Presbyterian Village North (PVN) resident Major John “Lucky” Luckadoo is ninety-nine years-old, and has received many honors throughout his lifetime. A few of those include being enshrined in the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas and the WWII Museum in New Orleans. He is also the last remaining pilot from the 100th Bomb Group (Bloody Hundredth), the first allies to bomb Adolf Hitler in WWII Germany. Now, he is the award recipient of the LeadingAge 2021 Inspirational Senior Texan Award.
“I’m deeply honored to be a recipient of this leading age award and my profound thanks to the organization for recognizing me,” said Mr. Luckadoo. “In my almost century on this planet I’m hard-pressed to find a comparable, but I do want to express my sincere appreciation and also extend my very best wishes to LeadingAge for continued success in their community service.”
This award is given to individuals senior citizens who make outstanding contributions by going above and beyond, all while inspiring others with their actions.
Mr. Luckadoo’s military service alone is enough to qualify him for this honor, but he was nominated for work he does for heroes closer to home. Lucky started Home Front Heroes Day to recognize those who stayed at home and helped to support the troops when they were away from home serving their country.
He believes that if it weren’t for their contribution, they would not have won the war. He said that this continues to happen, even now, as several families are left behind to support their loved ones as they fight for our country. Inspired by Lucky’s determination, Dallas mayor, Mike Rawlings presented a proclamation designating May 9 Home Front Heroes Day in Dallas each year.
In addition to his contribution to the Home Front Heroes initiative, Mr. Luckadoo served as the 2020 keynote speaker for the Forefront Living Foundation’s Each Moment Matter Luncheon, an event that raised over $400,000 to provide care for unfunded patients and special at T. Boone Pickens Hospice and Palliative Care Center. Lucky is also looking forward to publishing a book outlining his experiences in WWII in early 2022.
The awards ceremony in which Mr. Luckadoo will formally receive the Inspirational Senior Texan Award, will take place at the LeadingAge Texas Virtual Annual Conference in May. This conference is attended by over hundreds of dedicated professionals who work in aging services in the state of Texas.
For more information on Leading Age awards, visit leadingagetexas.org. To stay up to date on what residents are doing at PVN, follow us on Instagram and Facebook.