International President 1950 – 1951
Herb Petry was born in Carrizo Springs, Texas on August 10, 1917 and passed away on September 25, 1992.
Becoming the 33rd International President at the Lions convention in Chicago, Petry had been a Lion since 1940 when he became a charter member of the Carrizon Club that had been organized by R. Roy Keaton. He and Keaton, who took over all operations of LCI in 1950, were later to become lifelong friends. During Lion Petry’s term in office, the organization enjoyed one of its most expansive years: Finland, Italy and Uruguay came on board; 880 additional Lions Clubs were founded; and a net gain in new members of 14,775. It should also be noted that Petry was elected International President as age 32, the youngest of all LCI presidents to date.
Petry was a graduate of Trinity University of San Antonio and the University of Texas where he received his law degree.
His activities in community affairs were too numerous to document here, but it should be noted that he was bestowed with the Bernando O’Higgins Medal from Chile, that country’s highest honor for non-citizens.