Finally the Jones family was transferred to St. Louis and Quincy, Illinois, where this young man attended the public schools in both cities. As he grew to manhood, he took a course in the Union Business College, and a smattering of law at Chaddock College in Quincy. He moved to Chicago in his twenties, and got a job in the insurance agency of Johnson and Higgins.

This young man was intelligent and alert, and by the time he was 33, he was the sole owner of his own insurance agency.

It was at that time, that he was invited to become a member of a local Business Circle, which met regularly for lunch, and who's slogan was literally "You Scratch My Back, And I'll Scratch Yours".

In 1915, when he was elected secretary of this group, he began to get the vague feeling that something was wrong with the picture. All these 200 successful, influential business men did was pat each other on the back. What if these men's talents could be put to work in unselfish service in other areas of community life.

Pursuing his thought of group action, since in many other cities, other groups of men were doing the same thing, he began, in 1916, to write letters to other clubs, feeling them out on the question of forming a national association.

Some of, the replies were of the "Mind your own business" variety, but he received enough encouragement that an June 17, 1917, 20 delegates, representing 27 clubs from various parts of the United States, met to form what is now known as Lions Clubs International.

The only real conflict of this meeting came about in the naming of the organization. There were clubs there by the name of Optimists; Reciprocity Clubs; The Wheels; Concordia Club; Business and Professional Men; Cirgonians; The Vortex Group; and the Lions Clubs of Indiana. A real lion stands for courage, strength, fidelity and vital action, and on a secret ballot, it was tentatively decided to call the new group, the "Association of Lions Clubs", and after the Optimists walked out in a pessimistic huff, the meeting was adjourned.

The Association did not become international in fact, until 1920, when the Lions Club of Detroit chartered the Windsor Ontario Lions Club, in Canada. Since that time, this organization has grown to where we now number 1,429,556 members in 43,771 clubs, in 185 countries or geographical locations. In 1988 - 1989 Lions Clubs were first established in the Eastern Bloc with several Lions Clubs in Hungary forming a provisional district; the first Lions Club in Poland, the Lions Club of Poznan, Poland; and a Lions Club in Estonia.

Lionism's dedication to aiding the blind grew out of a speech by Helen Keller at the 1925 International Convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, when she challenged the Lions to become "Knights of the Blind in the crusade against darkness".

In 1950, when membership had passed the 400,000 mark, this man, who was born on a cavalry outpost in Fort Thomas, Arizona, was conferred the title of Secretary-General of Lions International, for life.

This man, the founder of this great organization, was named Melvin Jones, and although he died in 1961, his homely philosophy of life, "You can't get very far, until you start doing something for somebody else", lives on in our motto "We Serve".

In 1962, the Safford Lions Club and the Arizona State Lions began construction of a 50 foot high monument at Fort Thomas, Arizona. It was completed and dedicated on June 27, 1965 and under the leadership of the Safford Lions Club and the Melvin Jones Memorial Association has continued to be a very impressive sight.