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1959-1960 In
1959, District 2-A1 was created out of the original Texas 2-A which
contained 58 Texas counties and covering 70,806 square miles. Districts
2-A2 and 2-A3 were created at the same time. The original District 2-A
started on the Gulf Coast where District “S” left off and ran southward
to the tip of Texas at Brownsville, the farthest south that Lionism
extended in the USA. Then, the district boundary followed the Rio
Grande westward for about one-half of the Texas-Mexico border. It
contained one Founders’ Club ---San Antonio. When 2-A1 was
created, it had 54 clubs and 2800 members.
The first Mid-Winter Conference was held at the San
Angelo Country Club. The first District 2-A1 Convention was held
in Colorado City for the purpose of electing a District 2-A1 Governor,
and to organize the District, which was the 3rd largest in
size in the state. Lion J.W. Jones, of San Angelo, was
elected as the first District Governor of 2-A1.
Governor J.W. Jones was able to add one new club
that year, making a total of 55 clubs. The new club, the first to
be organized in District 2-A1, was the Angelo Southside Lions Club,
sponsored by the East Angelo Lions Club. The second District
Convention was held in Brownwood in the Spring of 1960 with an
attendance of 350 members. Lion Cecil Bridges, of Stanton, was
elected the second Governor of District 2-A1. The first Queen
Contest was held at this Convention.
1960-1961
Lion Cecil Bridges,
of Stanton, was elected the second Governor of District 2-A1 at the 2nd
District Convention held in Brownwood in the Spring of 1960. Lion David
M. "Doc" Ellis was appointed as Cabinet Secretary.
In July 1960, the District sent its first delegate to
the International Convention held in Chicago, Illinois. The
District now contained 55 clubs with 2803 members. During the year
5 new clubs were chartered --- Kingsland, Buchanan Dam, May, Sonora
Westside, and Ozona Southside for a total of 60 clubs. Total membership
grew from 2803 to 3013, a net growth of 210 members. Lions Roy
Minear and Frank Partridge represented the district as Directors of the
Texas Lions Camp for Crippled Children in Kerrville, Texas.
1961-1962
In the Spring of 1961, the District Convention
was held in Big Spring, Texas. Lion J.T. Jones, of Goldthwaite,
was elected the District’s 3rd Governor. Lion Harold Yarbrough was
appointed as Cabinet Secretary.
During the year, membership grew to over 3200.
One new club was created for a total of 61 clubs. Three clubs earned the District’s first
Melvin Jones Awards. One of those was Goldthwaite. The other two
clubs names were not recorded by the Historian for that year.
The Mid-Winter Conference was held in Ballinger for the second
successive year. Roy A. Minear was District Director of the Texas
Lions Camp. The Goldthwaite Club donated an electric auto for
inner-camp travel.
San Angelo hosted the District Convention in the
Spring of 1962 with a record attendance of 415. Lion David Evans
of District 2-A2 was supported by our district in his race for
International Director.
1962-1963
At the San Angelo Convention, David “Doc”
M. Ellis, of Midland, was elected as the District’s 4th Governor. The
Cabinet Secretary for the year was Lion Robert H. Pine of Midland.
Governor Ellis received an outstanding award from Lions International
for bringing 200 members into Lionism.
The Brady Club was the host
Club for the Mid-Winter Conference. The District Convention was
held in Midland, the hometown of Governor Ellis. In attendance were 325
Lions who elected Louis D. Carothers as the District Governor for the
year 1963-64.
1963-1964
The 1963 District Convention was held in
Midland, the hometown of District Governor Ellis. Louis D. Carothers was
elected as the District's 5th Governor. During the
year, the District suffered a loss of over 100 members of which 25% were
attributed to deaths. One Club canceled it
charter. The District 2-A1 Convention was held in
Brownwood on May 1-2, 1964. Lion Everett J. Grindstaff was elected
as the 6th District 2-A1. Governor Carothers received the
100% District Governor’s Award. Following this honor, he was named
and given the title of International Counselor.
