Charlie Tupper 2009-2010
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GET ON BOARD!
My Dad was a Lion. For almost 50 years, something like 37 of perfect attendance in El Paso Downtown
Lions Club. He was so proud of his Lions Club relationship, that he wore his pin, actually his Past Tail
Twister pin, everywhere we went. And when we went, he opened the car door and told us, “Get on board!”
So it was because of legacy that I joined the Oak Cliff Lions Club in the early ‘80's. Only I really
didn’t have the time (note: I didn’t TAKE the time) to attend meetings, participate, get to know the
members, or learn about Lionism or the Club. Not until one of our members found my “hot button,” about
1999, when he asked me to get involved with the District 2-X1 Julien C. Hyer Lions Youth Camp program. That
sorta “forced” me to have to attend Club meetings, to give my camp reports — and lo and behold, I realized,
first hand, what a fun time the Club members had at those Wednesday-over-the-hump-day luncheons! The programs
were great; the members were friendly; many said “Come back next week.” And I did, because I started learning
what Lionism really is all about—Serving others and having a great time, too, with some of the finest
individuals in the world!
This year, the theme is “GET ON BOARD.” For each of us in our Club, there is a “hot button” that, like
what happened to me, will get you on board and keep you on board. Our Club leaders are committed to doing
our best to find that hot button and to service to others, and to having the fun and kinship found in very
special groups. Will you, too, Get on Board?
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Darla Wisdom 2008-2009
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I am honored and thrilled to serve as 80th President of the storied
Oak Cliff Lions Club. We are a group of diverse leaders, living all
over the metroplex, working as lawyers, doctors, bankers, firemen,
clergymen, politicians, business owners, retirees and more. We’ve probably
been asked to lead all our lives from school to the work place, from
church to the community and as born leaders, we can embrace this year’s
theme, “MOVE IT, MOVE IT” and come together as one to restore our
membership to its illustrious past. We can work together to insure our
fund raising events are the most successful ever and we can serve together
in true Lionism in volunteering our time and energy to those charities
we hold dear. Let’s move as one to set an example for Lions Clubs throughout
the country and the world so that at the end of 2009, we can honestly say
“We ARE the greatest Lions Club in Lions International! I know this
talented group of people can accomplish every goal set forth; we just
need to get up AND “MOVE IT, MOVE IT!”
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Tom Timmons 2007-2008
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What is "Lionism?" We have a motto, a slogan, a mission statement with objectives and a code
of ethics. These are all meaningful and helpful, but I think that it is simpler than that. I
think that it is a matter of having fun while doing good. There are all kinds of ways to
contribute. Do you like our web site? Thank you, Lion Bill Melton, Lion Sydney Allen and Lion
Layne Vincent. Do you like our newsletter, The Cub, which is available online? Thank you,
Lion Susi Vincent and Lion Kathie Magers.
Last year, the Oak Cliff Lions Club contributed $20,000 to the Lions Sight and Tissue
Foundation’s Mobile Eyeglass Bus Project. The Oak Cliff Lions Club also supports the
Texas Lions Camp for Diabetic and Disabled Children. Many of our Lions volunteer to
deliver meals on wheels for the Visiting Nurses Association. Thank you, Lion Nora Mercado
for coordinating this important work. We also volunteer and contribute to other Lion causes,
we fund scholarships and we contribute to many other charities.
We also have a good time. The Oak Cliff Lions Club has many special events such as an annual golf
tournament, a fish fry, a horse shoe tournament, Extravaganza (our evening of music, comedy routine
and general fun), all organized and staffed by volunteers. In addition to the special events, we
have a Wednesday luncheon, filled with both serious matters and general nonsense, in addition to
a guest speaker. Thank you, Lion Alice Zaccarello and Lion Carolyn Dunnigan for recruiting such
interesting and informative speakers. People begin arriving a little before noon on Wednesday,
so click on the “view map” on our home page, and join us for some fun.
