History of the Walcott Lions Club
WALCOTT LIONS CLUB
40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
6:00PM March 26th 2013
At
The Walcott Coliseum
Walcott, Iowa
40th Anniversary Committees
Loren Claussen
Abigail Claussen
Leon Downing
Tim Schlapkohl
Jacob Puck
Jared Brus
Marlene Arp
Rudy Arp
FORWARD
The Walcott Lions club chartered, February 9, 1973 turn forty years old this year, 2013. We come together tonight to celebrate the clubs’ accomplishments in its 40 year history. Many members have joined this organization. They gave their all, to help the community of Walcott grow, and help maintain the Lions Code of Ethics.
Our club has not grown tremendously in membership numbers. However we have grown steady throughout the years. We had at one time, came within grasp of 50 members, and now have settled back to just under forty, at thirty six members strong. We Lions pride ourselves through the early years that we didn’t have a repeat club President. We held that honor for 30 years, until 2003-2004 with John Warner repeating as Club President.
The Walcott Lions Club has become well respected in our community. Community leaders respect what the Lions have done in the town, and often turn to us for leadership when an opportunity arises. That makes us feel good, to know we are appreciated.
One of our now well known community service projects, building handicap ramps for persons in need, is a prime example of our, “can do” attitude. Often citizens’ family memebers will call on the Lions to quickly install a ramp at someone’s home. The call goes out to all members, now most likely by e-mail, and a few phone calls. Our scout goes to survey the project, reports back with materials needed. Key members set a date to construct, often by a deadline set when someone is coming home from the hospital. Usually in a matter of a couple of days!
Eight A.M., construction day arrives, usually eight to twelve members arrive with tools in hand. By mid afternoon a usable ramp is completed for the citizen in need. Yes, we are tired after a long day of work, we are not all used too. Somehow, a day or two later, we can be ready to go again to answer the next call!
We have helped other area communities to prosper from a Lions Club. We have sponsored four Lions clubs in our area. They are; Blue Grass -1974, Dixon -1983, Donahue -1986, and Muscatine -2003, in our forty year history. We hope to honor them tonight as well.
We gather tonight, with surrounding clubs, 9EC Cabinet Members, guests, and our own members thinking back forty years remembering our successes and failures. We look optimistically toward the future thinking, how can we make this club better? We all have an idea; we just have to keep trying to do our very best.
Loren Claussen
Walcott Lions Club member since 1979
2012-2013 Leaders
Lions International President: Wayne A. Madden (Auburn, Indiana)
MD9 International Director: Judy Hankom (Hampton, Iowa)
MD9 Council Chair: Mark Songer (Ottumwa, Iowa)
9EC District Governor: Kathy Rhinehart (Eldridge, Iowa)
9EC 1st Vice District Governor: Mike Fuller (Muscatine, Iowa)
9EC 2nd Vice District Governor: Terry Durham (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Zone Chair: Linda Swartz (Davenport, Iowa) and Robert Rhinehart (Eldridge, Iowa)
Current Members 2012/2013
Dr. Mary Pat Allmandinger
Laverne Arp
Marlene Arp
Rudy Arp
Chuck Bramstedt
Rhonda Brockmann
Jared Brus
Ted Burson
Loren Claussen
Abigail Claussen
Leon Downing
Bob Frick
Dr. Greg Garvin
Lionel Hermiston
Gary Hoker
Norma Holdorf
Roger Holdorf
Mel Illian
John Iossi
Bill Jacobs
Dave Johnson
John Kostichek
Kelley Krummel
Glenn Moeller
Jordan Orcutt
Bob Peters
Denny Puck
Jacob Puck
Jackie Puck
Larry Reiling
Matt Schricker
Larry Schlapkohl
Tim Schlapkohl
Dale Schroeder
Mike Sissel
John Warner
Charter Members
Leon Downing
Bob Frick
John L. Miller
Karl Arp
Robert Ruser
Ted Burson
Louis “Ike" Koch
Marvin Puck
Bill Sandknop
Roby Fretwell
Denny Puck
Jim Puck
Ed Doerscher
David Rixe
Stanley Niebuhr
Marlyn Stang
Deane Chapman
Keith Meyer
Vernon Sissel
Alvin Lamp
Dallas Buesing
Leo Aye
James Crank
Dennis Heiar
Leo Meyer
Charles Bramstedt
Ken Dietz
Richard Needham
Al Warnecke
Warren Riessen
Bob Staub
William Kiser
Jack Davis-Honorary Member
- Bolded names are current members.
