Murray Lions Club and Past Presidents History
Researched and Complied By:
PID Yancey L. Watkins and PDG Joe Pat James
2007-2008

Charter Activities

Lions Club Leader Conducting Survey in Calloway Co.
J. Baxter Napier commissioner, for Lions Clubs International, is conducting a survey of all Lions Club members in Murray. He will be at the National Hotel for several days, and would be pleased if all Lions Clubs members, or former members, would get in touch with him while he is here.

Lions to Meet
J. Baxter Napier representative of Lions International has announced a meeting for all men he has contacted during the past week as members for the Murray Lions Club. The meeting will be help at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the National Hotel. Further details of the forming of the club will be in next week’s paper.

Page 3, The Ledger and Times September 14, 1939, Volume CVII No. 37

Lions Club is Organized in Murray Thursday, Sept. 14
A Lions Club for Murray was founded in a meeting held at the National Hotel here Thursday night with 22 members on the charter list. Seven members of this group have been members of other Lions clubs previous to their moving to Murray.

J. Baxter Napier, representing Lions International, assisted by nine members of the Fulton club, aided in the founding. This is the second international service club for Murray, the Rotary club’s having been here for 15 years besides this, Murray has been served with the Young Business Men’s Clubs for the past six years.

Officers elected to serve until July 1, 1940, were: president, T. T. Elkins; vice-presidents, M. G. Foster, W. H. Hudson, and Dewey Ragsdale; secretary-treasurer W. B. Davis, lion tamer, Fred Shultz; tail-twister, Boyd Gilbert; and directors, Robert Jones, Bryan Tolley, and Robert Carney.

The date for the charter night will be set soon. At that time the charter will be presented by representatives of the International Organization. Approximately 150 Lions and Lionesses from other towns within a radius of 100 miles of Murray will be present.

Members of the Fulton club present Thursday night included: President Bill Browning, District Deputy Governor Russell Rudd, Max Dade, R. E. Sanford, Gould Reevis, Earl Taylor, C. H. Melton, Hoyt Moore, and Forrest Riddle.

Members of the new Murray Lions Club: Joseph Berry, Ray B. Brownfield, R. L. Carney, Director; T. T. Elkins, President; Ray B. Forster, Vice-President; Boyd Gilbert, Tail Twister; Dr. Hal Houston, W. Hickok, L. W. Lennox, E. Paul L’Heureux, Raleigh Meloan, Dewey Ragsdale, 2nd President; Frank Stubblefield, Fred Shultz, Lion-Tamer; Bryan Tolley, S. A. Ruskjer, Robert A. Jones, Harold Curry, Woodfin Hutson, 3rd President; P. E. Thomas, W. B. Davis, Secretary.
There are two other directors.

At the club’s first meeting Tuesday night, members received their lapel pins and copies of the constitution and by-laws. L. W. Lennox was made finance chairman; Dewey Ragsdale chairman of the membership committee; Harold C. Curry constitutional and by-laws chairman; and S. A. Ruskjer chairman of the charter night committee.

FrontPage, The Ledger and Times September 21, 1939, Volume CVII No. 38

International Director
Dr. Yancey L. Watkins, 1988-1990

Board Appointee
Dr. Yancey L. Watkins, 1990-1991

Council Chair, MD 43
John Nelson Bunnell, 1997-1998

District Governors, 43K

• Fred Schultz, 1946-1947

• W. Zelna Carter, 1951-1952

• Charles H. Oakley, 1954-1955

• Joe Pat James, 1963-64

• George H. Ligon, 1968-1969

• Codie L. Caldwell, 1976-1977

• Dr. C. C. “Crit” Lowry, 1979-1990

• Dr. Yancey L. Watkins, 1981-1982

• Dr. Arvin D. Crafton Sr., 1986-1987

• James A. Rogers, 1993-1994

• John Nelson Bunnell, 1997-1998

Presidents

Lions Hear Doctor Discuss First Aid

Forbid Bryan Tolley to Wear Red Bow Tie Again But Suspended Sentence

In it regular meeting here Tuesday night, the Murray Lions Club heard a splendid lecture on first aid by Dr. E. L. Garrett of the Mason Hospital staff and saw the principles as outlined by the physician put into effect a few minutes later as the doctor and his assistants administered first aid to Dr. Woodfin Hutson and Lints Foster, who had staged a mock fight for the occasion. In a business session, the Lions expropriated the red bow tie invariably worn by co-Lion Bryan Tolley, sold it at public auction, forbade him ever to wear it again, and assessed a fine for any future breaches. However, in a more lenient mood at the last, the members probated the sentence and the ruling. A. H. Kopperud was a visitor at the meeting.

FrontPage, The Ledger and Times, October 3, 1940, Vol. CVIII No. 40