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The Marshall Lions Club met at Noon, Tuesday, January 17, 2012, at Panola-Harrison Community Room, 410 E. Houston.  After a delicious barbeque lunch, catered by PicNPay, the meeting was called to order by President Mutt Sanders.  The opening prayer was offered by Ken Poindexter, followed by the pledges to the US Flag and Texas flag led by
Robert Wood.  Brenda Wood led the Club in singing “Home, Home on the Range” and “America the Beautiful”, accompanied by pianist Arnola Zabokrtsky.

Lion Tamer Ann Terry reported on attendance, that there were 32 in attendance.  She welcomed everyone and especially guests John Stephens and Leta Kay, guests of the Lions
Club in appreciation of their part in the program.

Tail Twister Suzanne Willis fined several for various reasons and several for being late, and Robert Wood offered to pay the late fine for Commissioner Jeff Thompson.
She asked Alan Grantham to lead the club in singing the special version of “Happy Birthday/Anniversary” to Lion Dudley Swofford’s wife, Margaret and Lion Jesse Fugler’s wife, Ann on their birthdays and the 40^th anniversary of Lion Ken Poindexter and his
wife, Ellen.

President Sanders then turned the meeting over to the Program chair for the month, Harold Raines, who introduced the speaker, Mark Williams, Manager of the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Mark talked a bit about National Refuges in the United States with another in the planning stages on the Neches bottomlands.  There are 550 National Wildlife Refuges nationwide, with 93 million acres total.  Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge has a purpose to manage, conserve and protect the migratory birds and other fish and wildlife that depend on it.

Mr. Williams also told about the timber harvesting that is on-going in the Refuge.  He showed a slide about the before and after looks to the forest, explaining that the thinning allows for natural grasses to flourish, providing food for a variety of animals.  He said
the thinning this year paid for the replacement of a bridge.  Also beneficial are two turnouts on park roads to provide access for hiking or birdwatching.  There are prescribed burns every few years, allowing the temperature, humidity and winds are all right.

Also discussed was the deer hunts allowed on the Refuge.  Mark said there is bow
hunting in October, with the regular hunt in November.  There is a Youth hunt and disabled hunt, also.  There is also a good number of turkeys on the property this year.

The Youth Conservation Corp was established for young people to work on the Refuge and learn about nature and work on projects.  This year the kids did a Bluebird survey and built bird blinds as an aid in birdwatching.  They also built gates to allow flooding of
certain areas for waterfowl habitats.

Another project starting this year is concrete removal from the old army ammunition depot.  There are approximately 90,000 tons of concrete to be taken out, and it will be recycled to be used in the construction of the I-49 Interstate project north of Shreveport.  Mark also said one of the bunkers on the premises will be used as a bat habitat.
Anything that will eat mosquitoes is welcome on the Caddo.

Williams also said there is a committee in the Friends of the Refuge group studying the renovation of Starr Ranch.  One new item to be added to the Refuge is a satellite tower to be built by the Coast Guard.  There are two in Texas; one in Big Spring and 32 nationwide that provide information to the Coast Guard about the positions of any boat, plane, etc.

John Stephens, Leta Kay and Mark Williams with the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Mark answered a variety of questions posed by Lions and Harold Raines presented him with a Lions writing pen.

Jan Williams offered the closing prayer and President Sanders adjourned the meeting.

Submitted by Brenda Wood, 903-938-3162

Prayer requests:  Suzanne Willis requested prayer from her friend, Leneda Kay, who is again battling cancer.  Dudley Swofford said a friend of his, Linda Bird has renal failure.  Keep all these and unspoken in your prayers.

Assignments for the Horse Show are:  office workers headed by Bob Graves, Frank
Lower will be the emcee, Jim Quinn will be over the gate and runners, Chuck Abma
and Harold Raines will be in charge of the check-in, Dudley will work with the
DQP, Jeff Thompson and Ben Bane will be in charge of getting the arena set up,

Hilda Bane is working on the programs and Robert Wood will be in charge of security and will get a golf cart from the city.  Cleveland Heard offered to try to get donations toward the rental of the arena and contact exhibitors for ads.

