen to the radio - the only type of technology he didn't shun.
Though he was recognized around East Lansing and on the MSU campus, Alexander Lucas said Ernst kept mostly to himself and never married.
Because of Ernst Lucas' healthy lifestyle - he didn't smoke or drink and rode his bike every day - Alexander Lucas said he wasn't expecting his brother to die so suddenly.
"Many people commented that � he would outlive all of us," Alexander Lucas said. "It came as a surprise to me."
Ernst Lucas was cremated and his remains are being kept at the Chapel in the Pines Funeral Home, 101 W. Jolly Road in Lansing. There are no funeral services planned, but Alexander Lucas said arrangements might be made at a later date.
"He was an intellectually gifted person who read a lot," Alexander Lucas said. "He really marched to the beat of a different drummer."
Sarah McEvilly can be reached at
mcevilly@msu.edu
