Lions History
The year was 1879. Near a military outpost just south of the notorious San Carlos Indian Reservation, Melvin Jones was born amid the Indian Wars of Territorial Arizona. As a boy, he quickly learned how vital it was to work with others for survival — pooling skills, talents, energies and resources for survival and community success. The family lived in constant fear at a time and place where indigenous warriors were battling to save historic lands — people named Geronimo, Cochise, and the Apache Kid. Fast forward… Jones’ mother and father separated; she returned to Kansas with Melvin and his seven siblings where he goes to school while boarding with relatives. Fast forward again, he completed his education, moved to Chicago and became an insurance agent ultimately forming his own agency in 1913. He joined a networking group of local, influential businessmen. It was there he encouraged his fellow business leaders to use their skills not just for personal success, but to serve their communities. Amid the chaos of World War I (1917) and America’s entry into that conflict, Jones and the other business leaders began to utilize their talents in service to their community. That effort ultimately became Lions International. In 1917, he helped organize the first Lions Club and shaped its guiding principle, “We Serve.” Under his leadership, Lions Clubs grew into a global movement focused on humanitarian service, including vision care, disaster relief, and community development. For the next 60 years, Melvin Jones served as secretary-general of Lions International helping to grow it to be the largest service organization with 1.4 million members in more than 220 countries and service area impacting more than three billion people worldwide. In 1961, Melvin Jones died, but his legacy lives on through Lions International.