The Website is now updated…log on to marshalllionsclub.com to check it out!

And, please, please, INVITE someone to come with you…you never know when a friend would just LOVE to become a Lion!

It’s GREAT to be a Lion!

The Marshall Lions Club met at Noon, Tuesday, January 10, 2012, at Panola-Harrison Community Room, 410 E. Houston.  After a delicious lunch, catered by PicNPay, the meeting was called to order by Vice-President Jim Quinn.  The opening prayer was offered by Kent Reeves, followed by the pledges to the US Flag and Texas flag led by Bob
Swanson.  Dudley Swofford led the Club in singing two verses of “This Land is Your Land” and “As the Lions go Roaring Along”, accompanied by pianist Arnola Zabokrtsky.

Lion Tamer Ann Terry reported on attendance, that there were 32 in attendance.  She welcomed everyone and especially guests Deann Heard and James Kinnard, guests of Lion
Daren Horton.   Ann also assigned the ads for the upcoming 50^th Annual Lions Charity Horse Show, to be held in February, 2012.

Tail Twister Suzanne Willis fined several for various reasons and several for being late, and then fined some more because several clapped when she said she was absent last week.  Fuzzy Harmon paid a fine because he wanted to talk about the University of Arkansas winning the Cotton Bowl.  She asked William Hatfield to lead the club
in singing the special version of “Happy Birthday” to Frank Lower.  Lions were urged to pledge for the “camp walk” to raise money especially for the Lions Children’s Camp in Kerrville.

Vice-President Quinn announced that there would be a brief meeting of the Horse Show Committee immediately following the meeting.  He then turned the meeting over
to the Program chair for the month, Harold Raines, who introduced the speaker,
Dana Harris.  Dana is a partner in the Accounting firm of Goolsby, Harris, Rimmer & Neal in Marshall.  He is married to Elaine, the daughter of longtime Lion Luke Woodley,

Harris stated there were not many changes this years, with some coming in 2013 also.
He said there would be some changes in Medicare taxes, but no increase in Social Security taxes.  There will be an increase in passive income taxes such as rental property.  He said the capital gains tax rate is favorable and stable right now.

Dana Harris talking to Lions about Tax Laws

Also stable is the Estate and gift tax, allowing a gift of $13,000.00 to an individual.
He told the club that the standard mileage credit went up for 2011, and that many landowners in this area can defer income on timber that was forced to be sold because of drought conditions could be deferred until 2013.    Harris said there were provisions every
year for tax breaks, but some would be expiring in 2012.  He stressed keeping good records and reporting all deductions correctly, to avoid an audit by the Internal Revenue
Service.  There were some changes involving credit card transactions by businesses, with costs being passed on by merchants.

Harris answered a variety of questions posed by Lions and Harold Raines presented him with a Lions writing pen.

Cody Holloway offered the closing prayer and Vice-President Quinn adjourned the meeting.

Submitted by Brenda Wood, 903-938-3162

Prayer requests:  Suzanne Willis requested prayer from her friend, Leneda Kay, who is again battling cancer.  Dudley Swofford said a friend of his, Linda Bird has renal failure.  Our own President, Mutt Sanders has been under the weather lately.  Keep all these and unspoken in your prayers.

Assignments for the Horse Show were discussed at the meeting, including office workers headed by Bob Graves, Frank Lower will be the emcee, Jim Quinn will be over the gate and runners, Chuck Abma and Harold Raines will be in charge of the check-in, Dudley will work with the DQP, Jeff Thompson and Ben Bane will be in charge of getting the arena set
up,

Hilda Bane is working on the programs and Robert Wood will be in charge of security and will get a golf cart from the city.  Cleveland Heard offered to try to get donations toward the rental of the arena and contact exhibitors for ads.  Sounds like everything is coming
together for a GREAT 50^th Anniversary Lions Charity Horse Show!!!  I hope Lion Steven Lane will be available for photography again this year…last year’s show was so good!

The Website is now updated…log on to marshalllionsclub.com to check it out!

And, please, please, INVITE someone to come with you…you never know when a friend would just LOVE to become a Lion!

It’s GREAT to be a Lion!

