THE HISTORY OF THE LAWTON NORTHEAST LIONS
BY LION AL GRANGER
CLUB HISTORIAN
The Fort Sill Half-Section depicted above is a symbol of the close ties the Lawton Northeast Lions and the Lawton Northeast On-Line Branch Lions Club have to Ft. Sill. Please read on to learn about the history of these Lions Clubs and their dedicated members, both past and present.
The Lawton Northeast Lions Club held its organizational meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, 22 February 1975 at the Sandpiper Motor Inn. The meeting was called to order by District 3-L Governor James A. Dunn, to whom our club is dedicated.
The host club was the Lawton Northwest Lions Club, which had the following members present; District Governor Dunn, President Bob Cook, Guiding Lion Bob Wilson and Lions Charles Miller and Lee Klieoer. The following members of the Lawton Evening Lions Club were in attendance; Bob Stanett and Dr. H. R. Seesaran, Membership and Extension Chairman. The special guest was State Secretary Odell Beck. Charter members at that time were; Jim Hobbs, Bud Dyer, Barry Koren, Gerald Pellerin, Kenneth Mack, Donald Tate, Charles Taylor, Don Thomas, Horace Whetsone, Jacob Prince, Claxton Bone, William Prout, Raymond Polk, James Smith, Donald Burton, and Bobby Nipps.
Don Thomas was elected as the President of the newly formed Lions Club. President Thomas asked the membership for suggestions as to the time and place for meetings, and for a name for the new club. The club membership voted to meet the first and third Saturday of each month at 7:30a.m. at the Sandpiper Motor Inn, and to name the club the Lawton Northeast Lions Club.
The club's Charter Night was held on 25 April 1975. The Charter Officers of the new club were; President - Donald W. Thomas, First Vice-President - Charles Taylor, Second Vice-President - Kenneth Mack, Third Vice-President - Don Tate, Secretary-Treasurer - James S. Smith, Tail Twister - Horace Whetsone, Lion Tamer - Tom Curl, One-year Directors - Ray Polk and Bob Nipps, Two-year Directors - Jere Thorpe and Barry Koren.
On July 25th, 1975, the Lawton Northeast Lions Club was notified by the International Associations of Lions Clubs that our charter was now considered complete, with 32 members after the addition of Lions P.E. Franklin, D.J. Lopes, T.A. Thomason, L.R. Thorne, J.C. Thorpe, H.P. Wood, L. Zimmerman, C. Stien, and R.M. Sterret.
The first club project after the club was chartered in 1975 was to clean up the playground in Pioneer Park. This project continued for several years until the city started maintaining the playground.
In 1976 the club built a cinder block building (10’ x 20’) at Pioneer Park Elementary School. The building is used to store sports equipment and it still looks good today. Aluminum cans were used to fill the holes in the cinder blocks in order to save money on cement.
On July 14th, 1977, Lion Charlie Taylor received the first 100% President's Award for the Lawton Northeast Lions Club from the International Association of Lions Clubs.
On June 1st, 1978, Lion Jere Thorpe became the first member of the Lawton Northeast Lions Club to receive the Membership Key Award from the International Association of Lions Clubs.
On August 19th, 1978, the Lawton Northeast Lions Club was the sponsoring club for the Los Amigos Lions Club, which held their Charter Night at the Montego Bay in Lawton. Lion Bud Dyer was awarded the Guiding Lion award for his participation and work in getting that club organized. Many members of our club attended this event.
On March 23rd, 1979, Wayne Gilley - Mayor of the City of Lawton, proclaimed the week of March 25 to be "White Cane Week".
On Friday, March 4th, 1979, the Lawton Northeast Lions Club donated the marquee for the sign in front of MacArthur High School. Taking part in the event were Lions Leo Thorne, Bob Sterret, Bud Dyer, and Wendell Ward.
