The Iowa State Fair shared on Facebook that former fair general manager CEO Robert "Marion" Lucas died last week.According to his obituary, Lucas died Jan. 9 at the Miller County Care and Rehabilitation Center in rural Tuscumbia, Missouri. Lucas served as the general manager and CEO of the Iowa State Fair from 1986-2002. "His vision lives on today in places like Pella Plaza and the renovated Varied Industries Building and in programs like the information volunteers and the Blue Ribbon Foundation," the Iowa State Fair said in a statement. "Marion's legacy will forever be a part of our Fair's history and he will be missed by everyone in the Fair family."Lucas was born in New Florence, Missouri, and grew up on a farm in Montgomery County, Missouri. He served as the director of the Missouri State Fair from 1981 until he accepted the position at the Iowa State Fair in 1986. He again served as director of the Missouri State Fair from 2007 to 2009.State Fair attendance in 1986, Lucas' first year, was 732,000. Under Lucas it hit a high of 985,780 in 2000 before dipping slightly to 938,950 in 2001, his last. It surpassed 1 million in 2002, the first year for his successor Gary Slater. The attendance record now sits at 1,182,682, set in 2024. Jeremy Parsons took over the job in 2023 after Slater's retirement.
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa State Fair shared on Facebook that former fair general manager CEO Robert "Marion" Lucas died last week.
According to his obituary, Lucas died Jan. 9 at the Miller County Care and Rehabilitation Center in rural Tuscumbia, Missouri.
Lucas served as the general manager and CEO of the Iowa State Fair from 1986-2002.
"His vision lives on today in places like Pella Plaza and the renovated Varied Industries Building and in programs like the information volunteers and the Blue Ribbon Foundation," the Iowa State Fair said in a statement. "Marion's legacy will forever be a part of our Fair's history and he will be missed by everyone in the Fair family."
Lucas was born in New Florence, Missouri, and grew up on a farm in Montgomery County, Missouri. He served as the director of the Missouri State Fair from 1981 until he accepted the position at the Iowa State Fair in 1986. He again served as director of the Missouri State Fair from 2007 to 2009.
State Fair attendance in 1986, Lucas' first year, was 732,000. Under Lucas it hit a high of 985,780 in 2000 before dipping slightly to 938,950 in 2001, his last. It surpassed 1 million in 2002, the first year for his successor Gary Slater. The attendance record now sits at 1,182,682, set in 2024. Jeremy Parsons took over the job in 2023 after Slater's retirement.
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