The present day ‘Chicago Central Lions Club’ was originally established as the ‘Lions Club of Chicago’ in 1917. This came about when the ‘Business Circle’, a businessmen’s club of Chicago of which Melvin Jones was its secretary, became a member of the ‘International Association of Lions Clubs’.
Up until a few years ago, the ‘Chicago Central Lions Club’ had its own website. Then suddenly it simply vanished from the Internet. I tried to get from LCI a reason for its disappearance. But no explanation was forthcoming.
I had taken issue with a number of entries on the club’s website and which I found in conflict with the historical facts:
- While the ‘Business Circle’ was indeed formed in 1908 by a group of businessmen, the website added the text,“including MELVIN JONES” (their caps). Melvin Jones, by his own admission, joined the club in 1913 at the invitation of a friend.
- “…and for a reason now obscure, Central did not register into the International organization until August 1917…” What the club will not admit to is that their charter is dated August 2, 1917, courtesy of Dr. W.P. Woods, allowing Melvin Jones and a fellow club member to attend the first Lions Convention of October 8-10, 1917 in Dallas, Texas. Since Melvin Jones and LCI promoted their founding date of June 7, 1917, there is no logical way that their date can coincide with the charter.
- The website indicates that the ‘Business Circle’ changed its name to the ‘Lions Club of Chicago’ on March 1917. That conflicts with the alleged founding date of June 7, 1917 as recognized by LCI.
- Early on, ‘Chicago Central Lions Club’ attempted to convince the Lions world that it was the “Mother Club of Lionism”, and was so recognized in a number of countries. This fallacy was based on promoting Chicago as the place “where it all began” instead of Evansville, Indiana. To this day, Chicago will greet Lions members to any Chicago convention with the simple phrase, WELCOME HOME!
The presence of the charter of the ‘Chicago Central Lions Club’ would prove once and for all the legitimate founding of LCI. It would have been signed by Dr. Woods. But that charter has “mysteriously disappeared.” It was reported that in the 1970’s, an athletic building where ‘Central’ had its offices, had undergone a complete renovation unbeknownst to the club and all of its records, including the charter, were destroyed or lost. No indication has been made that such an important document would have had copies made.