Fargo Lions Club Records, 1921-2003

Collection

Identifier: Mss 284

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The numerous records of the Fargo Lions club detail the activities of one of the first service clubs in the Fargo area. Among its many records are over fifty years of complete financial reports and nearly fifty years of board minutes. Thirty six years of the club’s weekly newsletters have also been preserved with very few omissions. Many more distinctive examples of the club’s activities are present in the Fundraising Files Series and the Subject Files Series. Unfortunately, the wide trail of records breaks off abruptly in the mid 1950s—with a few exceptions— leading to the conclusion that these records were lost or destroyed. Nevertheless, the extensive material provides ample research opportunities for an established and active service and philanthropic organization. The Historical File Series contains various general information concerning the Fargo Lions Club, its members, and the Lions District. Included are newspaper clippings, various club and district histories, and numerous membership rosters. The rosters also contain officer lists, committee assignments, and selected rules and regulations. The Seventy-fifth anniversary program contains club trivia as well as historical information in the form of ten toasts. The Constitutions and By-Laws Series is divided into two sub-series, the Fargo Lions Club and other organizations. The Fargo Lions Club constitution is one approved by Lions International, however, various undated minor revisions have been made to copies in the collection. None of the Club's constitutions are dated. Several other organizations' constitutions are included in the collection. Among these are those for Lions District 5NE; the Fargo Gavel Club--a voluntary association of Fargo service clubs--Lions Hearing Dogs of North Dakota, Inc.; and Lions Multiple District 5. Few documents in this series are dated, though the folders are arranged alphabetically. Mss 284 Fargo Lions Club Records Page 3 of 11 The Correspondence Series is also divided into two sub-series, incoming and outgoing correspondence. Among the incoming letters, organizations ask for donations, individuals seek assistance, individuals and organizations who have received funding from the club express their gratitude, and club members correspond with the club president or secretary. The outgoing correspondence includes letters to the club membership from the president or secretary, letters to Lions International, and various other club communications. The Subject Files Series and Fundraising Files Series also contain correspondence which directly relates to their topics of concern. Both sub-series are arranged chronologically. The Financial Records Series consists of annual budgets, check and deposit registers, donation statements, and financial statements along with other miscellaneous materials. The annual financial statements were prepared by either the Club Finance Committee, the Audit Committee, or an outside accountant. Several monthly finance reports may be found in the later years of financial statements; others may be found attached to board of directors minutes. The folders are arranged alphabetically, though the items in each folder are arranged chronologically. The Fundraising Files Series consists of correspondence, reports, publications, tickets, and other materials relating to the fundraising activities of the Fargo Lions Club. The Lions extensive fundraising efforts include an annual "Brooms, Nuts, and Bulbs" sale, otherwise known as Lions Night. The sale, which took place in the fall, was often not completed until the new year. Thus, to facilitate searching, the items in each folder concern the sale which began in the year indicated. The Fargo Lions hosted Charity Balls from the late 1970s to mid 1980s. In the late 1950s to 1960, the club organized several musical and comic entertainer performances. Also, the club sponsored several performances of the Black Hills Passion Play in the 1950s and 1960s. Records of various incarnations of a champion basketball game are included, as are those for several stag parties. Files are arranged alphabetically. The major component of the Minutes Series is the minutes from the Fargo Lions Club Board of Directors which span 1946 to 1992. Various other committees--Club Advisory Committee, Fiftieth Anniversary Party Committee, District Governor's Advisory Committee, Health and Welfare Committee, Sight Conservation and Blind Committee, Social Services Committee, and Special Activities--have minutes included here. In addition, a few regular club meeting minutes are present. The folders are arranged alphabetically. The Newsletter Series is divided into two sub-series. As one sub-series, the Fargo Lions Club newsletter, originally known as the Tail Twister, spans 1954 to 2003. The format and name of the newsletter changed once in the early 1990s and again in 2000. The folders are arranged chronologically. A second sub-series contains several other newsletters from the Lions District Governor and the Gateway, Fargo, Lions Club. Also included is a North Dakota Lions newspaper. These folders are arranged alphabetically. The Proceedings of the Annual District Conventions Series consists of the bound copies of the proceedings of the annual Lions Multiple District 5 conventions which span 1954 to 1986. The proceedings include committee and officer reports as well as transcripts of taped meeting sessions. The Reports Series contains various reports prepared by Club committees or officers. The bulk of the series consists of Membership and Activities Reports, which were prepared monthly by the Secretary and sent to Lions International. Spanning 1952 to 1993, they include notes on membership additions and removals as well as Club activities. Also included are activities reports--lists which were compiled at various times-- reports from the Committee on the School for the Blind, the Sight Conservation Committee, the Nomination Committee, the Sixtieth Anniversary Committee, and various district reports. The Secretarial Records Series is divided into several sub-series: attendance registers, award records, guest register, individual member records, and secretary's manuals. The Attendance Registers Sub-series span 1953 to 1986 and record each member's attendance at club meetings and events. Concerning the Award Records Sub-series, as part of the duties of the office, the secretary retained records concerning various awards which club members could earn. Key awards were given for sponsoring increasing numbers of new members. Membership awards were given for increasing consecutive years of membership. Perfect attendance awards were provided for members who attended all their regular club meetings, or followed guidelines to make up their absences. The pages in the Guest Register Sub-series record the names and origin of visitors to the club and the date of their visit. The Individual Member Records Sub-series, which is the bulk of the Secretarial Records Series, consists of contact information, offices held, committee posts held, awards received, and a club financial account for each member between the years of 1952 and 1986. The records are arranged alphabetically. The Sponsored Organizations Series consists of information from organizations which the Fargo Lions Club has sponsored. The bulk of the series contains the records of Boy Scout Troops. Although most of the material concerns Troop 276--a troop created for mentally and physically handicapped individuals-mention is made of an earlier Troop 1 and a Cub Scout Pack 201. The troop records include charters, correspondence, membership lists, meeting minutes, programs, and miscellaneous materials. Mention of the Boy Scouts may also be found in the Correspondence Series of the Fargo Lions Club. Also included in the series are programs of the Valley City Lions Club and the West Fargo Lions Club, which were sponsored by the Fargo Lions Club. The Subject Files Series contains various records concerning the Fargo Lions Club. Of particular interest is the Disaster Relief Fund folder which contains correspondence and records of donations from Lions Clubs locally and abroad to aid in the tornado damage of mid 1957. The Non-Textural Materials Series contains three sub-series, though all but one have been removed from this collection. The remaining sub-series, Artifacts, contains a commemorative hat and a sixty-fifth anniversary plaque.

