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Glenwood Springs Lions Club celebrates 85 years of service

April E. ClarkPost Independent Staff

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. In 1946, Dale Snearly had recently returned from the South Pacific, serving in the Air Force during World War II. Snearly was living in Gillette, Wyo., at the time, and a friend asked him to attend a Lions Club meeting. He thought it sounded like a great idea.”It was a fun organization,” said Snearly, of Glenwood Springs. “It was an organization there in Gillette that did a lot of community projects, especially around the holidays.”Sixty years later, Snearly still volunteers with the Lions, as does his wife, Dorothy. He joined the Glenwood Springs club in 1979 she joined two years ago.”I’ve asked a lot of people to join, and I tell them, ‘It’s the largest service club in the world,'” said Snearly, 83. “I’ve stayed with the Lions because they do good things clean up the highways, put up the street garlands for Christmas, give scholarships, do screening of eyes for children in preschool and elementary schools – and it’s all for free.”This week, Snearly and the Glenwood Springs Lions Club are celebrating the organization’s 85th anniversary of service locally. The club is toasting to the occasion with a party for members and their spouses at 6 p.m. Friday at the Hotel Colorado.”We’re showing respect for the 85 years of Lionism in the community,” said Robert Lawton, of Glenwood Springs.Lawton joined the Lions when he worked as a U.S. Forest Service employee in Basalt.He couldn’t resist the pancakes.”My boss asked me to go to a pancake breakfast and they were serving pancakes and eggs out of this wagon,” he recalled, with a chuckle. “They were back there flipping pancakes, joking and having a good time.”That was 36 years ago and Lawton still helps out when he can. The former Lions Club international director candidate helped organize Friday’s 85th anniversary event.”This is a celebration for the club to get together and celebrate the Lions of the past,” Lawton said. “We’re looking back at the past and looking forward to the future.”Contact April Clark: 945-8515, ext. 16601aclark@postindependent.comPost Independent, Glenwood Springs Colorado CO


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