About Us

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The Victoria Lions Club was chartered September 28, 1966 with 24 members. The first regular membership meeting was held at the Victoria Café at 6:30pm.  With only booths for seating, and the small café open for regular business this proved to be difficult at best.  Lion Secretary Kenneth (Whitey) Wellens, single and employed only a half block from the new city hall, decided that to save our club from failure he would try a plan where we would set our own tables, prepare our own meals and do our own dishes.  Lion Whitey would at his noon hour break put a rolled beef roast (Whitey's secret recipe) along with potatoes into the oven at the hall kitchen.  It would be ready by meeting time.  Other lion members would often introduce their dinners with the help of their wives to give us some variety.  It would be the President and Officer's responsibility to set up and have things ready for the dinner meeting.  Clean up was a joint effort with all members assisting and washing dishes.  

Charter Officers 

President, Larry Hanson  

1st Vice President, Jerome Kirsch 

2nd Vice President, Wilfred Plocher 

3rd Vice President, Gerald Schmieg  

Secretary, Kenneth Wellens  

Treasurer, Paul Stans

Original 24 Charter Members

Pat Aretz

Jim Fink

Milton Fink

Larry Hanson

Curt Hardy

Erwin Holtmeier

Jerome Kirsch

Tom Kirsch

Walter Kroening

George Moore

Henry Newman

John Noterman

E.B. Plocher

Wilfred Plocher

Gary Schiltz

Floyd Schmid

Gerald Schmieg

Leo Schneider

Tom Schneider

Leonard Schrempp

Paul Stans

Florian Tschimperle

Sylvester Vogel

Ken Wellens

2024-2025 Board of Directors

President: Chris Thomes    

Past President: Joel Hulke

Secretary: Steve Frederickson 

Treasurer: Dave Lura

1st Vice President: Scott Ingram 

2nd Vice President: Lindsay Schullo

3rd Vice President: John Wichmann

Membership Chair: Pat Murray

Marketing Communications Director: Bob Merrill

2nd Year Director: Randy Miller

2nd Year Director: Kevin Johnson

1st Year Director: Brian Groff

1st Year Director: Ann Roeder

Service Chairperson: Steve Olson 

Non Board Members

Lion Tamer 1: Jay Moore

Lion Tamer 2: Jim Pucci 

Foundation President: Martin Teall

Tail Twister: Jim Curtis