On May 14th, 1979, Lawton Northeast Lions Club volunteers began to help build a partition between the boys' and girls' sections of the Marie Detty Youth Center. Lions Jim Hobbs and Dale Swordes accepted a Certificate of Appreciation from Dick Hoffman, Chairman of the Citizens Advisory Board of the Comanche County Juvenile Bureau. The certificate was presented to the Northeast Lions Club for the more than $2,000 worth of labor donated by lions to construct the partition. The club contributed more than 100 man-hours towards the project.
On April 19th, 1980, the Lawton Northeast Lions Club celebrated our Fifth Anniversary at Montego Bay in Lawton.
In May of 1980, the Northeast Lions took part in the annual Armed Forces Day parade held in Lawton. The $75 dollar Second Place prize for the best entry in the parade went to the Northeast Lions. Our entry was a burro-pulled cart towing a "Lion" on roller skates.
On September 26th, 1980, the Lawton Northeast Lions Club donated a brand-new $500 school zone warning signal to Pioneer Park elementary school in Lawton. Participating in the event were Lions Bud Dyer, Gene Day, Charlie Taylor, and Leo Thorne.
During the early 1980’s (no specific date is known) Lawton Northeast Lions Club members painted the playground equipment at the Robert E. Greiner School for the Handicapped and installed soccer goals for Pioneer Park Elementary School.
For two years in a row in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, Lawton Northeast Lions Club members acted as sponsors for foreign exchange students. Lions Charlie Taylor, Charlie Miller and Bud Dyer went to Salisaw, Oklahoma to pick up two young men who were from Finland. The young men stayed at the homes of club members for two weeks. Many club members spent time with the boys, taking them to different places and activities in the local area. Lions Leo Thorne and Charlie Taylor also met exchange students at the airport in Tulsa the following year.
The Lawton Northeast Lions Club sponsored a coat drive for the local Salvation Army during the winter of 1997. Over 40 coats were collected. Lion Judy McCarthy was the coordinator.
In February of 1998, club members PDG Bill Middleton and Lion Claudie Lott appeared on the local TV show “This Week in Texoma”. Channel 7 News Anchors Jan Stratton and Lynn Walker interviewed them about club activities and programs. PDG Bill Middleton was also interviewed “live” on the air by local radio station KLAW. Lion Al Granger arranged the television and radio interviews.
On April 4th, 1998, local radio station Z-94 conducted a live on-site broadcast during our annual White Cane Day activity. Several club members were interviewed “live” on the air. Local radio station KLAW also made several public service announcements about the White Cane Day event. For the first and only time in our club’s history, a club event was advertised on two different local radio stations at the same time on the same day. Lion Al Granger coordinated the radio station broadcast and public service announcements.
The Lawton Northeast Lions club entered the computer age in the summer of 1998 with the establishment of our official web site. It was the first club web site in District 3-L. The web site contained information about club activities (with photographs), club history, club members, club officers, our meeting place, and links to other Lions web sites. The site was dedicated to the memory of the late Lion William J. Martello. Lion Al Granger, Web Site Chairman, provided written information, design input, photographs and graphics. Harold Whitley was the club’s very first volunteer Web Master. Bob Hughes and Lion Al Granger assisted. Phil Berchtold was the Web Master for a few years, followed by Lion Joey Vazquez. The original web site was retired and replaced by its current e-club web site. It is maintained by Lion Al Granger.
The club had a newsletter called “THE LIONS PRIDE”. A pride by definition is “a group of lions”. The word PRIDE is also symbolic of our pride in our club, and an acronym for the characteristics common to Lions, as shown below:
Perseverance Resolve Initiative Duty Enthusiasm
The newsletter won 2nd place recognition from the Oklahoma Lions in 1988, 1989 and 1990. Lion Bud Dyer, Charter Member, and his wife Betty were the editors during this period. The newsletter won 1st place while Lion Jack Love was the editor during the early to mid 1990’s. For several years Lion Al Granger was the editor.
In the spring of 1999, the club introduced its first official brochure, designed by Lions Al Granger and Bob Hughes. Curt Cooper, local businessman and supporter of the Lawton Northeast Lions, printed the brochures at no cost to the club. The brochures were placed in the Lawton Library, The Lawton Chamber of Commerce, and in other locations throughout the city of Lawton.