In addition, thank you Lion Rich Buickerood, our Immediate Past President, for doing such a fine job and making life easier for
me. Finally, thank you, Janet Nelson, our Executive Secretary. I don’t know what we would do without you.
Yours in Lionism,
Tom Timmons, President 2007-2008
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Rich Buickerood 2006-2007
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Lions,
I look forward to serving as your president for the upcoming
year, thank you for having enough faith in me to entrust me with
this responsibility. I think the leadership team which has been
assembled will enable us to continue our service role in the
community, particularly if we all place the club's goals at the
forefront of all of our efforts.
Regards...
Rich Buickerood
OCLC President 2006-2007
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Bill Harper 2004-2005
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"A Passion To Serve"
As many of you know, Lions Clubs started as the dream of Melvin
Jones who believed that local business clubs should expand from
purely professional concerns to the betterment of their
communities. As he was fond of saying, "You can’t get
very far until you start doing something for someone else."
Doing for others is something that I enjoy, and I am very
fortunate to work for a company that places high value on
volunteerism and community involvement. Being a Lion has allowed
me to do the things that I have a passion for, and that is to
serve others.
As we celebrate 75 successful years, I am stressing the crucial
need for the members of our club to exercise their
responsibilities as community leaders to help increase
membership in our club. Please do your part by soliciting family
members, neighbors, friends and business associates to join our
club and support the many fundraising events that we have
planned.
It is a privilege and an honor for me to serve you as President,
but the key to the success of this club is through our
membership. By working together our club will be able to meet
its full potential. Thank you for all that you do to make
this the "GREATEST LIONS CLUB IN LIONS INTERNATIONAL."
Sincerely,
Bill Harper, President 2004-2005
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Stoney Greene 2003-2004
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"Building on Our Rich Legacy"
I became interested in "Lionism" several years ago while reading the Dallas
Morning News and becoming aware that my classmate and good friend, Lieutenant General B.
K. Solomon, was scheduled to be the guest speaker. I drove over to the club, asked
if I could come in and I was welcomed. I had an opportunity to talk briefly with my friend
and subsequently was sponsored by PDG Bill Melton for membership in the club, and I've
been especially grateful to him since. As a careerist in the helping profession,
I've found it especially pleasing to serve others for which the only remuneration has been
the sheer joy of helping others.
As we've entered our 75th Anniversary Year, I'm aware of the legacy that has been left for
us. That legacy is encouched in our motto, "We Serve", the essential
essence of which, so it seems, is to always bear in mind the obligations of citizenship in
our community, state, and nation and to give our unswerving loyalty in word, act and
deed. As we stand on the shoulders of all those that have gone before us, it is our
duty to preserve the legacy with which we've been left and to make our erstwhile Lion's
proud.
We must spend some time during this Diamond Anniversary Year reacquainting with some our
our glorious past and continue to move forward with the "Ca Do" spirit that has
been evident in the club since its inception. Those of you that have been members of
the club for a while are aware of the "Can Do" spirit of the Oak Cliff Lions
Club is contagious and I enjoin the new Lions to catch our spirit. How do you catch
our spirit? I ask myself rhetorically. You catch the spirit by getting
involved and by serving others. I'm asking all Lions to help make this 75th
Anniversary Year the one that prepares us for the next 75 years.
Be Well,
Stonell (Stoney) Greene, President 2003-2004
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Michelle Metzger 2002-2003
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"Oak Cliff Lions Club Needs You!"
Thank you for visiting the Oak Cliff Lions Club website! I hope
you enjoy your stay and come visit us for one of our meetings to
really see what we are all about. When you come, I hope the one
thing you take with you is our sense of community. The largest
Club in this District of Lionism, I am proud to say our
membership has a great diversity of age, gender and ethnicity.
We have a lot of fun at each meeting while enjoying great
programs that shed light on a variety of community issues. The
only thing we need is you!
