Ted Luckett
Edward “Ted” Luckett, Ohio Wesleyan ’84
Brother Luckett was a member of the Ohio Beta of Phi Delta Theta at Ohio Wesleyan University. He was a partner with Cantor Fitzgerald, and most recently worked for e-Speed, a company Cantor established and took public in 1999. Ted worked on the 105th floor of One World Trade Center. Ted is survived by his wife of 11 years, Lisa Lindeman; three children, Jennifer Grace (7), William Stone II (4) and Timothy Wyatt (4 months); his mother, Diana Ward Luckett of Larchmont, N.Y.; two sisters, Kathy Luckett-Brown and Alexandra Ward Luckett; a brother, James Taylor Luckett; two neices, Diane Kathryn and Peyton Kingman; his father and mother-in-law, Neil and Connie Lindeman; and brothers-in-law, Mark Lindeman and Justin Brown. Ted’s family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to all who have reached out and given them the strength to carry on. They hope the world will be a better place for what they have loved and lost.
Sailing Through Life With Lots of Laughter
Edward “Ted” Hobbs Luckett II had a lust for life that mainly revolved around his family and job – he also deeply appreciated other people, humorous things and sailing.
Luckett, 40, was an employee of eSpeed, the electronic trading platform of Cantor Fitzgerald, where he was a partner. A man who was known for his cheery disposition, Luckett worked on the 105th floor of Tower One. He spent eight years with the bond trading firm until about a year ago when he transferred to its subsidiary.
“He enjoyed every single day of his life. He was very much a person who was connected to to his family and always appreciated what he saw in other people,” said his wife, Lisa. She added that her husband was “a laid back sort of guy who had a terrific sense of humor that would make everyone burst into gales of laughter.”
She emphasized that his humor was the gentle, witty kind but never directed at the expense of anyone else. His wife compared his style to Jerry Seinfeld. Luckett was also a movie buff.
Before his marriage 11 years ago, Luckett was an avid sailboat racer who competed in a number of events. He was spotted during one of his races by a movie director and got a small part as a sailboat crewman in “Masquerade,” a 1985 film that starred Rob Lowe.
Like many others, Luckett’s career turned out to be worlds away from what he studied in college. He earned a degree in ancient Russian history from Ohio Wesleyan University.
Luckett and his wife lived in Fair Haven, N.J., with their three children, Jennifer, 7, William, 4, and Timothy, 8 months.
Survivors include his mother, Diana Luckett, and a sister, Alexandria Luckett, both of Larchmont, N.Y., another sister, Kathryn Luckett-Brown, of Rowley, Mass., and a brother, James, of Cape Hatteras, N.C.
— Bill Kaufman (Newsday)
Remembering Ted: A Tribute to Ted Luckett ’84
Spencer Johnson, in his book The Precious Present, describes a young boy, who when told by an old man of the wonderful gift of the Precious Present says …
“I hope someone gives me the Precious Present … “
He searches his whole life and waits for someone to give him the Precious Present. After years of searching, he finally found and understood the Precious Present. He understood that only he could give himself the Precious Present.
“As long as I continue to stay in The Present, I am happy forever. Because Forever is always the Present.”
And so it was with Ted Luckett. From the moment he set foot on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University, he understood the Precious Present. At a time in a young man’s life when insecurities and questions are the norm, Ted understood life. He understood who he was. He understood and was comfortable with himself. In 25 years of working with young men, I can say Ted was an exception in that regard. While most of his peers were searching for themselves, Ted already found himself.
“The Present is simply … Who I am … Just the Way I am … Right Now. And it is Precious.”
