RIO GRANDE — Looking back on 50 years of service to the community, members of the Gallipolis Lions Club have plenty of memories to share, but they are also planning for whatever the next half-century will bring to the organization.

“I stand here with a lot of humility because there are people here who know a great deal more about the history and operation of this club than I do,” current club President Rick Tipple said Saturday during a golden anniversary celebration for the organization.

“It’s not every club that makes it to 50. But some will last beyond 50, so life doesn’t end at 50,” he added.

A celebratory banquet at the University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College was surrounded by memories of the club and what it has achieved since its chartering on Oct. 16, 1956.

Those memories were accentuated with a continuously-playing video presentation created by Mike Thompson of the university’s Instructional Media Center. Thompson is the son of Gallipolis Lion Harold Thompson.

Hobart Wilson Jr. and Francis “Odie” O’Donnell, two of the club’s four surviving charter members, offered reflections on their experiences.

The variety of activities performed by the club include fund-raising, putting out flags on Flag Day, helping with activities at the Gallipolis River Recreation Festival and Gallia County Junior Fair, and most importantly, the annual “Light for Sight” sale supporting eyesight services to all in need.

Wilson was the club’s president in 1965-66 when Gallipolis celebrated its 175th anniversary, while O’Donnell held one of the key offices in the club for decades.

“A lot of Lions did their part in fulfilling the Lions’ motto, ‘We serve,’” O’Donnell said, adding with a laugh, “and it’s interesting that these guys were dumb enough to elect me Tail Twister for 40 straight years.”

Gallipolis Lions have also hosted the District 13-J convention on three occasions, the most recent earlier this year in Gallipolis and at the URG/RGCC campus.

Lions International Director Steve Sherer of New Philadelphia joined with other dignitaries in congratulating Gallipolis on reaching 50 years, noting that the club has remained loyal to the Lions mission of serving the community.

That service, Sherer said, creates an indelible link between the club and the individuals it serves.

“You yourselves have built bridges with the community with the River Recreation Festival and the fair,” he said. “Have you thought about how many bridges you built with the over $160,000 you have provided to supply eyeglasses to those who need it?”

Sherer also advised the club to take the elements that have made it a success and build for the future.

“I hope you all adjust your sails and set a new course to help your community, and take every opportunity to to build a new bridge,” Sherer said.

Sherer also presented veteran Lion Norm Snyder with the Melvin Jones Fellow award, the highest honor the organization can give to a member, for his service to the club.

Snyder joins 12 other local Lions who, over the years, were named a Melvin Jones Fellow. They are Wilson, O’Donnell, G. Richard Brown, Bob Hennesy, Willis Leadingham, Bill Shondel, Eugene Gloss, Max Tawney, Herman Dillon, Chris Homer, Everett McMahon and Fred Wood.

Club members were recognized for their years in the club, led by Wilson and O’Donnell. Leadingham, who has 51 years of membership in the Lions organization, was also recognized.

Lions officials and spouses on hand for the celebration included Homer, the immediate past District 13-J governor, Past International Director Floyd Newberry Jr., Immediate Past Council Chair Ron Barber, current District Gov. Jay Carey, Vice District Gov. Elaine Newberry, Deputy District Gov. Debbie Lloyd, Zone Chair and Past District Gov. Gene James, Zone Chair Georgia Barber, and past district governors John Smith, Dwain Clark and Norm Cupps. Two other Gallipolis club members are also past district governors — Leadingham in 1960-61 and Shondel in 1981-82.

Other Lions clubs represented at the banquet were from Jackson, Point Pleasant, W.Va., Waverly, Chillicothe, Hillsboro, Washington Court House, Leesburg, Mount Orab and Dover.