Grand Forks Lions Club History
The Grand Forks Lions Club was organized on February 9, 1922 and officially chartered in May of the same year. There were 34 charter members. The last charter member passed away in 1961, over 60 years ago. We celebrated the Club's 100th birthday in 2022. Current membership is 27 men and women.
Grand Forks Lions Club hosted its first district convention in 1936. The first district governor from our club was elected the next year. Over the years our club has provided eight district governors and countless district-level officers. The first club bulletin was published in 1938. The Club was incorporated in 1941.
Grand Forks Lions Club has sponsored numerous new Lions Clubs during its 100 years of existence:
Langdon 1929 Drayton 1952
Grafton 1961 Larimore May 15, 1962
GF South Forks Jun 27, 1964 GF Lioness 1982
Cavalier Mayville-Portland
Mayville
The ND School for the Blind moved from Bathgate, ND to Grand Forks in 1961. We consider support of the School a priority.
Along with other Grand Forks clubs (South Forks, Red River, and UND Campus) we periodically host the North Dakota State Lions Convention. The last Convention was in Grand Forks in 2018.
Since 1950 the Club has celebrated with an annual Valentines Dinner. Each fall the Club holds an annual picnic for members and their families..
Over the past 100 years, Grand Forks Lions have improved the local community and beyond by living the lions motto "We Serve". Almost half a million dollars has been contributed by the Club to local, regional, state, national, and international charities. Our primary mission since 1925 has been service to the blind and blindness prevention.
We are proud of our history and, as dedicated Lions, look forward to the future.
* Members who have passed away
Charter Members
*S.W. Arman *A.E.Eastland *J.F.T O'Connor
*C.K. Baarman *G.B. Fairchild *H. Patmore
*William G. Bek *M.J. Fletcher *H.P. Rice
*S.B. Bensend *M. Girard *R.E. Stensrud
*A.T. Berg *A.E. Hallen *E.L. Stinson
*J.B. Bridston *G.A. Henry *G.D. Sturtevant
*H.G. Buckingham *J.E. Hetherington *G.A. Swendiman
*E. Carlson *T.J. Hoffman *W. Smith
*R.J. Charlesworth *S. Lovell *W.J. Torgerson
*J.B. Cooley *H.J. Monley *W.D. Watt
*J.B. Crary *T. Mulligan
*W.J. Doyle *E.L. Ness
Club Presidents
*William G. Bek 1923-24
*Thomas Mulligan 1924-25
*R.B. Fussier 1925-26
*William Rasmussen 1926-27
*E.T. Towne 1927-28
*R.S. Beeson 1928-29
*Arnold Berg 1929-30
*O.G. Libby 1930-31
*Fred Loomis 1931-32
*A.H. Yoder 1932-33
*W.A. Liebeier 1933-34
*Dave Jenkins 1934-35
*Elroy H. Schroeder 1935-36
*G. Lee Anderson 1936-37
*Bruce Arnold 1937-38
*C.A. Bell 1938-39
*G.A. Swendiman 1939-40
*Walter M. Loomer 1940-41
*Robert J. Charlesworth 1941-42
*Elmer O. Hanson 1942-43
*J.S. Mayer 1943-44
*Carther Jackson 1944-45
*Carrol E. Day 1945-46
*G. Olton Hewitt 1946-47
*P.A. Grissom 1947-48
Earl Hoffman 1948-49
John L. Booty 1949-50
Leonard H. Egstrom 1950-51
A.F. Jensen 1951-52
R.P. Arnold 1952-53
Leonard R. Marti 1953-54
W.E. Davenport 1954-55
*George Longmire 1955-56
Howard G. Mundt 1956-57
James F. Coleman 1957-58
Roy E. Jones 1958-59
*Herm Livingston 1959-60
George Finlay 1960-61
Earl H. Butz 1961-62
Loren Hendrickson 1962-63
Bob Vaaler 1963-64
Elof Erickson 1964-65
Bob Norman 1965-66
*George Unruh 1966-67
*Al Forsman 1967-68
Don Anderson 1968-69
*George Hariman 1969-70
Bob Wassmund 1970-71
*James O Stolee 1971-72
Ray A Fladland 1972-73
Herm Reifschneider 1973-74
Lawewnce S. Bue 1974-75
Calmer Hovland 1975-76
*Alan H. Meldrum 1976-77
A.C. Bakken 1977-78
Dennis H. Risinger 1978-79
Con Dietz 1979-80
John Vasichek 1980-81
*Ivan Jensen 1981-82
*Ralph Noll 1982-83
Patrick Dooley 1983-84
*Elwin Kahlbaugh 1984-85
David Miedema 1985-86
Charles Borchert 1986-87
*Mark Hennemann 1987-88
