Waynesburg Lions Club & Community Park

HISTORY OF THE WAYNESBURG LIONS CLUB

What would become the Waynesburg Lions Club began as a group of men who began to meet in the late 1930’s at Miliken’s Atlantic Service Station on the corner of High and Maiden Streets in Waynesburg, sharing the day’s activities and swapping stories. Each man would try to outdo the last story, all of which were unbelievable. The group gave their meetings the informal name of the ‘Lier’s Club’. They enjoyed their company so much that they decided to meet once a month for dinner. The East End Restaurant, being only a block from the service station, was selected for the dinners. While there was no formal program, all attending enjoyed the ‘club’.

One of the members of the ‘Lier’s Club’, Thomas Ganiear, was employed as a driver for Hoge’s Bakery. John Eichelberger, president of the Washington, PA Lions Club was one of his many customers. One day Tom happened to mention the ‘Lier’s Club’ dinners and John was intrigued. So he asked if he and others from the Washington Lions Club could attend one of the ‘Lier’s Club’ dinners and discuss the possibility of starting a Lions Club in Waynesburg. As a result of these meetings and the interest of the men in Waynesburg, the Lions Club of Waynesburg was formed and chartered by Lions Clubs International on Tuesday 22 October 1940. The formal charter banquet was held Thursday 9 January 1941 in the dining room of the Fort Jackson Hotel with over fifty in attendance, twenty-five of whom were charter members of the Club. Russell Miliken, owner of the service station where the ‘Lier’s Club’ began, was elected the first president of the new Club.

The Club started slowly the first few months, but soon the members found ways in which they could assist the Waynesburg community. Then came Pearl Harbor, which took most of the young Lions into World War II. The older members who did not go into service continued working to better the community. They started providing eyeglasses for the needy, sponsoring community projects they could afford and offering their support to those in the community when asked. In those early years, the Club raised funds primarily through bingo nights at the East End Restaurant. The Club charged admission to play and gave canned goods, food and grocery staples as prizes. These were provided through the men in the club. Bingo continued as one of the main fundraising activates until 1955.

Not long after the founding of the Club, Robert Jamison from West Virginia joined and became its president in 1943-1944. One of his first questions upon joining the club was, “Why does Waynesburg not have a swimming pool?” No one could answer, so a community pool became a long-term goal of the Waynesburg Lions Club. With the cooperation of the Rogersville Lions Club— only one other Lions Club in Greene County at the time—a fundraising drive was started within Greene County to raise the money needed for the pool. Due to the difficultly in fundraising during war time, it was not until 1947 that the two Lions Clubs and the people of Greene County had raised enough—approximately $40,000—for construction to begin. A contract was awarded to Roy Furman, a local builder to construct the facility at an estimated cost of $50,000. The Greene County Commissioners continued the work of the community and the pool was completed in 1948 at a cost of $100,000. This was the first large-scale community undertaking by the Waynesburg Lions Club and showed the dedication of the Club and the support of the entire community. The pool remained in use until 2008 when it was replaced by the Alpha Aquatic Center.

Through the years of 1948 to 1967 the Waynesburg Lions Club continued its community involvement, raising thousands of dollars for worthy projects through charity shows, 4th of July celebrations, softball tournaments and sales of brooms, bags, nuts and Christmas trees as well as other fundraising activities.

In 1967, the Club agreed to assume ownership and responsibility for the community park established by the Waynesburg Jaycees from a gift of land donated by Dr and Mrs Grover C Powell. Expanded over the years by additional land gifts from Dr and Mrs Powell, the park today features a playground, ball field and pavilions available for summer rental for reunions and other community events.

Today, the Waynesburg Lions are a strong organization of local women and men who continue to be deeply involved in the community—from Christmas Tree sales and the annual Waynesburg Borough Halloween Parade to supporting the efforts of Lions Club International around the country and around the globe.