Club History
Lions Club History
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.”
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.
Active since 1928
PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE LIONS CLUB OF ST. JOSEPH
2000 - Current
2023
2022
2021
2020 Carrie Brunsting
2019 Dave Offord
2018 Tom Gazella
2017 Jim Bembenek
2016. Dennis Lundgren
2015 Darrin Drollinger
2014 Jim Cristen
2013 Tom Hanley
2012 John Postelli
2011 Jerry Farwell
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
1975 - 1999
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
1950 - 1974
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
1928 - 1949
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