If you are looking for a place to plug in – this is it!
In addition to providing a kind of “extended family”, you
also can serve the community through our many service projects
and help raise funds for noble causes.
I still recall with joy the day my mother, and Lion
sponsor, invited me to be her guest at the Oak Cliff Lions Club.
At the young age of 19, I was certain the experience would be
less than exciting but obliged her request in spite of my
perception. Needless to say, I had a wonderful time and have
been proud to call myself a member of the "Greatest Lions Club
in Lions International" ever since.
This will be a historic year in many respects. We will kickoff the
75th Anniversary year of our Club’s inception, and I will be
the first person of Hispanic descent and the youngest to lead
the Club. I am humbled by this honor and look forward to
building on the legacy passed on by the pillars of leadership
that have walked this path before me. My goals for this year are
very simple – increase the amount of funds we distribute to
our designated charities, enhance the structure of our Club to
increase member participation in activities and spotlight the
legacy of our Club to inspire others to join our noble cause.
My challenge to myself and to all the members is to renew our
personal commitment to Lionism and begin with passion our next
quest of service to the community for the generations that will
follow. Will you join me on this quest?
All good things,
Michelle Metzger, President 2002-2003
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Robert Hirsh 2001-2002
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"Smiles and Service"
Congratulations to the outgoing and incoming Officers and Board
members of the Oak Cliff Lions Club. I offer my thanks to the
outgoing officers and directors who have also served us so well.
I offer my special thanks to President Wayne Meachum for his
dedicated service to our Club. Our Club is better because of his
personal efforts, sweat from his hands-on work and his
imaginative ideas.
The upcoming year will be filled with even more smiles and even
more service opportunities. We'll stress membership growth and
membership retention, greater fund raising and a higher level of
community service.
We can look for an increase in prestige and public awareness of
our Club, as we teach our neighbors about the fun that we have
and the service that we offer as Oak Cliff Lions in our Lions
district, city, state and nation. A higher profile will result
in great benefits to our Club in having a larger, active
membership.
We will work on some recently begun projects, such as spring
fund raising, a new public relations effort for print media,
Internet and cable TV, our seeking of grants from the Lions Club
International Foundation to benefit our favorite causes, as well
as planning for a one year celebration of our Club's 75th
anniversary which will occur in three years.
We will again have our Extravaganza and the camaraderie that it
brings this November. The show will be new and prizes for the
winning tickets will be exciting. We will resume honoring civic
leaders with our annual Humanitarian award. Our Club directory
will be published shortly.
Everyone knows that our meetings "couldn't be more fun", but we
will make them even better by adding a surprise event at our
meetings. Offerings will include comedy, talent, prizes, games,
make-new-friends events, special themes/food and the like. You
won't want to miss now. Look for an increase in service
opportunities, as we will debut pet projects, the opportunity to
spend a few hours performing community service each month. You
won't believe how fast that you can make new friends by serving
with your fellow Lions. In addition, we will have frequent
social events, with major ones at least every 3 months. Any
Lions who have been especially hard working and can exceed
certain standards will earn a 100% Oak Cliff Lion Award, and we
will honor those super Lions in a special manner next spring.
We must be visible to the youth in our community, future Lions.
We will raise funds for our Endowment Fund, the earnings of
which provide college scholarships to worthy, college-bound high
school seniors. Look for our sponsorship of a Leo Club, which
exposes our youth to Lionism. We must reach out to other groups
near and far. That can be accomplished by sharing ideas or
twinning with another Lions Club.
We will keep you abreast of and involved in District 2-X1
activities, so that our Club, which is the largest in the
District, can resume its leadership role there. With knowledge
of the District's workings, you will find their service projects
compelling, working with Lions from other clubs invigorating and
you will want to serve on their committees, boards and positions
of leadership.
With this varied agenda, we will smile and serve together.
Best wishes for a great year.