The Marshall Lions Club met at Noon, Tuesday, January 3, 2012, at Panola-Harrison Community Room, 410 E. Houston.  After a delicious lunch of fried catfish, catered by Catfish Express, the meeting was called to order by Vice-President Jim Quinn.  The opening prayer was offered by Alan Grantham, followed by the pledges to the US Flag and
Texas flag led by Bill Mauthe.  Jeff Thompson led the Club in singing two verses of  “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “Happy New Year”, sung to the tune of “Happy
Birthday”, accompanied by pianist Arnola Zabokrtsky.

Lion Tamer Ann Terry reported on attendance, that there were 28 present.  She welcomed
everyone and wished everyone a very Happy New Year.

Acting Tail Twister Jan Williams fined several for various reasons and several for being late. She asked William Hatfield to lead the club in singing the special version of “Happy Birthday” to Arnola Zabokrtsky.  Jan also auctioned a $2.00 bill, donated by Cleveland Heard.

Vice-President Quinn asked if there were any announcements and Charles Abma told about the Mid-Winter Conference to be held later in the month in Mount Pleasant.
There will be a “camp walk” to raise money especially for the Lions Children’s
Camp in Kerrville.  He said he would have more detailed information next week.  Ben
Bane said he was waiting for information on the new Horse Show rules from
Shelbyville, TN.  Ann Terry, who is in charge of the Ads for the Horse Show program, said she will pass out assignments next week.

Vice-President Quinn then turned the meeting over to the Program chair for the month, Harold Raines, who introduced the speaker, Mark Crim.  Mark is a native East Texan, educated at Van High School, The University of Texas at Tyler and Stephen F. Austin State University before heading north to Boston University.  He spent 17 years in public
education, the last 13 as Director of Fine Arts and High School Band Director at White Oak High School.   Crim joined the faculty of East Texas Baptist University in 2008 as Director of Banks and Assistant Professor of Music.  At ETBU, Mark directs Tiger Marching Band and Symphonic Band, teaches conducting and music education courses and supervises
student teachers.

Mark has been a church musician for 22 years in the United Methodist Church, and joined the staff of First United Methodist Church in Marshall in May, 2011.  He is the Conductor of the Longview Area Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Mark Crim

Crim was a Toyota International Teacher
Program scholar in Japan in 2004, and a featured performer at the International
Trumpet Guild Euro Conference in Germany in 1999.

Mark has performed on trumpet in bands, orchestras, chamber music groups and music theater ensembles around Texas, the US and the world.  He is currently a member of the Marshall Symphony and the ETBU Faculty Brass Quintet.

Mark had assembled a variety of trumpets for the Club to see, beginning with a
Herald Trumpet, used for hundreds of years to announce royalty.  It is long tubing with a mouthpiece at one end and a bell shape at the other.  He also brought his Christmas present for 2011, a Shofar from Israel, made from the horn of the kudu.  Israel used the
shofar to call assembly, to signal sacrifice or to panic the enemy in battle.  He then brought out bugle and played reveille and taps, saying that the US Army still uses the bugle, although not in battle.

Mark’s next instrument was a piccolo trumpet, valued for its high, clear pitch. He explained with all the tubing it was hard to blow and made his head hurt when he played it much.  A Cornet from the Civil War Era was his next instrument.  He said during the War, people would come to the battle sites and have picnics and listen to music from cornet bands.  They would also have concerts in the park featuring cornet bands, a trend that lasted until the early 1900’s.  He explained that the cornet is prized because of its sweet and pretty sound.

Crim then showed a b-flat trumpet and a flugelhorn.  He played a little on both
instruments, and said the b-flat trumpet was a favorite for the big band era, the jazz bands and modern music genres.  He encouraged Lions to listen to some of the old greats, including Louis Armstrong, Harry James and Chuck Maggione.  He also told the Club not to miss all the musical events in Marshall, including ETBU, Wiley and the Symphony.

Dudley Swofford offered the closing prayer and Vice-President Quinn adjourned the meeting.

Submitted by Brenda Wood, 903-938-3162

Good to see the Sullivan’s crew there today, enjoying the fish…hope this is a trend!!!  We miss you when you’re not there!

