Paul M. Lucko

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Paul M. Lucko

Paul M. Lucko


Paul Lucko is Professor Emeritus at Murray State University where he served as Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Social Work from 2015 to 2022. 

Paul received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Texas at Austin.  He has taught at several community colleges, worked for Texas state government agencies, and served as Executive Director of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society. 

Paul was a consultant and cast member for Susanne Mason’s PBS Writ Writer documentary film production as well as a cast member in the “Prison Labor/Prison Blues” episode of the PBS We do the Work documentary film series.  He also served as a consultant for the chain gang scene in director Simon Callow’s Ballad of the Sad Café movie.

A former research and writing associate for The New Handbook of Texas project, Paul has completed numerous entries for the Handbook.  He also has publications in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, East Texas Historical Journal, Texas Books in Review, Encyclopedia of Prisons and Correctional Facilities, and American Journal of Criminal Law.  

Handbook Entries

Title Contributor Type
Asberry, Alexander Author
Bassett, Houston A. P. Author
Beck, Thomas Author
Beto, George John Author
Board of Pardons and Paroles Author
Boz, TX Author
Brown, Ed Author
Bruni, TX Author
Bryant, Charles W. Author
Burley, D. W. Author
Cedar Creek, TX (Waller County) Author
Choates, Harry H. Author
Clemons, TX Author
Cody, TX Author
Coffey, Richard Author
Cotton, Giles Author
Curtis, Stephen Author
Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce Author
Davis, Bird B. Author
Debruhl, John Author
Dewees, TX (Waller County) Author
Donahoe Creek (Waller County) Author
Drennan, Lillie Elizabeth McGee Author
Dupree, J. Goldsteen Author
Ellis, Oscar Byron Author
Fenella, TX Author
Ferguson, Charles M. Author
Fetzer, TX Author
Fields Store, TX Author
Foster, Marcellus Elliot Author
Freeman, Jacob E. Author
Geiger, Harriel G. Author
George, Zelma Watson Author
Goldsby, Crawford [Cherokee Bill] Author
Guy, Bedford G. Author
Gyp Creek Author
Hall of Negro Life Author
Hall, Josie Briggs Author
Haller, Nathan H. Author
Hannah, Mack Henry, Jr. Author
Harvester, TX Author
Hegar, TX Author
Holik, TX Author
Holland, Milton M. Author
Houston, Samuel Walker Author
Howth, TX Author
Johnson, Wiley Author
Joseph, TX Author
Kendall, Mitchell Author
Kerr, Robert A. Author
Kirby Chapel, TX Author
Lawrence Key, TX Author
Leslie, TX Author
Lewisville, TX (Waller County) Author
Long, Ralph Author
Madison, Mary Author
Mayes, Elias Author
McCabe, Lloyd Henry Author
McKee, Scipio P. Author
McWashington, James Author
Medlock, David, Jr. Author
Mitchell, John Author
Moore, Henry Author
Moore, R. J. Author
Mullican, Aubrey Wilson [Moon] Author
Patton, Edward A. Author
Pemberton, Doris Hollis Author
Phelps, Henry Author
Pinckney, Susanna Shubrick Hayne Author
Pine Island, TX (Waller County) Author
Pointers, TX Author
Pope, Lawrence Chalmous Author
Post, TX Author
Prison System Author
Reed, Johnson Author
Retrieve Plantation Author
Reynolds, William Author
Roman, Charles Victor Author
Rusk Penitentiary Author
Salem, TX (Waller County) Author
Shiloh, TX (Waller County) Author
Sigler, Henry Author
Slovanville, TX Author
Sneed, Henry Author
Stafford, Adam Author
Sunny Side, TX (Waller County) Author
Texas Committee on Prisons and Prison Labor Author
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Author
Watrous, Benjamin O. Author
Webb, Frank J. Author
Wilder, Allen W. Author
Williams, Joe Author
Williams, Richard Author
Wyatt, George W. Author
Capital Punishment in Texas Author

Commemorating 250 years of American independence through the stories, people, and places that shaped Texas and the nation.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, Texans have a unique opportunity to reflect on the state’s role in the American story. Through exhibitions, programs, educational initiatives, and community events across Texas, Texas America250 encourages celebration, reflection, and commemoration at both local and statewide levels. At the Texas State Historical Association, we are proud to support this important moment through our mission-driven work in history education and public engagement, including Texas History Day, and we invite students, educators, and communities to explore this milestone in meaningful ways.

On July 4, 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the greatest nation in the history of the world. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Long may these ideals live in the heart of every Texan and every American. May God bless all who have defended our freedoms that we enjoy each day. And God bless the United States of America.

Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas

Commemorating 250 years of American independence through the stories, people, and places that shaped Texas and the nation.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, Texans have a unique opportunity to reflect on the state’s role in the American story. Through exhibitions, programs, educational initiatives, and community events across Texas, Texas America250 encourages celebration, reflection, and commemoration at both local and statewide levels. At the Texas State Historical Association, we are proud to support this important moment through our mission-driven work in history education and public engagement, including Texas History Day, and we invite students, educators, and communities to explore this milestone in meaningful ways.

On July 4, 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the greatest nation in the history of the world. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Long may these ideals live in the heart of every Texan and every American. May God bless all who have defended our freedoms that we enjoy each day. And God bless the United States of America.

Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas

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