And so it was with Ted Luckett. He was everybody’s friend. He was his own friend. A teammate and friend told me after September 11th that ” … you just lost the greatest guy who ever played for you.” That is what all who knew him thought. Ted was a great guy. Many of his teammates remember Ted as ” … quick with a smile and joke … and he cared about each of us.” When Ted was a senior, a freshman teammate told me ” … he took me under his wing. Even though I was a dorky freshman … Ted did not care. Every time he saw me he was smiling. He asked how I was doing … he cared” As classmate Tom Raymond said, “If you couldn’t get along with a guy like Ted Luckett, you had a serious problem.” Unlike many of his classmates who were so self-centered, Ted was so comfortable with himself that he could give time to others. And he did. A teammate offered, ” … Ted had a great sense of humor and he truly cared about people. He was a dedicated friend. I remember him as a happy, caring and friendly guy.”
“The Precious Present is something Precious I can give to and receive from myself … for I am Precious … I am the Precious Present.”
And so it was with Ted Luckett. If I was ever asked to list the top 25 soccer players ever to play at Ohio Wesleyan, Ted would not be on that list. He might not make the next list of 25 either! Ted was a defender. But like most defenders, he wanted to be a forward. Every time Ohio Wesleyan won the ball and played it forward, Ted would make a run from his defensive position to an attacking position. He wanted the ball played to him so he could create a scoring opportunity … get an assist … or maybe even score a goal! The problem, of course, was that he left his defensive position unattended. If Ohio Wesleyan lost the ball, Ted was out of position. Ted really didn’t care. He felt that he was doing what he could for his team. That’s what Ted did. He did what he could for others. He wanted to do what he could for the team. He saw opportunity in all situations … on and off the field. He enjoyed each and every moment he played the game. If there was a little glory in it … so be it.
He was not a gifted athlete. He was big and strong, but a bit slow of foot. His enthusiasm and understanding of the game made up for these deficiencies. He simply loved the game. I have always wanted to coach players who loved the game. Ted was one of them.
He played on the varsity team for three years. He took some time off when his father died. He even coached the junior varsity team with classmate Jim Kehoe. Both were injured that year and helped me with the freshmen. I really do not know if the younger players learned anything about soccer. But, they learned about life. They learned about how fun soccer should be. They learned about the passions some have for the game. Because of this, they became better players, better people and I know they had a lot of laughs and a good time.
“The man smiled. It felt good to be with himself just the way he was at that moment. He felt he had enough. He felt he knew enough. He felt he was enough. Now!”
And so it was with Ted Luckett. If I was ever asked to name the top twenty five good guys in the program over the last twenty five years … Ted Luckett would be on that list! And what is more important? A good player? Or a good person? No one cares how many soccer games you win in college. They care about the type of person you are … your family … your friends … your relationships. In this category, Ted Luckett was an All American. Says classmate, Rocco Donnino, “The main thing that sticks in my mind about Ted was how many good friends he truly had (there were over one thousand people at his memorial service). Ted and Lisa had a saying, ” … there are no strangers, only friends we haven’t met.”
And there were no strangers even in foreign countries. When the soccer team traveled to Germany in Ted’s junior year he was the main man and leader on the trip. He spoke no German, but that did not prevent him from making friends all over Germany in his funky “Euro Trash” sign language. He even tried to call the Munich subway authorities about a lost package for a teammate. A language barrier was not a barrier at all for Ted.
Ted was elected president of the student body. I am not sure how many athletes have done this since I have been at Ohio Wesleyan in the last 25 years. I suspect few … if any. But, that was typical of Ted. Athletes, non-athletes, fraternity people, foreign students, it made no difference to Ted or to them. It is clear that everyone liked Ted Luckett. And he liked everyone.
“He had finally found and accepted the Precious Present … and he was completely happy.”
And, so it was with Ted Luckett.
by Dr. John Martin, Director of Athletics and Men’s Varsity Soccer Head Coach at Ohio Wesleyan.
