The Belchertown Lions Club was
formed in 1945 and was sponsored by the Amherst Massachusetts Lions Club. We will be celebrating our 79th Anniversary in June of 2024.
We Currently have 40 members with 22 Lifetime Members.
Our Lifetime Members are:
William White, Steven Barrett, Al Brighenti
Francis Loftus, George Cook Jr., Ken Dorey
Richard Cook, Richard Greene, Henry Lamoureux
Robert Henrichon, Michael Loftus, Fred Tilton
Frank Cowdrey, Jack Hulmes, Richard Dexter
Gary Charpentier, Themis Tsoumas, Stephen Connors
Michael Mathras, John Scalia, Fred Tilton
Larry Vanasse,
Melvin Jones – Founder of Lions Clubs International
Melvin Jones was born on January 13, 1879 in Fort Thomas,
Arizona, the son of a United States Army captain who commanded a troop of scouts. Later, his father was transferred and the family
moved east. As a young man, Melvin Jones made his home in Chicago, Illinois, became associated with an insurance firm and in 1913
formed his own agency.
He soon joined the Business Circle, a businessmen's luncheon group, and was shortly elected secretary. This group was one of many at
that time devoted solely to promoting the financial interests of their membership. Because of their limited appeal, they were destined
to disappear. Melvin Jones, however, had other plans.
"What if these men," he asked, "who are successful because of their drive, intelligence and ambition, were to put their talents to
work improving their communities?" Thus, at his invitation, delegates from men's clubs met in Chicago to lay the groundwork for such
an organization and on June 7, 1917, Lions Clubs International was born.
Melvin Jones eventually abandoned his insurance agency to devote himself full time to Lions at International Headquarters in Chicago.
It was under his dynamic leadership that Lions clubs earned the prestige necessary to attract civic-minded members.
The association's founder was also recognized as a leader by those outside the association. One of his greatest honors was in 1945
when he represented Lions Clubs International as a consultant in San Francisco, California, at the organization of the United
Nations.
Melvin Jones, the man whose personal code – "You can't get very far until you start doing something for somebody else" –
became a guiding principle for public-spirited people the world over, died June 1, 1961 at 82 years of age.
Our Melvin Jones Members
The Highest Honor a Lions Club Member can Achieve