On Sunday, 14 November 1999, the club hosted the District 3-L Cabinet meeting at the Great Plains Area Vocational-Technical School. PDG Bill Middleton, along with Lion Paul McCarthy, coordinated the event.
On Thursday, 18 November 1999, PDG Bill Middleton and Lion Carolyn Vaughn of the Lawton Sundowner’s Lions Club were interviewed on the local TV show “Good Morning Texoma”. They discussed the Oklahoma Lions Mobile Screening Unit, which both clubs hosted at Pat Henry Elementary School and at the local Wal Mart. Lion Al Granger, Publicity Chairman, arranged the television interview.
On Wednesday, 6 April 2000, Lion Charlie Taylor was interviewed on the local TV show “The Talk of Texoma”. He discussed the club’s history and activities. Lion Al Granger arranged the interview.
On Saturday, 8 April 2000, the club celebrated its 25th anniversary with a banquet at SEAS Glasshat Catering Manor, 931 SW “D” Avenue. Patricia Shurley, Oklahoma Lions State Treasurer, was the guest speaker. PDG Jim Dunn, to whom the club is dedicated, was in attendance. Lion Charlie Taylor was the Master of Ceremonies.
On Saturday, 20 May 2000, Lion Claudie Lott was honored as the District 3-L Lion of the Year. He was presented the award at the state convention, which was held at the Howard Johnson’s Hotel in Lawton.
On Wednesday, 2 October, 2002, for the very first and only time, the club attended a Retreat Ceremony as a group in front of McNair Hall at Ft. Sill. Soldiers from the now de-activated 1st Battalion, 17th Field Artillery conducted the ceremony. Lion Al Granger was the event coordinator.
On Tuesday, November 19th, 2002, Lions Ed Rall and Claudie Lott presented a check for $150 to the New Directions Battered Women’s Shelter. The club also donated 22 Christmas presents to children at the shelter. Lion Ed Rall was the coordinator.
On Friday, 22 November, 2002, for the very first time, the club took part in the Boulevard of Lights parade. Lions carried the club banner along the entire parade route. Lion Adam Fisher was the event organizer. Lion Adam Fisher’s son, Sam, also took part in the parade and wore a Lion costume.
On Tuesday, 24 December 2002, Lion Ed Rall read a Christmas story and handed out presents to the residents of the New Directions Battered Women's Shelter.
On Saturday, 11 January 2003, Lion Ed Rall successfully took part in the District 3-L speech contest that was held at the District convention in Altus Oklahoma.
In July/Aug of 2003, over 50 pounds of school supplies that included pencils, paper, pens, chalk, rulers, erasers, water colors, etc. were sent to Iraq via Lion (then U.S. Army Staff Sergeant) John Williams, who was serving in Iraq at that time. Several club members donated the supplies. This included supplies that Lion Ed Rall had collected at the Red Cross Office. Lion Al Williams, his wife Lion Marge, and his son, Lion John Williams, coordinated this effort.
On Wednesday, August 20th, 2003, the Lawton Northeast Lions club hosted the Oklahoma Lions Mobile Screening Unit at Cameron University. PDG Bill Middleton organized the event. Jenny Jackson, Cameron student, helped to get student volunteers and to promote the event. This event was promoted in the Lawton Constitution with two separate articles, was promoted all week on KSWO Channel 7 Morning News (thanks to Lion Claudie Lott), and was promoted on the KCCU radio station (PDG Bill Middleton was interviewed via telephone). It was also mentioned on the Cameron University web site.
On Friday, August 22nd, 2003, the Lawton NE Lions held its annual Can Dance at the Knights of Columbus Hall. The Kuntry Kuzzin's Square Dancer's brought canned goods as the price of admission. The Lawton Northeast Lions Club collected almost 300 canned goods and donated them to the Lawton Food Bank and the Salvation Army. For the first time ever, several Lions participated in the Square Dance. Eye witnesses reported that it was very amusing. The event was coordinated by Lions Al Granger and Bud Dyer.
