Centerville, Indiana Lions Club

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History of Our Club

BRIEF HISTORY OF CENTERVILLE LIONS CLUB
by Lion Jim Resh
    
     THE CENTERVILLE LIONS CLUB was chartered on July 20, 1944 and was organized by Mr. Bryan B. Blalock.  The Club was sponsored by the Richmond Lions Club and chartered with 46 members.  First elected officers were John Overturf, President; Rev. John Clark Secretary and Fred Strong, Treasurer.  The Club met the first and third Mondays of each month at 7:30 PM at various churches in town.
   
     During the 1940's, the club celebrated charter night, entertained community servicemen, conducted United Clothing Drives, entertained the high school basketball teams, hosted Boy Scout Troops, held Christmas parties, auctioned off a home deep freeze and radio, purchased vision charts for the schools, distributed over 1,000 book covers for the school and fitted persons for eye glasses.
   
     In the 1950's, the Centerville Club collected for the cancer fund, held ladies' nights, provided eye treatments, sold brooms for the blind, conducted safety campaigns in the schools, sponsored the concession stand at summer baseball, donated $80 toward the purchase of a new curtain in the high school auditorium, erected road signs, held Halloween and Christmas parties, operated a watermelon stand at the County Fair, sought postal delivery for Our Town, promoted playground equipment, sponsored Girl Scouts to camp and held a farmers' night.
 
    During the 1960's, we held a Fair Deal program at the Fair and auctioned off a car and prizes, sponsored paper drives, honored our congressmen, staged Halloween parades and parties, gave food certificates to needy families, held pancake days, promoted the BOZO project at the Fair and held the first Sports and Hobby Show. The Club also sponsored our first District 25-F Cabinet meeting at the new high school.
 
    In the 70's and 80's our Club continued to hold Christmas parties for the community, sold Holiday Fruit at Christmas, purchased an animal at the 4-H Fair, began our annual Fish Fry and Craft Fair, sponsored a Community Awards Banquet and entered floats in the Homecoming and Centennial Parades along with the Rose Festival and gave annual college scholarships to deserving Centerville High School seniors.
 
    During the 1990's the local Club sponsored annually foreign exchange students to Finland, gave two college scholarships to high school seniors, held the annual Community Fish Fry, sponsored the 5-K run and parade for Archway Days, purchased 4-H animals at the Fair and donated trophies for the winners, held a spaghetti dinner for the community, gave the annual Community Awards Banquet, continued the annual Halloween parties and made hospital equipment available for all people.
 
    The Club's membership has remained relatively stable throughout the years, ranging from 40 to 65 members.  We have been honored to have had several Zone Chairpersons, Deputy District Governors and Trustees for the Leader Dogs and Camp Woodsmoke projects from our club.  The Centerville Club continues to serve the people of our community and supplies hospital equipment, including beds, walkers and canes to anyone in need.  We look forward to the future years in Historic Centerville and to fill the needs of the people "We Serve."
   

PAST PRESIDENTS of the CENTERVILLE, INDIANA LIONS CLUB

1944-45.....John L. Overturf
1945-46.....John L. Overturf
1946-47.....P.C. O'Neal
1947-48.....Lester Haley
1948-49.....H.C. Hiatt
1949-50.....Ralph Ahl
1951-52.....Duane Abel
1952-53.....Herschel R.Quick
1953-54.....Paul B. Hamilton
1954-55.....George Flanagan
1955-56.....Calvin Mattson.
1956-57.....Richard Sharp
1957-58.....Charles W. Powell
1958-59.....Richard Miles
1959-60.....Chas.M. Dickerson.
1960-61.....Harry Renschler
1961-62.....Bill Dillon
1962-63.....Charles Killen
1963-64.....Louis C. Ludwig
1964-65.....Louis A. Lumpkin
1965-66.....Wilford Nuss (died before term ended)
                 Allan Spencer
1966-67.....Allan Spencer
1976-68.....Millard Lane
1968-69.....James A. Resh
1969-70.....Robert E. Blue
1970-71.....James Howell
1971-72.....Keith D. Clark
1972-73.....Paul Early
1973-74.....Kermit Henry
1974-75.....Raymond Fessler
1975-76.....Robert O'Neill
1976-77.....Paul Vance
1977-78.....James Cox
1978-79.....Maynard Henwood
1979-80.....Richard Hobbs
1980-81.....Paul Elstro
1981-82.....Wayne Tolen
1982-83.....David Angi
1983-84.....William Stultz
1984-85.....Carl Orsborn
1985-86.....John Prall
1986-87.....Tom Berhalter
1987-88.....Doug Cox
1988-89.....James Johnson
1989-90.....Phil Stevenson
1990-91.....Pete Blansett
1991-92.....Bill Hanson
1992-93.....Mark Howell
1993-94.....Bill Harris
1994-95.....Chuck Magner
1995-96.....Steve Hughes
1996-97.....Brian Smith
1997-98.....Bob Hobson
1998-99.....Jeff Nickell
1999-00.....Steve Orsborn
2000-01.....Jeff Nickell
2001-02.....Phil Benedict
2002-03.....Charles Hobbs
2003-04.....Tom Berhalter
2004-05.....Judson Costlow
2005-06.....Phil Golden
2006-07.....Tim McConaha
2007-08.....William H. Felker
2008-09.....Mark Robbins
2009-10,,,,,Kevin Sparks
2010-11.....Anne Elstro
2011-12.....Tim Hill
2012-13.....Joe Elstro
2013-14.....Bob Hobson
2014-15.....Jack Farmer
2015-16.....Pam Tidrow
2016-17....Tim McConaha
2017-18....Joe Elstro
2018-19....Ty Farmer
2019-20....Bob Hobson
2020-21....Holly Stiggleman
2021-22....Scott Bevington

Charter Night
Click here to see the original Charter Night program (August 28, 1944)...

 
 
 

 

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