1964-1965
The election of District Governor Everett "Ebb"
Grindstaff, the District’s 6th Governor, became a first
in Lions International since his father, E.C. Grindstaff, had also
served as the District Governor of District 2A; thus making the first
father and son District Governor’s in the same District. Lion
Price Middleton of Ballinger served as the Cabinet Secretary.
Three inactive clubs: May, Blanket and Richland
Springs, were dropped. Governor Grindstaff started the year with
2590 members and ended with 2614, a net gain of 24 members. This was a
great accomplishment considering the dropping of 3 inactive clubs.
Brownwood Downtown, Roscoe, East Angelo and Coahoma received Melvin
Jones Founders Awards.
The District Convention
was held in Sweetwater in the spring of 1965. Attendance was 290.
Lion George M. Thompson was elected as the District 2-A1 Governor for
the year 1965-66.
1965-1966
Lion George M. Thompson, a member of the
Sweetwater Lions Club, was appropriately elected the District’s 7th
Governor in his home city of Sweetwater, which hosted the 1965 District
Convention.
Four new clubs were added during Governor Thompson’s
administration: Sweetwater Evening, Bronte Evening, Eldorado
Eastside and Menard. At the end of his term, there was an increase from
57 clubs to 61 and membership grew to 2868, a net gain of 254 members.
Seven clubs received the Melvin Jones Award--- Sweetwater
Downtown, San Angelo Westside, San Saba, Brady and Coahoma.
District 2-A1 also won the Melvin Jones Award. The Goldthwaite Club won
the International President's Banner for 5th place in world
membership gain which was 44 new members.
Governor Thompson won many awards during his term:
the International Merit Award, the International President’s
Certificate, the 100% Governor’s Award and the Extension Award.
David A. Evans was elected 3rd Vice
President of Lions International. The District Convention was held
in San Angelo, Texas with an attendance of 482. This was the
largest attendance on record for a District 2-A1 Convention. Lion Harvey
J. Palmer was elected District Governor for the year 1966-67.
1966-1967
Lion Harvey J. Palmer of
San Angelo was elected as the 8th District 2-A1 Governor.
During Governor Palmer’s regime, a new club, the San
Angelo Sundown Lions Clubs of Carlsbad, was chartered. Eight Clubs
received the Melvin Jones Award--- East Angelo, Sundown, Junction,
Midland Morning, Bronte Evening, Robert Lee-Silver, Midland Downtown and
Goldthwaite. Midland Downtown won third place in membership in Lions
International with an increase of 102 members. For the second
consecutive year, District 2-A1 won the Melvin Jones Award. The year
ended with 3059 members.
The District Convention was held in Midland, Texas.
Lion J. Marvin Allen, of San Angelo, was elected for 1967-68 as the
District Governor for the year 1967-68.
1967-1968
Lion J. Marvin Allen, of the San Angelo Downtown
Lions Club, was elected as the District 2-A1’s 9th District
Governor. Serving as the District Cabinet Secretary was Lion Elmer
Hurley of Bronte.
The year's term began with 63 clubs and 2979 members.
Two new clubs were chartered--- Colorado City Evening and Coleman
Evening. Twenty-seven clubs qualified for the Melvin Jones Award.
The Midland Westside club had the largest membership percentage gain in
the state. Lion David Evans became a candidate for President of Lions
International. The year ended with a membership of 3380 and 65
clubs, which earned the Melvin Jones Award for the third successive
year.
The District Convention was held in Brownwood.
Lion Conner O. Scott was elected District Governor for the coming year
1968-69.
1968-1969
Lion Conner O. Scott, from Brownwood, was
elected as the District’s 10th Governor for the coming years
1968-69. Lion Roy Fisher was appointed as Cabinet Secretary.
The Texas State Council of Governors meeting was held
in San Angelo. District membership dropped from 3380 to 3100 at
the close of the year. However, two new clubs were
chartered--- Hill Country of Junction and Sand Springs. One club,
the Blackwell Lions was placed on status quo and the District finished
the year with 66 clubs, a net gain of two.
The District Convention was held in Big Spring.
Lion A.E. Prugel was elected District Governor for the 1969-1970 years.
Lion David A. Evans was installed as President of Lions International at
the International Convention in Tokyo, Japan.
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