In November, 2003, 30 dozen cookies, 3 loaves of sweet bread, plus candy (including Lions Mints) were sent to Iraq for the single soldiers of the 5th Battalion/3rd Field Artillery, 17th FA Brigade. All of these items had been donated by members of the club. This effort was coordinated by Lion Al Williams and his wife, Lion Marge.
On Tuesday, December 9th, 2003, Lion Adela Sandusky presented Leslie Watts, Director of the Marie Detty New Directions Battered Women’s Shelter, with a 150 dollar check on behalf of the club. Lions Al Granger and Ed Rall were also on hand. Club members also donated gifts for 16 children for the Shelter’s annual Christmas Party.
Lion Leo Thorne was presented with the prestigious District 3-L George Hazelbaker Award at the 2004 Mid Winter convention held in Elk City. The award honors a Lions lifetime of providing service to the community.
On Friday, April 2nd, 2004, the Lawton Northeast Lions Club supported the Great Plains Area Four Special Olympics games that were held at Lawton High School. Prior to the opening ceremonies, King Lion Ed Rall, club President and Lion Al Williams, club Treasurer, presented the Area Four Director of the Special Olympics, Donna Sparks, with a donation. King Lion Ed Rall also gave the invocation as a part of the opening ceremonies. Lions Ed Rall, Al Williams and Al Granger acted as volunteer coaches and huggers. Hundreds of special athletes from Lawton/Ft. Sill, Duncan, Altus, Fredrick, Elgin and other nearby communities participated in the event.
Lion Ed Rall, as an LCI Certified Guiding Lion, helped to re-activate a Lions Club in Walters Oklahoma with 36 charter members on April 24, 2004. He received an Extension Medal for this endeavor.
On Tuesday, May 18th, 2004, King Lion Ed Rall gave the invocation at the Special Olympics Letterman’s Banquet held at Lawton High School. Lions Al Granger, Adela Sandusky and Al Williams were also in attendance.
On Saturday, May 29th, 2004, at the state convention, Lions Ed Rall and John Williams were honored for their contributions to Lionism. Lion (then U.S. Army Staff Sergeant) John Williams was presented with the Lions International Relations Award for his initiatives to promote peace and cooperation among peoples of different nations and cultures. Lion Ed Rall was presented with a President’s Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of innovative achievements in Lions leadership and service.
On Saturday, October 2nd, 2004, PDG Fred “Mr. Lion” Milton was presented with the “Louis B. Lackey Award” for his contributions to the Oklahoma Lions Service Foundation.
On Friday, April 1st, 2005, Lion Callie Driver gave the invocation during the opening ceremonies of the Great Plains Area Special Olympics at Lawton High School. Lions Al Granger, Ray Polk, Al Williams and his wife Marge attended the event.
On Tuesday, April 12th, 2005, the club, along with Joy Chapman from Perry Broadcasting, and Boy Scouts and Leaders from Troop 187 of Fletcher/Elgin attended the city council where the Mayor of Lawton read a proclamation naming April 16th as White Cane Day in Lawton.
On Saturday, April 16th, 2005, the club celebrated Lions Worldwide Induction Day by inducting four new members. District Governor Travis Cummins inducted Craig Riha, Joe Wotring, Willie Smith and Billy Williams. Vice District Governor, Al Sikora, was the guest speaker. The event was organized by Lion Al Granger, Membership Chairman.
On Saturday, April 16th, 2005, the Lawton NE Lions teamed up with Perry Broadcasting’s K98 JAMZ radio station, Boy Scouts Troop 187 from Fletcher/Elgin, Airgas, and Wal-Mart to conduct our annual White Cane Day fundraiser. Lions Ron Brown, Al Williams, and Ed Rall organized the event. The on-site radio broadcast and interviews were arranged by Lion Al Granger. Lions Ray Polk, Jay Bousley, Al Granger and Ed Rall were interviewed.
