Southern York County Life

Stewartstown Lions honor two of their own

At a recent meeting of the Stewartstown Lions Club, two members were recognized for outstanding service. Lion William C. Kaestner, of Felton, was presented a plaque denoting him a member of the Melvin Jones Fellowship of the Lions Club International Foundation. Melvin Jones was the founder of the Lions Club organization 85 years ago. It was he that accepted Helen Keller’s challenge to make the Lions the “Knights of the Blind.” An induction into the Melvin Jones Fellowship is the highest form of recognition conferred by the international organization. Such an induction represents the member’s dedication to efforts in making the world a better place through humanitarian service.

In the Stewartstown Lions Club, nominations for induction to the Fellowship are picked and voted on by those sixteen previous winners of the award who are still active members of the Club. This year the Fellowship members selected a Lion: who has been a member of the Stewartstown Lions for nine years, who has had perfect attendance for seven of those nine; who was named Lion of the Year in 1999, who served as Club President for the 2000/2001 Club year, and who has an outstanding 7-year record of chairing the committee that puts on the semi-annual sale of barbequed chicken dinners.

One feature of the Lions International Headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois, is the Recognition Room in which a listing of the names of all previous Melvin Jones Fellows from all over the world is shown electronically in constant and continuous rotation. From now on, that rotating, electronic listing will include the name of Stewartstown Lion William C. Kaestner.

The second award at the meeting named George Doxzon, of Stewartstown, as the Club’s Lion of the Year. Although the honor may not have the same international renown as the Melvin Jones Fellowship, it is similarly prized by Club members because it is recognition of service by their peers. This year’s Lion of the Year award is somewhat of a misnomer in that it was presented, not so much for any specific accomplishment during 2003, but rather for a history of weekly and monthly accomplishments over a number of years—15 as of last June 30. One accomplishment was achieving perfect attendance for 13 of those years. Another was being elected Club President in 1993. But the major reason for the award is that since 1988, whenever a job needed to be done, the Club could count on this Lion to be there doing it. That included everything from participation in the Haunted Train Ride to installing Christmas lights throughout the borough to cooking the sauce for the barbecued chicken twice per year. For these and many additional reasons, Lion George Doxzon was presented the “Lion of the Year” plaque for his many contributions to the Club’s success over the years.

Posted by Tom Keesey on 02/13/2004 at 08:09 PM in News

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