The Lions Story
From Humble Beginnings to Global Reach
IN 1917, a Chicago insurance agent named Melvin Jones convinced his luncheon club, the Business Circle of Chicago, that it should ally itself with other independent dubs to form a national organisation that would be dedicated not only to networking for business and social purposes, but also to the improvement of the community as a whole.
Among the groups invited Association of Lions Clubs, headquartered in Evansville, Indiana and led by Dr W.P. Woods. At the time of the meeting, June 7, there were several Lions clubs already in existence, some having been organized in 1916.
The Business Circle and other clubs agreed to rally under the Lions name, and a convention was called for October at Dallas, Texas. Thirty-six delegates representing 22 clubs from nine states heeded the call, approved the "Lions Clubs" designation and elected Woods as the first president. Guiding force and founder Jones was named acting secretary, thus beginning an association with Lions that ended only with his death in 1961.
The convention also began to define what the association was to become, A constitution and by-laws were adopted, the colours of purple and gold approved, and a start made on the Lions Clubs Objects and Code of Ethics.
Remarkably, considering the materialism of the era, both Objects and Ethics encouraged Lions to put service ahead of profit, and to uphold the highest standards of conduct in business and the professions.
Community leaders soon began to organise clubs throughout the United States. The association became "international" with the formation of a club in Windsor, Ontario, Canada in 1920. Clubs were later organised in Mexico, China and Cuba. By 1927, membership stood at 60,000 in 1,183 clubs.
In 1935, Panama became home to the first Central American club; the first club in South America was organised in Columbia the following year. Sweden, then France, brought Europe into the association in 1948. Japan had clubs by 1952, and the so-called "Eastern Bloc" was unblocked in 1989 with the formation of clubs in Hungary, Poland and Estonia. In 1990, a club was chartered in Moscow and today hundreds of Lions clubs are demonstrating the value of service in countries once closed to voluntary action.