January 6th, 2009, was a historic day for the club as the Lawton Northeast On-Line Branch Lions Club was officially formed at Mike’s Sports Bar & Grill. Lion Al Granger formed the club and was selected as the club's President. Lion Joe Wotring was selected as the club's Vice President. Lion Ray Polk was selected as the Branch Liaison. PDG Al Williams was the Master of Ceremonies. The following new members were present and inducted by Lion Ray Polk: Laurie Lynn Osbun, Judson Troop, Gary Weise, Jeanette Osbun, Veronica Martin, Geri Childress and Peter Galie. Denis Blackburn and Joey Vazquez also joined the Branch Club.
The branch club, with the parent club, held an Earth Day tree planting event at Cameron University in April, 2009. A picture of the club planting the tree appeared in the “Cameron Reflections 2009” yearbook. The Cameron radio station, KCCU, covered the event. Lion Joe Wotring began selecting, purchasing and delivering beautiful Eastern Redbud trees to Cameron University for the event in April, 2010 and continues to the present day. There are several healthy, beautiful Eastern Redbud trees all around Cameron’s Aggie Gym thanks to our clubs!
The branch club assisted the parent club for the first time in the White Cane Day activity in April 2009 and helped raise a record amount of money for Lions projects. Lion Joe Wotring’s Boy Scout Troop 175 and Lion Gary Weise’s kids were a big help. This has become an annual event with the parent club for the branch club.
The branch club held (along with CGI Federal and Lion Gary Weise’s Church Youth Group) a food drive for the Lawton Food Bank in the fall of 2009. Six bins of canned food were donated.
The branch club held its very first Christmas activity at the Lawton VA Center in December, 2009. Lion Al Granger was the event coordinator who was also the host. Stanley Associates (now CGI) donated money for supplies that were provided to the disabled veterans as a Christmas present. Lion Jeanette Osbun helped with planning the event. Vocalist Buster Swoopes and the Bible Baptist Church Youth Ministry, led by Lion Gary Weise, sang Christmas songs for the veterans. This has become an annual event with help from many people. In 2011, Fleece blankets were donated by Lion Amy Satterfield and Sandra Charping, both from out of state. Lion Vivian Silverstrim helped with getting the blankets shipped to Lawton in time for the Christmas party. In 2010 the show was hosted by Lion Vivian Silverstrim. In 2011 and 2012 the Christmas show was hosted by Lion Mike Lambert. Lion KW Hillis has been our Mrs. Santa Claus for many years, and Dave Dunsworth has been our Mr. Santa Claus many times as well. 2012 was unique in that we started off the Christmas Show by marching into the VA Center auditorium led by Mike Anderson playing the bagpipes. He also played the pipes for the veterans during that Christmas show. Lion Gary Weise’s youth group from Cameron Baptist Church performed in 2012 and still does so. Talented vocalist Buster Swoopes continues to sing during our Christmas Shows to this day. The show has now become a much anticipated event for the veterans. Each year we have donated items to the VA Center. Lion Vivian Silverstrim, who previously hosted the show and sang Christmas songs, also leads the club in a rendition of Jingle Bells to conclude each Christmas Show. In recent years Lion Eric “Mr. Ohio State” Barry, has hosted the show and does a wonderful job to this day.
The Branch Club and members of the parent club served pizza to special needs students at MacArthur Middle School for Valentine’s Day for the first time in February 2010. The Valentine’s Day Pizza Party has become an annual event and is very popular with the special needs students at MacArthur Middle School. This annual event is coordinated by Lion Al Granger.
During the opening ceremonies of the Great Plains Area 4 Special Olympics in the spring of 2010, Lion George Rogers of the parent club was one of the several Lions that marched with the Special Olympians during the opening ceremonies.
Lion Gary Weise has become the unofficial Chaplain for the Great Plains Area 4 Special Olympics. The Special Olympics organizers ask for him every year to give the invocation during the opening ceremonies. He has also given the invocation the Special Olympics Letterman’s Banquet held each year.
The Lawton NE Lions made history by inducting its first ever female President, Lion Susan Smith, on Saturday, June 5th, 2010.