No prayer needs voiced this week…good news.

The Website is now updated…log on to marshalllionsclub.com to check it out!

And, please, please, INVITE someone to come with you…you never know when a friend would just LOVE to become a Lion!

It’s GREAT to be a Lion!

Susie Oliver is applauded for getting us such great entertainment!

And a very Merry Christmas to all Lions!  Last night was a fun time for Marshall Lions on the ETBU campus in the Ornelas Student Center’s Wood’s Great Hall.  A beautiful setting, with wonderful singing by the student singers, good food, and Lions fellowship.  Thank Lion Susie Oliver for the entertainment, Dub Oliver for telling about the year upcoming for ETBU, their Centennial Year; Lion Ann Terry for the decorations and we even had a bit of excitement with a door prize – a beautiful glass ornament with the Lions emblem and the year on it.  We had a good time and if you weren’t there, we missed you.

I took lots of pictures, and in reviewing them this morning, I realized I missed a table or two…sorry, but I took pictures while everybody else was going through the line or eating, and almost missed the food myself…but here are the pictures I did take.

Robert Wood, Nancy VanAlstine, Margaret Swofford. Bill Mauthe, Leon VanAlstine

Peggy & Mutt Sanders, Jan Williams & Jim QuinnGid & Ann Terry; Hilda & Ben Bane

Susie & Dub Oliver and Robert Wood

Harold & Betty Raines, Bob Hoffman & Daren Horton

We were ALL in the mood for Christmas when the ETBU singers finished their program!

Brenda Wood & Susie Oliver

Judge & Mrs. Kent Alford, Bob Swanson, Mrs. Arnola Zabokrtsky

Lions Charles Abma, Ken Moon, Debra Marshall & William Hatfield

Patrick & Kelli Clayton; Shelly & Judge Westy Meisenheimer

The Marshall Lions Club met at Noon, Tuesday, December 27, 2011, at Panola-Harrison
Community Room, 410 E. Houston.  After a delicious lunch of barbecued ribs, catered by PicNPay, the meeting was called to order by President Mutt Sanders.  The opening prayer was offered by Janice Williams, followed by the pledges to the US Flag and Texas flag led by Ken Poindexter.  Cody Holloway led the Club in singing “Auld Lang Syne” and “America the Beautiful”, accompanied by pianist Arnola Zabokrtsky.

Lion Tamer Ann Terry reported on attendance, that there were 25 present.  She welcomed guests Peggy Sanders, wife of President Mutt Sanders and Donald Swofford, who works for
Houston ISD and son of Lion Dudley Swofford.

Acting Tail Twister Jan Williams fined lightly this week, because she said she was broke but still raised lots of contributions for the Lions Camp for various infractions.  She led Lions in singing the special version of “Happy Birthday/Anniversary” to Lions Kent
Alford and James Thompson and Lions Gid and Ann Terry’s anniversary.  Ken
Poindexter told a ‘blond’ joke and Robert Wood told a story about being stopped
by the Highway Patrol.

Chuck Abma picked Cody Holloway as the $2.00 Lion.

President Sanders turned the meeting over to the Program chair for the month, James Thompson, who introduced the speaker, Sarie Joubert.  Sarie is the Manager of Public Affairs for Chesapeake Energy.  She is a graduate of Captain Shreve High School and Louisiana State University Shreveport.  Sarie stated that compressed natural gas is
a direct result of the discovery of the Haynesville Shale.  She asked Lions how old the Shale is and Donald Swofford won a cap for his guess of 150 million years old; it is actually over 200 million years old.  She then asked how deep it is and gave Ben Bane a coffee mug for his correct answer of 10 to 12 thousand feet deep.  The Barnett Shale is 8,000 feet deep and is 150 million years old.

Sarie Joubert of Chesapeake Energy speaking to Marshall Lions

Ms. Joubert then talked about the prices of gasoline versus CNG today.  The price of gasoline is hovering at $4.00 per gallon, with CNG price is $1.49 in Bossier City now.  She said it costs about $3,000.00 to $8,000.00 to convert a vehicle to use compressed
natural gas and is very safe in an accident because it is in a carbon fiber tank.  It is 93-95% less toxic than gasoline or diesel and is 20-30% cleaner in greenhouse gases.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency, it is the cleanest burning alternative transportation fuel.  She said 71 per cent of all oil imported into the US is for transportation use.  She
recalled the Oil Embargo of the 1970’s and the long lines and trips cut short.

