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HISTORY OF LIONS CLUB INTERNATIONAL  Melvin Jones was a member of one of many men’s luncheon groups in Chicago. These groups were formed to promote member's own self interests. Melvin wondered what would happen if these successful men would channel their intelligence and ambition into helping others instead. He contacted men of other organizations, and the first Lions Club was born on June 7, 1919. Today over 1.3 million men and women in over 43,000 clubs fulfill Melvin Jones’ dream of providing service to their fellow man. In 1925 Helen Keller challenged the Lions to be knights of the blind, and since then Lions have devoted a large portion of their resources to the vision impaired. Ms Keller summed up Lionism very well when she said: “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do.”
 HISTORY OF THE LIONS CLUB OF ST. JOSEPH Eleven years after the first Lions Club was formed, twenty three men attended the charter meeting of the Lions Club of St. Joseph on June 15, 1928. Since that first meeting at the Whitcomb Hotel the St. Joseph Lions Club has been an active Club. It has held dozens of raffles, participated in scores of white cane sales, picked up hundreds of pounds of trash on M-63 North, held thousands of noon meetings, sold hundreds of thousands of light bulbs, raised over three quarters of a million dollars to help the visually impaired, the hearing impaired, the community and youth activities, awarded hundreds of thousands dollars in scholarships, collected thousands of pairs of glasses for use in underdeveloped countries, cleaned Lions Park Beach scores of times, sponsored dozens of Camps for handicapped kids, and held multiple Arts and Crafts Show and basketball tournaments. Yes, we have been an active club.
PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE LIONS CLUB OF ST. JOSEPH 2010 Andy Mollison
2009 Lisa Bartoszek
2008 Steve Nordberg 2007 Mark Hawks 2006 Dan Fortenbacher 2005 Loren Korfmacher 2004 Rob Wolf 2003 Larry Morrow 2002 Dave Schaffer 2001 Bruce Watson 2000 Larry Wagner 1999 Douglas Conran 1998 Gretchen Klyczek 1997 Jerry Jones 1996 Robert Fischer 1995 Michael Dumke 1994 Kurt Armstrong 1993 Jack Williams 1992 Dennis Percy 1991 Ron Griesinger 1990 Ron Weber 1989 Ivan Kiessel 1988 Stuart Meek 1987 Laverne Breuker 1986 Larry Burns 1985 Brian Smith 1984 John Chiviges 1983 Jeff Richards 1982 Charles Cerecke 1981 Allen Johnson 1980 Phil Medo 1979 George Jaeger 1978 Jack Lents 1977 Roger Menchinger 1976 Donald Ladrow 1975 Stephen Barbus 1974 Robert MacKay 1973 Dale Jeffers 1972 Dr. James Grandy 1971 Robert L. Dearing 1970 Morris McMurray 1969 Robert E. Dearing 1968 David Fister 1967 Jimmy Butt 1966 Franklin H. Smith 1965 A.J. McDanold 1964 John Lindenfield 1963 Charles McLochlin 1962 John E.N. Howard 1961 Tom Mathieu 1960 Ray Dumke 1959 D.J. McGrath 1958 Dr. Howard Ross 1957 Frank Hill 1956 Morris Fetke 1955 Russell J. Taylor 1954 Dr. E.S. Gilliam 1953 Dr. George Ticknor 1952 Thomas Hrack 1951 Kenneth Smith 1950 Donald TeRoller 1949 Edward Menchinger 1948 Carl Ristau 1947 Dr. Robert Ticknor 1946 Charles Cameron 1945 William Ehrenberg 1944 Harold Diamond 1943 Richard Hooker 1942 Martin Kasischke 1941 William Lindt 1940 Joseph Peck 1939 Herman H. Gersondel 1938 Edwin G. Laggi 1937 Del H. Sproull 1936 Lawrence C. Fuller 1935 John DeVries 1934 Dr. Dean Richmond 1933 Charles Gates 1932 John W. Rody 1931 Robert Ludwig 1930 Curtis W. Johns 1929 Kenneth Wilkins 1928 John L. Swigert |
Club History |