Dates

1921-2003

Creator

Fargo Lions Club (Fargo, N.D.) (Organization)

Access

The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Institute.

Copyrights

The Institute holds the copyrights.

History

The Fargo Lions Club was organized on 7 May 1921 by Frank C. Berry with forty-two charter members. E.T. Conmy served as its first president and Fred M. Hector as its first secretary and treasurer. Outgrowing meeting places at the Chamber of Commerce, Powers Hotel, and Gardner Hotel, the club quickly gained membership. In 1961, attendance at weekly meetings was eighty individuals out of 146 members. Membership and attendance fluctuated and later records show a decrease in both categories.

Many of the organization’s expenditures are of a philanthropic nature. Some literature states that Helen Keller charged the early Lions organizations to ameliorate the condition of sightless individuals. More recent documents show a concern with individuals possessing hearing difficulties. The club has financed guide dogs and closed-caption televisions for needy individuals and solicits donations of old prescription glasses. During a polio epidemic in the 1950s, the club purchased an iron lung for a local hospital. This organization sponsored several local Boy Scout troops and has presented the Fargo Teacher of the Year Award since 1957. The club also presented the miniature Statue of Liberty, located on East Main Avenue to the city of Fargo and the local Boy Scout Council at the city’s Seventy-Fifth Anniversary Celebration. All of the club’s philanthropic activities are made possible through various fund raising projects. One of these is the sale of brooms, nuts, and light bulbs. Past fundraisers include performances by Dunninger, Montovani, Victor Borge, Guy Lombardo, Fred Waring, the Black Hills Passion Play, and various charity balls.