Sarie said the biggest drawback in using CNG now is that there are no filling stations and conversions are still pretty expensive.  She said she is in negotiations now for a station on South US 59.  She also stated that Honda is outfitting a Civic that will be in production
soon with just a $3,000.00 extra cost.

Sarie told the Lions that there were 13 million CNG vehicles worldwide.  Argentina, Pakistan, Brazil, Italy, India, Iran, Columbia, USA, China and Ukraine are the top ten. She said there was about a 200 year supply for transportation underground in the US.  She
said Boone Pickens calls CNG ‘the bridge’ to renewable energy.

President Sanders offered the closing prayer and adjourned the meeting.

Submitted by Brenda Wood, 903-938-3162

No prayer needs voiced this week…good news.

The Website is now updated…log on to marshalllionsclub.com to check it out!

And, please, please, INVITE someone to come with you…you never know when a friend would just LOVE to become a Lion!

It’s GREAT to be a Lion!

The Marshall Lions Club met at Noon, Tuesday, December 20, 2011, at Panola-Harrison
Community Room, 410 E. Houston.  After a delicious Christmas turkey & dressing lunch catered by PicNPay, the meeting was called to order by President Mutt Sanders.  The opening prayer was offered by Robert Wood, followed by the pledges to the US Flag and Texas flag led by Kelli Clayton.  Jim Quinn led the Club in singing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” , “Silent Night” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, accompanied by pianist Arnola Zabokrtsky.

Lion Tamer Ann Terry reported on attendance, that there were 36 present.  She welcomed guests Betty Raines, wife of PDG Harold Raines; Kathy Hoffman, wife of Lion Bob Hoffman; Pat Clayton, Benita Powers, Peggy Sanders and Dr. Gordon Green, guests of Lions Ben and Hilda Bane; Patrick Clayton, guest of Lion Kelli Clayton; and Rebecca and
Michelle Horsley, guests of Lion Chris Horsley.   She read a story about the Carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and how it came to be written and it’s history.

Tail Twister Suzanne Willis fined several for various infractions and some for being late and some for having their pictures in the newspaper.  Fuzzy Harmon paid a fine and predicted that Arkansas will win the SEC.  William Hatfield’s phone went off during the
meeting, but in the spirit of Christmas, Suzanne waived the fine.  Suzanne asked Robert Wood to lead the club in singing our special version of “Happy Birthday/Anniversary” to Lion Daren Horton’s wife, Lion Jim Quinn, and Lions Ben & Hilda Bane’s 59^th anniversary.  She also told about the trip she and husband Sim took to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  She also sold pictures of Lions in the newspaper to the highest
bidder.  Lion Jan Williams announced that her son, Adam had earned a promotion to Master Sergeant in the US Marine Corp.

Kent Reeves picked Chris Horsley as the $2.00 Lion because of his two beautiful daughters.

President Sanders turned the meeting over to the Program chair for the month, Bob Graves, who announced that the program speaker had cancelled because of the Swearing-In for Federal Judge Rodney Gilstrap, held at the same time as the meeting.   Bob opened the floor for Lions to tell stories or jokes.  Lion Fuzzy Harmon told a Christmas story about he and his brother, saying it was the only time he got a spanking and didn’t deserve it.  Kent Reeves told an amusing story that had the entire club laughing.  Alan Grantham also told a very funny joke.  Robert Wood told a story about his daughter and her cat.

Ben Bane offered the closing prayer and President Sanders adjourned the meeting.

Submitted by Brenda Wood, 903-938-3162

Prayer needs – Lion Westy Meisenheimer needs our prayers for his brother, who had two stints last weekend.  Lion Suzanne Willis called for prayer for her husband, Sim, who is having knee replacement surgery.  Lion Jan Williams called for prayer for a family member.

Next weeks’ program will be about Chesapeake Energy.

The Website is now updated…log on to marshalllionsclub.com to check it out!