Yours in Lionism,
Robert Hirsh, President 2001-2002
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Robert Hirsh 2001-2002
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"Together We Did Smile and Serve"
I would like to
congratulate the officers, directors and members of the Oak
Cliff Lions Club on another great year by the greatest Lions
Club in Lions International. I feel that we increased our level
of service, fund raising, social events, and awareness of
district and other clubs' activities. We maintained a high level
of weekly programs and returned our club to an elevated level of
club traditions and club accomplishments. We expanded our
horizons with new awards, with a little effort, reachable by
most all of us. There are great benefits to our Club for your
reaching for these goals. We worked through some unusual
problems from the past and began planning for the future with a
yearlong anniversary celebration of our 75th year of service.
With an upgraded publicity effort, there are now even more
avenues for the community to see the fine work of our club.
We have reinforced our solid foundation so that the next four
administrations can concentrate on propelling our club to new
heights. We know that our future leaders have the skills
necessary to do just that. Just remember, to make that happen,
additionally it will require all of our efforts. Just remember
that our members are really the stars of the "show".
In conclusion, I would like to thank all of you for your kind
friendship and support. Having served as your president has been
one of my life's great experiences. As I had hoped a year ago,
together we did smile and serve.
Congratulations to Lion President Michelle Metzger and our new
officers and directors for their leadership. I hope that
together the Oak Cliff Lions Club will have another great year
during 2002-2003 and thereafter.
Yours in Lionism,
Robert Hirsh, President 2001-2002
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Wayne Meachum 2000-2001
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LET THE RENAISSANCE BEGIN
Today, we truly stand
astride the millennia. This "Lions Club Year" 2000-2001 will
span the last six months of the last year of the 20th Century
and the first six months of the first year of the 21st
Century. But that reality is not as significant as another reality it
symbolizes. If we seize this opportunity, we are poised on the threshold
of a new era in the life of the Oak Cliff Lions Club and the community
we serve.
Literally, with one foot
planted firmly in the past and the other stepping confidently into the
future, we have an opportunity to play a significant role in the rebirth
of the Oak Cliff community. From April,1929 through June, 2000, those
who have worked, built, given, led, inspired and pioneered before us
have handed to us a legacy of accomplishment, pride, benevolence,
leadership and community service. That legacy has distinguished the Oak
Cliff Lions Club among all service clubs and community organizations in
Dallas. And our influence has been felt around the world in Lions
International.
The broad shoulders of
that rich tradition provide a firm foundation upon which we can stand
and which we can use as a launching pad for what we can yet accomplish.
Our accomplishments can (and must) be significant. We must live up to,
and even surpass, the tradition of this Club that we look upon with such
pride. In this era when service clubs are suffering from inattention and
un-involvement, we must pledge ourselves to making the Oak Cliff Lions
Club, once again, the most relevant and significant service club in our
community. We must reclaim the rightful position of the Oak Cliff Lions
Club as the organization for the leaders and workers of Oak Cliff
and beyond.
Here are the challenges.
In four years, we will celebrate our 75th Anniversary. With
your support, I pledge to lead you on a rebirth that will take the Oak
Cliff Lions Club to once again capturing its place as "the largest
Lions Club in Lions International" by our 75th birthday.
With your support, I pledge to lead you on a rebirth that will take the
Oak Cliff Lions Club to once again annually contributing to our worthy
charities funds in six figure amounts by our 75th birthday.
With your support, I pledge to lead you on a mission that will establish
the Oak Cliff Lions Club Humanitarian Award as one of the most
meaningful, significant, and coveted awards given by a Dallas
organization.
Membership, stewardship,
leadership and community service; these are the challenges. Will you
pledge with me to meet them? We have all we need to achieve these goals
and more. Accept the challenges with me! Together, we will meet them; no…we
will exceed them!
Let the renaissance begin!
Wayne Meachum
President, 2000-2001
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