During the annual Lawton NE On-Line Lions annual Christmas Show at the Lawton/Ft. Sill VA Center in December, 2010 Lion Joe Wotring performed Christmas songs as Elvis and was a big hit with the veterans.
In 2011, the branch club and the parent club partnered with CGI Federal and the local Mason’s, led by Reggie “T-Bone” Thomas, to conduct a canned food drive for the Lawton Food Bank at the Rex building. It was the first time the Lions and Mason’s worked together on a project in Lawton. It was both successful and a lot of fun. This event was coordinated by Lion Al Granger.
On May 10th, 2011 District Governor Mark Gibson presented Lion Al Granger with the District 3-L Lion of the Year award.
On October 7th, 2011 Lion Vivian Silverstrim coordinated a bake sale that was held at the Rex building. Proceeds went towards the new Oklahoma Lions Eye Bank.
In 2012, Lion Linda Mayes organized a fundraising effort to purchase toys for homeless children in Lawton at Christmas time.
Lion Starr Cannon coordinated and hosted fundraisers for the Lions at Black Dog CrossFit in 2013 and 2014.
The DeRoy Skinner Rookie of the Year award was presented to Lion Starr Cannon during the Lions convention held in Lawton in 2015.
The Lawton NE Lions and the On-Line Branch Club hosted the Oklahoma Lions Mobile Screening Unit on May 20th and 21st in 2016.
On February 8, 2017 District Governor Daniel Farrell presented PDG John “Wes” Williams with the Melvin Jones Fellowship award during a regular meeting of the Lawton NE Lions.
On May 27, 2018 the Club took part in the WW2 & Korean War Veterans Dinner at the Lawton/Ft. Sill VA Center. The NE Lions joined the Vietnam Veterans of America, the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, the Marine Corps League, the Oklahoma Women's Veterans Organization, local Boy Scouts and many other local civic groups to serve dinner to veterans of WW2 & the Korean War. It was an honor for us to post our club banner with the flags of these other great organizations at the entrance of the VA Center Auditorium. Lions Doug Rice and Al Granger represented the Lawton NE Lions and the Branch Club at this event.
On January 6th, 2019 Branch Club President Doug Rice presented the 2018 Lion of the Year award to Lion Gary Weise at the annual Branch Club Birthday lunch at Mike’s Sport’s Bar & Grill. Lion Gary is the first and only member of the On-Line Branch Lions Club to have been honored as Lion of the Year twice. Quite an honor and well deserved!
In 2019, Lion Elaine Keir became the second woman to become the President of the Lawton NE Lions Club.
The Lawton Northeast Lions and the On-Line Branch Club were a part of District 3-L until July 1, 2019 when the District became District 3-SW.
We lost the last remaining active member of the Lawton Northeast Lions Club in 2022 that was a charter officer when the club was founded in 1975. That was Lion Ray Polk. Since 1975, Lion Ray had been a leader in the Lawton NE Lions. He joined the Lions while still serving on active duty in the U.S. Army. Lion Ray had served as Club President twice and also played a critical role as the Liaison for the On-Line Branch Club. In addition to that, Lion Ray had inducted many of our members when they joined either the parent club or the branch club.
Lion Paul McCarthy was presented with the 40-year Monarch Chevron by Parent Club President Elaine Keir on Saturday, 16 July, 2022. Lion Paul has been a leader in the Lawton Northeast Lions Club for those 40 years. He joined the Lawton NE Lions in 1978 while still serving on active duty in the U.S. Army. He left for a tour of duty in Germany and returned in 1981, when he re-joined the club. With the exception of the three years while he was stationed in Germany, Lion Paul has been putting out and picking up flags on most federal holidays for the club since 1978. He has done this even when battling severe health issues. Lion Paul has been selected as the club’s Lion of the Year five times and is the recipient of a Lions International President’s Certificate of Appreciation. Lion Paul has held many leadership positions for the club over the years, some for several years at a time.