Eric Moody 1988-89
Elliot Shubert 1989-90
*David Bowen 1990-91
*John Fritz 1991-92
*Bill Lesko 1992-93
Mark Nesbit 1993-94
Tim Dittus 1994-95
Derrald Dewald 1995-96
Steve Johnson 1996-97
*Bruce Rupp 1997-98
Carmen Suminski 1998-99
Jon Ramsey 1999-00
Judd Graham 2000-01
Jim Jubie 2001-02
*Mark Hennemann(2nd) 2002-03
*Carmen Suminski(2nd) 2003-04
Myron Barnes 2004-05
Terra Boettcher 2005-06
Willie Huot 2006-07
Wayne Zink 2007-08
Liz Simpson 2008-09
Lew Schaper 2009-10
Larry Richards 2010-11
Jon Ramsey(2nd) 2011-12
Connie Osowski 2012-13
Gary Kaltenberg 2013-14
Ron Timpe 2014-15
Jim Haskins 2015-16
Barb Nordstog 2016-17
Willie Huot(2nd) 2017-18
Steve Johnson(2nd) 2018-19
Wayne Zink(2nd) 2019-20
John Clayburgh 2020-21
Connie Osowski(2nd) 2021-22
Tim Dittus(2nd) 2022-23
Myron Barnes(2nd) 2023-24
Grand Forks Lion District Governors
*William G. Bek 1926-27 5
*W.M. Alan 1931-33 5
*F.H. Loomis 1937-38 5-N
*G. Lee Anderson 1944-45 5-N
*H.G. Mundt 1958-59 5NE
*Walter M. Loomer 1966-67 5NE
*James F. Coleman 1974-75 5NE
*Ivan Jenson 1985-86 5NE
*Dave Bowen 1998-99 5NE
*Mark Hennemann 2004-05 5NE
Steve Johnson 2011-12 5NE
Grant Kahlbaugh 2020-21 5NE
Extended Officer Service (10 years or longer) to GF Lions Club
21 years *John H. Fleur Secretary 1969-1990
21 years Steve Johnson Treasurer 1999-2011 and 2014-2023
19 years *Harold H Holte Treasurer 1960-1979
15 years Cecil Schimke Secretary 2004-2019
12 years *Harry Rice Treasurer 1923-1935
10 years *Lloyd Rullen Treasurer 1944-1954
10 years Dan Monson Treasurer 1989-1999
Melvin Jones Fellowship Recipients
Name Latest Award Progressive Awards
*Tomas F. Alderson 02/04/1991
Myron H. Barnes 05/10/2006
Terra Boettcher 03/13/09
*David J. Bowen 09/02/1994
Edward C. Carlson 05/15/2001
John Clayburgh 04/08/2014
*Myron Denbrook, Jr. 06/15/2005
Timothy R. Dittus 03/13/1996
Henry J. Eslinger 06/02/2004
*John H. Fleur 04/24/1990
*Alphens E. Forsman 03/13/1996
*Jonnie Fritz 09/02/1994
Lyle A. Hall 05/15/2001
*Mark E. Henneman 10/29/1996
*Calmer Hovland 04/18/1988
Wilfred Huot 07/25/2012
*Ivan R. Jensen 05/16/1986
Stephen E. Johnson 01/10/2023 6#
Grant G. Kahlbaugh 04/28/2015
Gary W. Kaltenberg 03/22/2011
Jon C. Larson 10/29/1996
*Herman Livingston 04/21/2008 1
*George Longmire 03/31/1989
*Walter M. Loomer 04/03/1979
*Alan H. Meldrum 05/14/1993
Daniel A. L. Monson 06/11/2003
Barbara J. Nordstog 04/11/2018
Paul H. Olson 06/22/2022
Connie Osowski 04/13/2015
*J. Loyd Pyle 03/13/1996
Jon A. Ramsey 07/25/2008 1
Larry J. Richards 04/15/2013
Lewis A. Schaper 05/10/2017 1
Cecil M. Schimke 06/29/2020 2
Liz B. Simpson 10/29/2007
*James O. Stolee 09/02/1994
*Carmen E. Suminski 03/30/1999
Ron C. Timpe 03/29/2016
*Donald O. Tingum 05/09/2002
*George M. Unruh Jr. 09/02/1994
Wayne M. Zink 06/28/2023 1
*Tom Clifford
# - Includes personal donations
Lions Foundation of North Dakota Life Donors
Steve Johnson 2011#, 2014
*David Bowen 2012
*Mark Henneman 2013
Lew Schaper 2015
Cecil Schimke 2016
Gary Kaltenberg 2017
Tim Dittus 07/2017
Jon Ramsey 10/2017
Dan Munson 10/2017
Connie Osowski 10/2018
Willie Huot 06/2019
Barb Nordstog 10/2019
Wayne Zink 05/2020
Larry Richards 10/2020
John Clayburgh 06/2021
*Carmen Suminski 10/2021
Henry Eslinger 06/2022
Terra Boettcher 10/2022
Ron Timpe 06/2023
# - Personal donation
Senior Members of Lions - 25 years+ (as of 10/24/2022)
Lyle Hall since 9/1/1979 (43 years)
John Clayburgh since 5/1/83 (39 years)
Dan Monson since 10/1/85 (37 years)
Tim Dittus since 10/1/86 (36 years)
Myron Barnes since 5/1/87 (35 years)
Elaine Koutsoukos since 11/1/89 (32 years)
Cecil Schimke since 11/1/90 (31 years)
Grant Kahlbaugh since 3/1/91 (31 years)
Gary Kaltenberg since 4/1/92 (30 years)
Steve Johnson since 10/1/92 (30 years)
Willie Huot since 10/1/93 (29 years)
Wayne Zink since 9/1/97 (25 years)
