“WE SERVE” is the Motto of the Oak Cliff Lions Club for 100 Years
Oak Cliff Lions Club President Layne Vincent broke with a long-standing tradition when he passed the presidential gavel to his successor, John McCall Jr., on Thursday, June 29, 2017.
As each past president in Hitt Auditorium on the Methodist Health System's campus passed the ceremonial gavel down the line, Vincent told the crowd assembled of Lions, spouses, children and friends, that “I am going to break from tradition tonight, and ask John McCall Senior to pass the gavel to his son.”
The elder McCall was at the event following a recent stroke, so temporarily in a wheel chair. His son, John McCall Jr, an attorney and judge like is father, was touched by the gesture. Vincent’s father was also a former president of the Oak Cliff Lions Club, and Layne had told the crowd earlier that evening that he remembered meeting John years ago with his father, and “thinking how cool he was.”
Both Layne’s mother Judy, also a Lion, and John McCall’s mother, Suzanne, were in attendance.
Past Oak Cliff Lion President and Past District Governor Darla Wisdom, Vice President of Texas Capital Bank, directed the induction ceremony, hilariously using candy bars to represent her thoughts on each officer and board member that was inducted into their position.
John McCall Jr. has already begun some new and exciting ventures in the 100-year-old club. His ongoing fund-raiser in the community is as host to Oak Cliff’s first Farmer’s Market. Last year it was held monthly on Zang Boulevard, and this year is held twice-a-month in the parking lot of Lula B’s antique mall located at 1982 Fort Worth Avenue, in southern Dallas, 75208.
The venture is a win-win for all: the residents of Oak Cliff have fresh produce brought in twice a month for purchase, Lula B’s has more customers and the Oak Cliff Lions Club earns a small fee for each vendor, which adds up to a good bit of funds the club can use to help local agencies that support the Oak Cliff Community.
The idea was the brain child of the new president, who did the yeoman’s work to get the appropriate licenses, venders, location and volunteers necessary to set up a successful venture. Past President Carol Donovan recognized his efforts last year in her final evening as President, awarding McCall the Oak Cliff Lion of the Year award.
This year the club will enjoy one evening meeting a month on the first Tuesday, to be held at La Calle Dolce located at 415 w 12th street in Oak Cliff. The rest of the month the club will continue to meet at the Methodist Health Systems Weiss Auditorium at noon on Wednesdays. Both the evening meeting and luncheons are open to the public.
THIS Week at the Oak Cliff Lions Club
Popular Texas Monthly writer Skip Hollandsworth is the speaker for the Wednesday, July 12, 2017 meeting, to begin at noon at Weiss Auditorium in the Methodist Health System complex. Walter Ned "Skip" Hollandsworth is an American author, journalist, screenwriter, and executive editor for Texas Monthly magazine. He won the 2010 National Magazine Award for Feature Writing from the American Society of Magazine Editors, for "Still Life," the story of John McClamrock. His true crime history, The Midnight Assassin, about a series of murders attributed to the Servant Girl Annihilator that took place in Austin, Texas, in 1885, was published in April 2016 by Henry Holt and Company.
Guest lunch fee is $10.50.
For more information see the club’s website: wwww.oakclifflions.com
Of the Oak Cliff Lions Club Facebook page or Oak Cliff Lions Club Farmer’s Market Facebook page.
To RSVP for an upcoming luncheon or evening meeting, contact club secretary Sara Kitto at: sara.kitto@oakclifflions.org
For more information contact any current Board Member:
President Lion John McCall Jr. - john@attorneymccall.com
1st VP Lion Tasie Semos - aksemos@sbcglobal.net
2nd VP Lion Diana Ezzell - diana.ezzell@yahoo.com
3rd VP Lion Paul Nielson - paul@texaspnc.com
Secretary Lion Nia MacKay - niamackay@aol.com
Treasurer Lion Stan Altschuler - alt7811@sbcglobal.net
Chaplain Lion Judy Porter - judy-porter@sbcglobal.net
Lion Tamer Lion Brooks Morrow - brooks.morrow@lpl.com
Tail Twister Lion Perry Flowers - perryflowers@ebby.com
Past Oak Cliff Lions Club presidents include Bank Presidents, county treasurers, local mayors, a Miss Texas and a wide variety of successful business owners:
Rene Cox*
Dr. W. C. Jones*
Vervon Singleton*
Fred A. Kelly*
Dr. H. K. Crutcher*
W. P. Mathews*
James R. Temple*
L. B. Randolph*
Dr. S. T. Bailey*
Dr. F. M. Shultz*
Gus Cook*
W. J. Bryan*
J. W. T. Major*
Dr. R. A. Self *
H. L. Jennings*
H. M. Craig, Jr.*
Teddy Harris*
H. E. Wolfram*
Harley Hightower*
Dr. W. B. Wilkinson*
S. W. Taylor*
Fred "Red" Harris*
S. V. McCarley*
A. E. Harris*
Roger E. Parks*
Charles E. Watson*
O. N. Moffett*
G. C. Harrell, Jr.*
Abe Meyer*
Marion B. Snider*
J. E. Willis, Jr.*
Edward P. Thompson*
N. W. Alexander*
George W. Puckett*
Charles H. Storey*
Paul B. Craig*
Dr. Dennis L. Lindsey*
Allison Snyder*
David R. Braden*
Henry M. Lively*
Kenneth W. Ritchel*
Bill Sullivan*
Tom Young*
Gordon Rea
Dr. Parmer Richardson*
Fred Ferguson
Sam Monzingo*
Bill Lewis
Bill Melton
Dennis Jeter
Jack Henigan
Dr. Marvin Grantham*
Bennie Brigham
Jerry Gilmore
Jack Frampton
Gene Willard*
Dr. Wm. J. Lawhorn
Jerry Vincent*
Kenneth Beard*
Mark G. Snyder
Dr. Burt Bryan
Dan Cunningham
Steve Levine
John McCalib
Jerry Adkins
Steve McGregor*
Carolyn Dunnigan
Steve Elwell
Bonnie Breazeale
John Dodd
John McCall, Sr.
H. Wayne Meachum
Robert Hirsh
Michelle Metzger
Stoney Greene
Bill Harper
Amy Alburtis
Rich Buickerood
Tom Timmons
Darla Wisdom
Charlie Tupper
Danny Boyce
Mike Lott
Iris Smith
Durhl Caussey
Steve Bayless
Carol Donovan