Donations may be made to:
Luckett Children’s Educational Trust
c/o Trustee: Arthur H. Tildesley
130 Pine Cove Rd.
Fair Haven, NJ 07704
Edward H. Luckett: The Adrenaline Hound
Here’s the wind blowing at 50 miles an hour and the sailboat tossing like a lettuce leaf in a salad bowl, up and down, 30 feet at a time. And here’s Edward H. Luckett, raising and lowering the sails, expertly tweaking them, never panicking. “He was very cool under pressure, always laughing,” said Jeff Beneville, Mr. Luckett’s longtime sailing companion. “He was a tremendous sailor.”
The two sailed together in numerous New York Yacht Club “maxi-yacht” races, which originate in Newport, R.I. Mr. Luckett’s wife, Lisa, called the maxi-yachts, which are 75 to 85 feet long, the “ultimate racing machines.” They carried her husband and other sailors to Bermuda many times.
“It’s a passion,” Mrs. Luckett said. “It’s the ultimate rush. The wind and salt and speed in your hair, and the mixing with the elements.” At Mr. Luckett’s memorial service, she served Dark and Stormies — rum and ginger beer.
Mr. Luckett, 40, of Fair Haven, N.J., went into equities trading in his late 20’s and was a product manager at Cantor Fitzgerald. “It’s the same young-male-bonding business,” Mrs. Luckett said. “It’s the same rush. It’s about doing a million things at the same time and all the guys staying together.”
November 21, 2001 New York Times
Edward H. Luckett II, 40, sunny seafarer
When Edward H. Luckett II died in the Twin Towers collapse, his wife, Lisa, received condolences from all over the world, including Bali, London and Switzerland. Some were from clients he hadn’t dealt with in five years.
That, Lisa Luckett believes, is a testament to his sunny nature, his kindness and his genuine concern for others. Also, his sense of humor, which his sister, Alexandra Luckett of Manhattan, described as being “sort of like (Jerry) Seinfeld, but it was never at the expense of others.”
“He just made friends everywhere,” his wife said.
His sister said her brother was “just the sweetest person who ever lived” and “could make everybody laugh until they cried.”
Mr. Luckett, 40, of Fair Haven, was a partner at Cantor Fitzgerald, a bond brokerage firm, and a products manager at its subsidiary, eSpeed, where he sold electronic trading platforms.
Known as Ted, Mr. Luckett grew up boating, drawn to it by his father, the late William Stone Luckett II. Before he got married nearly 11 years ago, he spent most of his free time crewing in competitive sailboat races.
When he sailed for the Obsession syndicate, he landed a part in the 1985 movie “Masquerade” as a crew member and helped teach actor Rob Lowe sailing.
But he gave that up, as well his home in Manhattan, after the first of his three children were born. His desire to be close to the beach took the family to Fair Haven, where he could play with his children on the beach and take the ferry to work.
“He liked being outside. He’d see a nice day and we couldn’t get out of the house fast enough to enjoy it. He would stay on the beach until dusk,” his wife said.
A graduate of Mamaroneck High School in Larchmont, N.Y., he was senior class president. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1984. A champion soccer player, he coached his daughter’s soccer team.
“He was great at everything, but I always told him that the best thing he ever did was being a great father. He made them feel like they were on top of the world,” his wife said.
Mr. Luckett was a member of St. George’s-by-the-River in Rumson, Larchmont Yacht Club, New York Yacht Club, Manhattan and Ship Ahoy Beach Club.
In addition to his wife and sister, Mr. Luckett is survived by his children, Jennifer Grace, 7, William Stone III, 4, and Timothy Wyatt, 4 months; his mother, Diana W. Luckett, of Larchmont; sister Kathryn Luckett-Brown of Boston; a brother, James Taylor Luckett of Cape Hatteras, and nieces.
A memorial service is to be held at 10 a.m. Monday at St. George’s-by-the-River, Rumson. Donations can be made to Luckett Children’s Educational Trust, c/o Arthur H. Tildesley, 130 Pine Cove, Fair Haven.
— Bev McCarron
Copyright 2002 The Star-Ledger