Current Club Leaders
President- Dr. Greg Garvin
1st Vice President- Matt Schricker
2nd Vice President- John Kostichek
3rd Vice President- Jackie Puck
Secretary- Rudy Arp
Treasurer- Laverne Arp
2 Year Directors-
Mel Illian
John Iossi
1 Year Directors-
Leon Downing
Dennis Puck
Tail Twisters-
Gary Hoker
Lionel Hermiston
Lion Tamers-
Kelley Krummel
Tim Schlapkohl
Membership Chairman- Chuck Bramstedt
Membership Vice Chairman- Jacob Puck
Charter Officers
President-Leon Downing
1st Vice President-Karl Arp
2nd Vice President-Bob Ruser
3rd Vice President-Ted Burson
Secretary-Bob Frick
Treasurer-Al Warnecke
2 Year Directors-
Roby Fretwell
Bill Sandknop
1 Year Directors-
Jim Puck
Dennis Puck
Tail Twisters-
Louis “Ike” Koch
Lion Tamer-
Marvin Puck
Deceased Members
Bill Kiser 5/74
Art Otto 5/77
Tom Campbell 10/78
Vernon Sissel 3/79
Louis “Ike” Koch 6/79
Alvin Jacobsen 3/85
Bill Suhr 9/86
Albert Warnecke 9/93
Steve Allmandinger 10/93
Erwin Peterson 1/94
Harvey Goering 2/96
Bill Koepke 9/98
Arnold Suhr 2/01
George Golinghorst 2/01
Leo Meyer 4/02
Luverne Marti 2/05
Robert Staub 4/05
Karl Arp 9/05
Marvin Puck Sr. 4/06
Hugo Holst 12/06
John Greenwalt 8/08
Melvin Riessen 2/09
Eugene Siebke 9/12
George Lawton 2/13
Past Presidents
Name Years
Leon Downing 73/74
Karl Arp 74/75
Leo Meyer 75/76
Dennis Puck 76/77
Charles Bramstedt 77/78
Kenneth Puck 78/79
William Koepke 79/80
Harvey Goering 80/81
Gary Jepsen 81/82
Robert Frick 82/83
Marvin Puck 83/84
Richard Hagen 84/85
John Iossi 85/86
Loren Claussen 86/87
Larry Reiling 87/88
Eugene Siebke 88/89
Melvin Riessen 89/90
Rudolph Arp 90/91
Melvin Illian 91/92
Greg Garvin 92/93
Glen Moeller 93/94
John Warner 94/95
Wallace Kelding 95/96
David Huntley 96/97
Richard Kelding 97/98
Laverne Arp 98/99
Randall Siebke 99/00
Dale Schroeder 00/01
John Wieskamp 01/02
Deb Griebel 02/03
John Warner 03/04
Mike Sissel 04/05
John Kostichek 05/06
Steve Smith 06/07
Marlene Arp 06/07
John Greenwalt 07/08
Roger Holdorf 08/09
Loren Claussen 09/10
Jacob Puck 10/11
Norma Holdorf 11/12
Melvin Jones Award Recipients
NAME DATE
Harvey Goering 07/08/83
Robert Frick 04/24/91
Loren Claussen 05/18/92
Arnold Suhr 03/04/93
Leo Meyer 05/05/93
Leon Downing 07/09/94
Karl Arp 11/23/94
Rudolph Arp III 10/24/95
Melvin Illian 10/24/95
Melvin Riessen 11/07/96
Donna Claussen 04/23/97
Hugo Holst 11/20/97
Dennis Puck 11/09/98
Eugene Siebke 05/24/00
Glenn Moeller 12/29/00
Charles Bramstedt 05/02/02
Marvin Puck 06/13/02
Larry Reiling 04/25/03
John Iossi 02/03/04
Laverne Arp 05/19/05
Dale Schroeder 08/10/06
Lionel Hermiston 02/19/07
John Kostichek 03/07/08
David Johnson 12/15/09
John Warner 06/22/10
Gary Hoker 08/24/10
Dr. Greg Garvin 08/23/11
Marlene Arp 08/28/12
Warren Coleman Award Recipients
Name Award #
1. Leon Downing 0034
2. Karl Arp 0035
3. Dennis Puck 0038
4. Leo Meyer 0039
5. Charles Bramstedt 0085
6. William Koepke 0086
7. Harvey Goering 0114
8. Robert Frick 0115
9. Marvin Puck 0122
10. Richard Hagen 0148
11. John Iossi 0231
12. Loren Claussen 0232
13. Larry Reiling 0279
14. Eugene Siebke 0280
15. Melvin Riessen 0281
16. Rudolph Arp III 0319
17. Melvin Illian 0320
18. Dr. Greg Garvin 0378
19. Theodore Burson 0379
20. Albert Warnecke 0380
21. David Rixe 0381
22. Robert Staub 0400
23. Arnold Suhr 0424
24. Hugo Holst 0444
25. Glenn Moeller 0473
26. Galen Engler 0509
