By Town Crier Staff Report
The Palo Alto Host Lions Club, Palo Alto’s oldest service organization, celebrated its 75th anniversary with a roar last Saturday with a Lion-sized dinner-dance attended by 100 members and guests at Trader Vic’s.
The Palo Alto club, the third-oldest chapter in Northern California, is part of the 44,000 chapters in 186 countries and geographical areas and is one of the largest service organizations in the world. More than one-third of its members are from Los Altos and Los Altos Hills.
Lions Clubs were first formed in Chicago in 1917 for “self-minded men and women to serve their community without personal financial gain.”
Palo Alto received its charter from the San Jose Lions Club in 1927 when 20 locals, including a dentist, haberdasher, druggist, surgeon, baker, electrical engineer and banker, met at the Masonic Temple on University Avenue.
The original Lions district extended from San Francisco to King City, according to Jim Steiner of Los Altos Hills, current club president.
Originally for men only, the club foundered during the Depression, when membership slipped to six. During the 1950s and 1960s, attendance surged to more than 100. Women were encouraged to join during the 1980s, and now represent almost a quarter of the current membership of approximately 40.
With its motto “We Serve,” the organization dedicated to supporting the “sick, needy, and less fortunate” is nearly eclipsed by its offspring, the Palo Alto Concours d’ Elegance at Stanford, the club’s fund-raising classic car show. Proceeds from the classic car show have enabled the Palo Alto Lions Club to donate well over $1 million to local charities and non-profits.
Among its many beneficiaries are the Ear of the Lion for the hearing-impaired, and the Eye of the Lion for sight conservation.
Grants also go to local youth activities, senior citizen services, camp scholarships, rehabilitation services, international studies and civic events such as the annual Hippity-Hoppity Egg Hunt at Rinconada Park and the children’s Halloween program at Stanford Mall.
The club has always maintained close ties to Stanford and is one of the few organizations permitted to stage events on campus.
For information about the Palo Alto Lions Club, call 948-1027.
