THE LIONS CLUB OF NUTLEY
WILLIAM F. BRAZILL
THE LIONS CLUB of Nutley was chartered January 29th, 1925 at the Yountakah Country Club with the following officers: Percival S. Hill, President; Frank B. Miller, 1st Vice President; William J. Lee, 2nd Vice President; H. Fred Banta, 3rd Vice President; Sol Taffet, Secretary and Treasurer. Directors: John F. Dolan, Ernest E. Faith, James E. Howe, and William J. D. Lynch. Charter Members: William H. Austin, H. Fred Banta, Milton J. Davis, John F. Dolan, Frank E. Drake, Thomas Haffner, Percival S. Hill, James E. Howe, William L. Jones, Robert P. Laffin, William J. Lee, Richard F. Leete, Robert Levinson, William J. D. Lynch, Frank P. Miller, Charles C. Shaw, Sol Taffet, Carl Zimmerer.
A newspaper clipping of the date relates that the occasion of the Charter Presentation was honored by the presence of International and State Lions Club officers, many contemporary Club representatives and Town Officials. Mr. Percival S. Hill acted as Toastmaster. The Invocation was given by the Reverend Charles P. Tinker. Mayor Francis P. Stager made the welcome address and Lions International Vice President, Benjamin F. Jones made the principal address of the evening. The Charter was presented by the District Governor, Lester H. Clee.
The Nutley Club, dedicated to the objects and ethics of Lionism, immediately set as its goal the raising of a fund for the establishment of a hospital for Nutley whenever such municipal accord would warrant. The fund was to be raised by the sponsorship of theatrical productions, movie shows, tag days and member contributions. However, in 1954, it was decided to contribute the accumulated amount plus $500.00 to the new Clara Maass Hospital in Belleville. The total was $5,000.00.
In May 1934, the Lions began to supply underprivileged children and adults with eye examinations and lenses. Thus began an activity which was to become the major charitable work of the Club for some years.
In July 1946, under presidency of William F. Brazill, telebinocular instruments for accurate testing of vision were purchased and donated to the Nutley School System - four telebinoculars to the Public Schools and two to the Parochial Schools in town. The Vision Screening program became a reality when the School Administration agreed to allow the Lions Club to conduct annual surveys of the vision of third grade pupils in all of the schools. Members of the Club volunteered to aid in the testing on Wednesdays.
In July 1948, Dr. Harold J. Wolff of the Lions Club was appointed Visual Consultant of the Public School System. It was found necessary to have a professional man to properly conduct the referral program attendant upon the School Vision Tests in order that the children receive proper attention and lenses when defects were found.
In 1953 a Projectoscope instrument, for projecting the Snellen Chart with proper light intensity during eye testing, was presented to the Board of Education.
Other than the Eyesight Conservation program, the Lions Club has participated in many other worthwhile civic activities. During World War II, the Club in addition to its many projects at home, took on the sponsorship of a Navy L.S.T. ship in the Pacific Theatre of War. Money, cigarettes, tobacco and other necessities were sent periodically to the men stationed on the L.S.T.
During 1944 the Club established an Outstanding Citizenship Award. The recipient of the award was selected by a committee of Lions and a sterling silver tray was presented. The first outstanding citizen selected was Miss Flora Louden; others since that year have been five women, three men and two organizations, namely: Mrs. Charles J. Fruehan, Mrs. Beatrice Perry, Mrs. Emil Miller, Mrs. Charles Tillou, Miss Ann A. Troy, Charles Hammond, Frank Simmons, Alden De Ronde, the Nutley Symphony Society and the Nutley First Aid Ambulance Corps.
The officers of the year 1960-1961 are: President Samuel Brown; 1st Vice President Lewis Garowitz; 2nd Vice President Ernest W. Whynall; 3rd Vice President Anthony Cancelosi; Secretary James Bastinck; Treasurer Anthony J. Gaito; Lion Tamer Herbert Hodgkiss; Tail Twister Frank Sandola.