The Lawton NE Lions and the On-Line Branch Club have a strong presence on social media. The On-Line Club has Facebook and Twitter pages, which includes info about both clubs. The Twitter page has hundreds of followers, mainly Lions Clubs from across the USA and all over the world. Lion Al Granger maintains these pages.
The Lawton Northeast Lions Club, together with the branch club, continues its proud legacy of service to the community. When possible, we pay for eye exams and eye glasses for low income citizens. For many years we awarded scholarships to deserving students and have recognized students of the quarter from each of the three local high schools in Lawton. The club has sponsored special athletes to take part in the local and regional Special Olympics. White Cane Day has been held faithfully.
We’ve held "Can Dances" to collect and donate canned goods to the Lawton Food Bank, the Salvation Army and the Armed Forces YMCA. The Lawton Northeast Lions and the On-Line Branch Club has supported Teen Court and Crime Stoppers. Dedicated club members put out flags on holidays throughout the city of Lawton. The clubs collects eyeglasses to be recycled for those who cannot afford to purchase them. For many years the club hosted a PDG’s Breakfast where all living Past District Governors attended a general membership meeting and were honored for their service to the Lions.
We continue to support the Special Olympics, Salvation Army, Lawton Food Bank, Lawton/Ft. Sill VA Center, Cameron University, Special Needs Students at MacArthur Middle School, Oklahoma Eye Bank, Oklahoma Boy’s Ranch, Oklahoma Lions Mobile Health Screening Unit, and the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF). The Lawton Northeast Lions and the On-Line Branch Club have persevered though hard times such as the recent Pandemic. We all look forward to a bright future living up to the motto "We Serve".
PRESIDENTS OF THE LAWTON NORTHEAST LIONS CLUB
Donald W. Thomas 1975-76
Charlie Taylor 1976-77
Ray Polk 1977-77
Barry Koren 1977-78
Bob Sterrett 1978-79
Leo Thorne 1979-80
Gene "The Singing Sergeant Major" Day 1980-81
John Evans 1981-82
Jack Freeman 1982-83
Jack Love 1983-84
Jim Hobbs 1984-85
Mike Childress 1984-85
Vendal Brigance 1985-86
PDG Bill Middleton 1986-87
PDG Fred "Mr. Lion" Milton 1987-88
Hank Rosenberg 1988-1989
Bob Nickols 1988-89
Callie “Hail, Hail” Driver 1989-90
Bud Dyer 1990-91
Bill England 1991-92
Paul McCarthy 1992-93
Hank Rosenberg 1993-94
Ray Polk 1994-95
Claudie “The Man” Lott 1995-96
Jack Love 1996-97
Ron Brown 1997-98
George Rogers 1998-99
Bill Middleton 1999-00
Hank Rosenberg 2000-01
Callie “Hail, Hail” Driver 2001-02
PDG Wes “Big Buckaroo” Williams 2002-03
Fred Milton 2003-04
Ed Rall 2004-05
PDG Al Williams 2005-07
PDG Wes “Big Buckaroo” Williams 2007-08
Ron Brown 2008-10
Susan Smith 2010-2011
Paul McCarthy 2011-2013
Susan Smith 2013-2014
PDG Wes “Big Buckaroo” Williams 2014-2019
Elaine Keir 2019-Present
PRESIDENTS OF THE LAWTON NORTHEAST
ON-LINE BRANCH LIONS CLUB
Al Granger 2009-2016
Doug Rice 2016-Present
CLUB MEMBERS WHO HAVE SERVED AS
DISTRICT GOVERNOR
PDG JAMES A. DUNN
TO WHOM THIS CLUB IS DEDICATED
The late Lion Jim Dunn was active in civic affairs for a large portion of his life. He had served in almost all leadership positions of Boy Scouting, and was a member of the Order of the Arrow. He was a past commander of the American Legion. Lion Jim served 22 years with the U.S. Army, retiring with the rank of CW4 in 1969. After retirement he was employed in the civil service at Ft. Sill and at TELOS. He had served as secretary, District Leo Chairman, Zone Chairman, Vice District Governor, Governor of District 3-L and Council Chairman of the Lions of Oklahoma. He was the holder of the Master Key Award, 39 year Monarch Award, two International Extension Key Lion Awards and the International Presidents Award. Lion Jim was selected “Lion of the Year” by fellow Lions in 1970 and 1972.