27. John Warner 0533
28. Dwight Mericle 0582
29. George Golinghorst 0583
30. Luverne Marti 0603
31. Wallace Kelding 0631
32. David Huntley 0693
33. Robert Peters 0762
34. Gary Hoker 0782
35. Steve Stender 0783
36. Richard Kelding 0847
37. Laverne Arp 0966
38. Lionel Hermiston 0967
39. Randy Siebke, 0978
40. Dale Schroeder 0979
41. Carl Martens 1066
Name Award #
42. William Jacobs 1121
43. Deborah Griebel 1228
44. John Wieskamp 1325
45. Brian Ehlers 1394
46. Dr. Mary Pat Allmandinger 1395
47. Chuck Ehlers 1538
48. Robert Potter 1558
49. David Johnson 1559
50. Brent Kraemer 1703
51. John Kostichek 1704
52. Marlene Arp 1705
53. Ken Bales 1867
54. John Greenwalt 1868
55. Jason Holdorf 1869
56. Mike Sissel 1870
57. George Lawton 2265
58. Roger Holdorf 2266
59. Jacob Puck 2267
60. Norma Holdorf 2268
61. Steve Smith 2270
62. Walcott Bank 2778
63. Walcott Coliseum 2786
64. Matt Schricker 2894
65. Max Neppel 2895
66. Melvin Illian 0002
67. Laverne Arp 0002
68. Loren Claussen 0002
69. Tim Schlapkohl 3037
70. Jared Brus 3103
71. Jackie Puck 3104
72. Leon Downing 0002
73. Robert Frick 0002
74. Dennis Puck 0002
75. Charles Bramstedt 0002
76. Ted Burson 0002
- Bolded name have been awarded a Progressive Warren Coleman Award
Club History
The Walcott Lions Club has raised and donated over $400,000 an average of $10,000 a year since 1973.All of the money has been donated to the community, district, multiple district and International Projects. The club has done this through countless hours of fundraising in our community. Some of the early fundraisers include door to door broom sales, calendar sales, and softball tournaments. The clubs first major fundraiser was started on September 9, 1974, Monday Night Bingo at the Walcott Coliseum. Bingo ran every Monday night from 1974 to July 9th 1991 when it was discontinued with a vote of 15 to 9.
The second major fundraiser the Fish Fry was started on March 18th 1975, with a net profit of $1,796.24. Fish was 70-75 cents a pounds and tickets were sold for $3.00 in advance and $3.50 at the door. This fundraiser continues today.
The clubs first pancake breakfast was held September 7, 1980, after being held at Victory Park several times, it was moved to the Coliseum and continues there today.
The club is the proud home of two former 9x9 District Governors, Loren Claussen in 1999-2000 and Rudy Arp 2001-2002.
Charter Night Minutes
Official Minutes of Regular Club Meetings
The regular meeting of the Charter Night Lions Club was called to order on April 7th 1973 by the President at 7pm at the Walcott Coliseum with those members in attendance as shown on the Attendance record and Guest Register.
218 Lions and Lionels attended Charter Night.
Representatives from 16 clubs in southeastern Iowa were present, plus some Lions from other clubs from across Iowa.
Highlight of the evening was the presentation of the charter to the new club by Don Hamann, District 9-B Governor and the unfolding of the Lions banner for the Walcott Club. Lions Secretary Dean Koore presented the banner to club President Leon Downing.
Also on the program was an address by Lion Adrian Johnson of Forest City, Iowa. A past District Governor of Lions International, he was introduced by Jack Davis of the Davenport Evening Lions Club, which sponsored the Walcott Cub.
