Sep. 12—POTTSVILLE — When the city's new ambulance was put on display, 12,000 people showed up to view it at Centre and Mahantongo streets in June 1954.
The $9,000 Packard, the city's first ambulance, was bought with funds raised by the Pottsville Lions Club.
Housed at the West End Fire Company, the ambulance served the city, Mechanicsville, Mount Carbon, Palo Alto and Port Carbon.
The outpouring of people to view the new ambulance underscored the respect with which the Lions Club was held.
The Lions' vision and dedication will be celebrated when the club observes its 100th anniversary at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Pottsville Zone.
On Monday evening, club members laid out an impressive collection of artifacts and memorabilia during a work session in preparation for Saturday's event.
A crew positioned Leo the Lion, a life-sized Steiff toy company replica, in front of banners dedicated to the three club members who were Lions District 14-K governors: Elmer Johnson, 1954-55; John D.W. Reiley, 1971-72; and Paul D. Heck, 1982-83.
Richard Torpey, a member for 35 years, recalled helping out in Lions newspaper drives as a young man in the 1970s. That early experience nurtured a lifelong commitment to community service.
"I enjoy doing things in the community," said Torpey, 66, owner of Eastern Press in Pottsville.
Early club
The Pottsville Lions Club was chartered on July 23, 1923, only six years after Chicago insurance broker Melvin Jones founded the service organization in 1917.
Lions — liberty, intelligence, our nation's safety — has about 1.3 million members in countries around the world.
Jerry Enders said the Pottsville club, whose motto is "We Serve," was officially inaugurated on Sept. 6, 1923.
"At one point in our history, the club was the largest in the state with nearly 200 members," said Enders, a recipient of the Melvin Jones Fellowship for outstanding service in 2007.
Owner of Jerry's Northeast Auto Sales, Enders is president of Pottsville Lions Club Charities. Formed in 1954, it oversees distribution of funds to about two dozen programs and organizations.
From its inception, the Lions Club has been identified with ambulance service in the city.
In 1929, it raised $3,500 to purchase an ambulance for the Pottsville Hospital. Club members drove ambulances and served as attendants for many years. The club underwrote the headquarters of Schuylkill EMS on North Ninth Street, officials said.
The club has long collected used eyeglasses, which are distributed as part of the Lions' eyeglass recycling program, and it continues to fund free eye examinations and glasses for eligible children in Pottsville schools.