And, please, please, INVITE someone to come with you…you never know when a friend would just LOVE to become a Lion!

It’s GREAT to be a Lion!

The Marshall Lions Club met at Noon, Tuesday, December 6, 2011, at Panola-Harrison Community Room, 410 E. Houston.  After a delicious lunch catered by Catfish Express,
the meeting was called to order by President Mutt Sanders.  The opening prayer was offered by Ken Poindexter, followed by the pledges to the US Flag and Texas flag led by Jan Williams.  Frank Lower led the Club in singing “Jingle Bells” (with jingling keys) and “O Come All Ye Faithful”, accompanied by pianist Arnola Zabokrtsky.

Lion Tamer Ann Terry reported on attendance, that there were 30 present.  She also welcomed guests Betty Raines, wife of PDG Harold Raines and John Bowlin, guest of Lion Jim Quinn.  Tail Twister Suzanne Willis fined several for various infractions and some for being.  Suzanne asked Bob Graves to lead the club in singing our special version of “Happy Birthday” to our guest John Bowlin, Lions Ken Moon, William Hatfield and Kent Reeves.

The $2.00 Lion chosen by Susie Oliver was Robert Wood.

Jeff Thompson passed around a sign-up sheet for bell-ringing for the Salvation Army for Lions to ring the bell on December 10.

President Sanders turned the meeting over to the Program chair for the month, Bob Graves, who introduced the speaker, Dudley Swofford.  Dudley has been a Lion for many years and is active in many civic organizations in Marshall.  He and his wife, Margaret, are members of First Baptist Church.  Dudley told the club about the cruise he and his wife
went on this year.  Tips he gave the club about air travel were to be early and give yourself plenty of time for any unforeseen things that could occur and to mark your luggage with something easily identifiable to you.

Their first stop on the trip was in Lisbon, Portugal, flying in from Houston.  He said the best thing about international flights was the food, which was pretty good, he said.  Dudley said October is a good time to see Europe.  They toured Lisbon by electric streetcar, then departing for Madrid, Spain, by sleeper train.

The Prado Museum was wonderful, according to Swofford.  They also toured several other museums, one of which was a modern art museum, housing works by Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, renown Spanish painters.  He related that it is normal for the dinner hour to be anywhere from 8-10 pm.  They enjoyed the food and sightseeing, then departed by
Bullet Train to Barcelona, traveling at speeds upwards of 180 mph.  He said the train was very comfortable, but was going so fast it was hard to see much of the countryside.  Dudley was captivated by a church in Barcelona which was started in the year 1883, and is predicted to be finished by the year 2030.  They then boarded their cruise ship, The Voyager of the Sea, at Cadiz, Spain, and sailed to the Canary Islands.

Swofford told about what entertainment and amenities aboard ship and said the trip from the Canary Islands took 8 days on a perfectly calm ocean.  He said there wasn’t much to see except the sunsets.  He recounted that there were about 1,800 people from Louisiana on the trip, and the ship was able to provide satellite coverage of the LSU/Alabama game, preventing a major riot.

Dudley shared time with Bill Mauthe, who told about trips from Germany to Rome and Barcelona he shared with his wife, Geraldine.  Paul Martin also told of his trips to Turkey and Viet Nam.

Kent Reeves offered the closing prayer and President Sanders adjourned the meeting.

Submitted by Brenda Wood, 903-938-3162

Prayer needs – Charley Ray Furrh, who received a kidney from family friend, Jessica Johnson, both need our prayers for complete healing.  We are thankful for the rain, but pray for more.  Bill Mauthe asked for prayer for Henry Lewis.  Mrs. Arnola requests prayer for her friend’s baby, Joy, in the hospital with pneumonia.  Robert & Brenda requested prayer for their brother-in-law, Jack.

Don’t forget the Christmas Party at ETBU’s Ornelas Student Center next Tuesday,
December 13, at 6:30 pm. We will have a special door prize and entertainment!

The Website is now updated…log on to marshalllionsclub.com to check it out!

And, please, please, INVITE someone to come with you…you never know when a friend would just LOVE to become a Lion!

It’s GREAT to be a Lion!