LIONS CLUB
Club offers vision screening
BY BILLY WATSON

The Rusk Lions Club offered fee vision screening for adults and children Saturday, Oct. 20. Artys Brown was chairman with eight other Lions, Ann Brown, Teri Brown, Jim Cromwell, Evelyn Stewart, Charlie Burfoot, Bobbie Burch, Alicia Oliver and President Vic Whadford.

The Lions were assisted by optometrist Dr. Michelle Cunningham from the Gold Eye Clinic in Rusk, Texas Eyeglasses Recycling of Midland and Prevent Blindness of Texas.

Eight people were fitted with eyeglasses at no expense to them. One person was referred to his own eye doctor for extended service. Three people were referred to Dr. Cunningham for more service. Some people were present for more intensive screening.

A couple had to have transportation provided.

Bobbie Burch provided chicken spaghetti for all the staff. Ann Brown, Evelyn Stewart and Lisa Westbrook provided baked muffins for sale.

At the Thursday, Oct. 25 meeting the members celebrated their 67th birthday.

The Lions were served with a chocolate birthday cake.

Ike Daniel spoke on the history of the club. He spoke concerning the rodeo days, as the Rusk Lions owned and operated the only Rodeo in Cherokee County which was the greatest money maker the club has ever known.

The club had rodeo parades each year which visited all surrounding towns in the area to advertise thus bringing in great crowds from those towns.

Rusk Lions also built all the baseball fields and promoted little league, teenage leagues, girls and adults. The Lions were glad to allow the high school teams to use the field for their baseball season.

Rusk Lions also built the Lions Club Swimming Pool in 1954-55 at a cost of $50,000.

They owned and operated the pool until when they recently gave it to the City of Rusk to operate for the community. President Whadford located a lot of information from old records on the Rusk Lions Club.

There are 30 other events conducted by the Rusk Lions Club which will be reported on later.