Bowling Green Evening Lions Club records

Collection – Multiple Containers

Identifier: MS-1227

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

This collection documents the activities of the Bowling Green Evening Lions Club and consists mostly of club records, club minutes, membership rolls, charter night celebrations, correspondence, and scrapbooks. The collection also documents many of the charity events the Lions Club engaged in, including records of some donations given to different causes.

Dates

Creation: 1953-2016

Extent

3.01 Cubic Feet (5 letter boxes, 3 flat boxes)

Content Description

The records of the Bowling Green Evening Lions Club offer insight into the operations of the club and it activities throughout its operation. The minutes (1968-2009) span the majority of the Club’s life, documenting the meetings, discussion, and the regular operations of the Club. The M&A reports (Monthly Projects and Activities forms reported to the national organization) span the same time period and concisely describe monthly charity events, how they collected and distributed money, and attendance over time along, which, paired with the club’s own attendance records provide a long view into the health of the organization. Club documents and correspondence delve further into the operations of the organiation, communicating with individual members, other local clubs, and higher levels of the Lions International organization.

The collection also contains scrapbooks, newsletters, bulletins, and photographs recording important events in the club’s history. The Charter Nights series records the charter night celebrations when club members gathered to celebrate, seemingly the biggest celebration in the Lions Club calendar.

Biographical / Historical

The Bowling Green Evening Lions Club was formed in 1953 as a local chapter of the Lions International. The purpose was to raise money for the club, which would then be donated to causes supported by the club, including funding for eye exams and glasses, cancer research, and food baskets for the needy around Christmas time. The club also served social functions, with a variety of well-attended celebrations throughout the year. Membership in the club was by invitation only, and seems to have had a small but consistent membership throughout most of its life; however, as the membership aged in later years, the Bowling Green chapter closed in 2016.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

This collection is in the public domain.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The records are arranged in 7 series across 8 boxes: Organizational Records, Attendance Records, Minutes, Membership Records, Charter Night Records, Membership and Activity Reports (M&As), and Scrapbooks. The contents are primarily arranged chronologically; as much as possible records were arranged as donated to maintain the continuity of the original record-keeping. Due to the transitions in club officers and styles of record-keeping, there are at times overlaps between coverage, as is the case of Membership Records, where some were maintained chronologically, while others were arranged alphabetically. No attempt was made to integrate these systems. Researchers would be well-served to consult all pertinent files across a series to ensure they do not miss relevant records.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was donated to the Center for Archival Collections by Jim Frobose of Haskins, Ohio on September 23, 2016.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by James Rauch, Student in HIST 6560, in October 2022.

Several items were removed from the collection during processing including three plaques: one from the Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Foundation recording a donation from the Lions Club to the Wintergarden/St. John’s Preserve; the other two from the Lions Club International - Governor’s Awards commending a first place finish for scrapbooking and a second place in Zone 3. Duplicate materials, as well as receipts, tax filings, and playground equipment catalogues, were discarded during processing.