Call to order was given by M.C. Lion Roby Fretwell, and Ted Burson lead group singing. Dr. Deane Chapman of Bettendorf, gave the invocation and Keith Meyer Walcott Mayor, gave a welcome speech.
Special guests in attendance were eight past District Governors; Deane Moore, Dr. Ray Richardson of Bettendorf, John Orr of Davenport, Charles Behr of Clinton, Ralph Bennett of Tipton, Roy Piaerton of Keokuk, Dr. Ken MacDonnell of Iowa City and Sherm Hersch of Fairfield.
Other Presentations:
Lions Highway Sign- LeClaire & Bettendorf
International Flag Set- Davenport Host
Gong and Gavel Set- Davenport Evening
Tail Twister Fine Bank- Wilton
Badges and Case- DeWitt, Clinton, and Eldridge
HISTORY OF LIONS OF IOWA
Current designation for Lions Clubs of Iowa is Multiple District 9, or MD9. The original District 9 included Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Eastern Wisconsin.
The first Lions Club in Iowa was the Sioux City Host Club, organized June 6, 1918. The Des Moines Host Club was formed in 1920, and is the oldest continuous club in Iowa.
Lions State Conventions are held each year, and the first was in Cedar Rapids in 1921.
Also in 1921, William Westfall of Mason City was elected District Governor, and in 1926 Lion Westfall was elected Lions International President. He is the only President ever elected from Iowa.
In 1927, Iowa and Nebraska were split into two Districts.
In 1928, the Lions International Convention was held in Des Moines, Iowa.
1942 was the first Key Breakfast ever held.
A Leader Dog representative attended the State Convention for the first time in 1950, and the delegates adopted the program as one to donate money to.
Through the years, there have been several Lions who have served as Lions Clubs of Iowa State Secretary. Art White was selected as the first State Secretary in 1953, followed by Art Fogarty in 1958. In 1964, his replacement was Dean Moore, and Bernie Zinsli became State Secretary/Field Rep Extension in 1972. Lion Bernie traveled Iowa, Nebraska, and part of Illinois helping establish new Lions Clubs. 1982 brought PDG Dale Anderson to the Lions State office as Secretary, and in 1991 PDG Matteo Cardella became Secretary. PID Gary Fry became State Secretary/Field Representative in 2003. As with Lion Bernie, PID Gary is also involved in chartering new clubs in the State of Iowa, plus his duties as Secretary.
In 1954, the Iowa Lions Sight Conservation Foundation (ILSCF) was started in Des Moines. This is the fund and grant making arm of Lions Clubs of Iowa. In 1978, with hearing as a new project, the name was changed to Iowa Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation. In 1994 the name was shortened to “Iowa Lions Foundation”, the current title.
As part of Foundation services, a Mobile Screening unit for detecting Glaucoma was approved in 1963 and placed in service in the fall of 1965. Iowa Lions were pioneers in the nation for providing this type of service through Lions Clubs. In 2005, after 40 years of continuous service, this screening service was discontinued.
Another segment of the Iowa Lions Foundation is the Iowa Lions Eye Bank. Established in 1955, and a part of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa, the Eye Bank collects and disperses corneal tissue for corneal transplants and for research. The Iowa Lions Eye Bank became a charter member of the Eye Bank Association of America in 1962.
In 1994, Lions of Iowa were hosts to the USA/Canada Leadership Forum held in Des Moines.
“Coming to Your Senses”, a screening program to detect vision problems in youngsters age six months to four years, was established in 1999, and continues to be an excellent service. As of July 1, 2007, this screening operates under a new name, IOWA KIDSIGHT.
Redistricting from 9 Districts in the state to 7 took effect July 1, 2007. The new district designations are: 9NW, 9NC, 9NE, 9EC, 9SE, 9MC, and 9SW.
The Lions of Iowa are comprised of 358 individual clubs with a combined membership of just over 10,000 Lions. Iowa is one multiple district (MD9) of Lions Clubs International , which has 45,000 clubs in 205 countries or geograph-ical areas. There are 1.3 million Lions worldwide who work together to answer the needs that challenge communities around the world.
Known for working to end preventable blindness, Lions participate in a vast variety of projects important to their communities. These projects range from cleaning up local parks to providing supplies to victims of natural disasters.
The state office is located in Ames and is overseen by Council Chairman PDG Roger Bublitz.
mission statement:
To empower volunteers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peace and promote international understanding through Lions clubsHistory of Lions and the UN