PDG FREDRICK “MR. LION” MILTON SR.
The late Lion Fred Milton was born in Canada and raised in Maine. He joined the U.S. Army in 1951, as a Private, and retired after 34 years of service as a CW4. After retirement, he was employed as a Computer Systems Analyst for TELOS. Lion Fred joined the Lawton Northeast Lions Club in 1984, and had served with distinction in all club offices. He received the 100% Secretary’s Award each of the five years he was club secretary. The club had recognized him as “Lion of the Year” three times. Lion Fred was presented with an International Certificate of Appreciation in 1997. Lion Fred had served as Club President twice, Zone Chairman, District Cabinet Secretary-Treasurer, Vice District 3-L Governor and District 3-L Governor. He was selected as a “Melvin Jones Fellow” in February 2000. He was presented with the “Louis B. Lackey Award” on October 2nd, 2004.
PDG BILL MIDDLETON
The late Lion Bill Middleton retired from the U.S. Army and was a graduate of Campbell College, Buies Creek, North Carolina. He had served as District Cabinet Secretary, Vice District 3-L Governor, District 3-L Governor, Oklahoma Boys’ Ranch Trustee for seven years and club President twice. He was a recipient of the 100% Presidents Award and 2 International President’s Certificates of Appreciation. Lion Bill was selected as the District 3-L Lion of the Year in 1990. He had served as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Oklahoma Lions Pin Traders, Treasurer of the Southwest and Central Eyeglass Recycling Center, was a member of the Briggs Memorial Scholarships Board, and had been the Chairman of the State Constitution and By-Laws Committee. Lion Bill had attended many Lions International Conventions and USA/Canada Leadership Forums.
PDG JOHN "WES" WILLIAMS
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Lion John "Wes" Williams was born and raised in the state of Mississippi. PDG Wes was drafted into the United States Army on January 15th, 1957 (yes, he's "old Army"!). While he was serving on active duty he was posted to Ft. Chafee, Arkansas; Ft. Bliss, Texas; Ft. Sill, Oklahoma; Ft. Hood,Texas; three tours in Germany and two combat tours in Vietnam. PDG Wes retired at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma on February 2nd, 1977, after 20 years of honorable service. His family adopted Oklahoma as their home and he retired in Lawton. PDG Wes is a member of St. John Baptist Church in Lawton, Ok., where has served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He serves the local community by delivering mobile meals to the sick and the elderly. PDG Wes has served in the Lawton Northeast Lions Club as President two times, and has held various other leadership positions. He has also served in the Lions at both the district and state level, most recently with the Oklahoma Lions Boys Ranch. PDG Wes and his wife Curlee (deceased) have four wonderful children, eight grandchildren and sixteen great grandchildren.
PDG AL WILLIAMS
The late Lion Al Williams was appointed DG for 3-L in August of 2007 after the elected DG resigned. He brought to the position the training he had had as a Lions Club member for over 35 years. He was an active member of Lions International Clubs since joining the Glendale, AZ Morning Club in 1972. While in this club he served as Secretary (2 years) and President. Lion Al served as Zone Chairman, Regional Chairman and as Deputy District Governor for District 21-A before he moved to the Wickenburg, AZ club in 1983. There he served as President for two years and also as Zone Chairman. (He received 100% awards each year he held these positions.) He was also elected to the Arizona State Eye and Ear Program Board for two separate terms. Moving to Oklahoma in 1997, he joined the Lawton Noon Club and served as their Secretary before transferring to the Lawton Northeast Lions where he had served as Treasurer 2 years, President 2 years and Zone Chairman. He was a Melvin Jones Fellow.
THIS CONCLUDES THE HISTORY OF THE NE LIONS AND THE BRANCH CLUB
