At the recent Checotah Lions Club meeting, Lion Secretary Iris Park stepped down and Aidan Beebe will be sworn in to take her position.
Iris and her husband Joe became Lions in 2015. Iris served as President in 2018 and 2019 and has served as Secretary from 2020 until present. Iris also chaired the 100th Anniversary of the Checotah Lions Club in 2021 and has headed up the annual Angel Tree project for the past five years.
“I grew up in Del City where my mother taught 2nd Grade at Del City Elementary and my daddy owned the Del City Garage, “ Iris said. “ We attended the Del City Christian Church and my parents were very active in the Del City Lions Club. In fact, my dad was president more than once over several decades.”
The Lions Club was a big part of the Del City community and many members made it seem more like a big “family” than a social club. The meetings were every Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. in the High School multipurpose room and Iris remembers well what impressed her to join the club.
“One Tuesday evening, after our supper, my 14-year-old brother left home on his motor scooter to go collect for his newspaper route. As he was waiting to turn left into a nearby subdivision off SE 15th Street, an impatient 18-yearold sped around a line of cars and collided with David’s motor scooter as David was trying to make the turn. The scooter flew one way and David flew the other with both ending up on the side of the road. An ambulance was called and David was rushed to the emergency room at Saint Anthony’s Hospital.
“I was only 19 at the time and was at work at the local TG&Y when my friend came to tell me she had witnessed the accident and she drove me to the hospital to be with my family. When I arrived, the waiting room was lined with approximately 50 men and women, all Lions and their wives. We found out that a Lion member had seen the accident on his way to the meeting and when he told the assembled group about the accident, they immediately stopped the meeting and all came to the hospital to give their support and help in any way. Fortunately, David had no broken bones and only suffered a mild concussion. He was released from the hospital several hours later, but I never have forgotten that life-changing moment that made me want to be a Lion when I grew up too.
“Since joining the club, I’ve learned that’s just what Lions do. They help when and where they are needed, and I am so proud to be a part of the Lions Club here in Checotah. I think my daddy would be proud to know that I followed his footsteps.”
Beebe will succeed Park at the next Lions Club meeting on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the Methodist Church.
Beebe, a 29-year-old born and raised in Checotah, has only been a member since April of 2023, but she says she is ready to fill the position and hopes to make Iris proud.
Beebe is also married to her loving husband, Ethan. They have two wonderful children, Forrest and Ever.
Aidan stated that she likes that the Lions Club focuses on vision health, which is very important to her because she has dealt with vision issues since she was five years old. She has even had her children’s eyes recently screened through the Lions free eye program, KidSight USA, because one out of three young children has poor but correctable vision that often just requires eyeglasses.
Beebe stated that she joined The Checotah Lions Club so she could help give back to the community that raised her.
