Oct 27, 2015 2 min read

The Lions Club of Waynesburg celebrated its 75th anniversary Oct. 15 with a gathering to reminisce and pay homage to those in the past who made the club a reality.

The organization was started by several men who gathered monthly in a “liars’ club.” They told “tall tales” to garner laughs and enjoy each other’s company. Eventually, the Washington County group asked the Waynesburg men if they were interested in forming a new Lions Club, and this was the start of the club in Waynesburg.

The first major project the club endeavored upon was the Waynesburg pool. More recently they have built the Lions Club Park for the enjoyment of the community.

The most recent community outreach project was White Cane Days on the first weekend of October. Lions collected funds to help those with impaired vision and the blind. Numerous pairs of glasses were collected during this fundraising event

The 75th anniversary celebration was held at the Greene County Career and Technical Center in Waynesburg where 95 Lion members and their guests enjoyed a meal provided by culinary teacher Dan Wagner and his students.

The keynote speaker was past International President Clem Kusiak. He was president from 2004 to 2005, with over 1 million members living in over 190 countries around the world. Kusiak lives in Linthicum, Maryland with his wife, Lion Jeanne and has been a Lion for 49 years.

Several awards were presented during the anniversary evening. The President’s Certification of Appreciation was given to Lion Ted Chapman. Receiving the Lions of Pennsylvania Foundation Fellow award were Robert Henderson, zone chairman, Deshirl Yesenosky and James Mason. The Melvin Jones Fellow was awarded to Immediate Past President Beth Hellems, Tom Laskody, William Brock and Phyllis Canan. The Wrobleski award was bestowed upo Secretary Margaret (Peggy) Blair and Kay Laskody.