A Native of Graham County

Whatever the community of Fort Thomas, in Graham County, may lack in the way of population, businesses and homes, it more than compensates for this deficiency with excellent school facilities and an impres-sive historical background.

Near at hand are the few remains of the military post which spawned this once collection of stores, newspaper, restaurants, and saloons successively called Clantonville, Camp Thomas, Maxey and Fort Thomas.

Some of Arizona's most widely publicized rangeridin' roughs the Clantons, McLowerys, Curly Bill, John Ringo, Joe Hill knew well this many-named frontier hamlet, and a few of its rascals, such as Dick Lloyd, still occupy a niche in its cemetery. Early as 1873 the Newman H. Clanton family of Tombstone fame farmed near the old Hooker-Hines canal located just north of present-day Fort Thomas.

And the town had its good guys the Jones, Dan Ming, Felix McEuen, the Alexander brothers as well as its bad guys. On April 2, 1875, the Martin and Melvin Jones families arrived in the Springerville, Arizona, area and commenced ranching. In 1877 they moved their cattle to the Gila Valley after purchasing the Clanton place.

Preceding them to the Camp Thomas area by a year was John Calvin Jones and Lydia M. Jones, who were married in Kansas in 1874. John Calvin and Melvin were Martin's sons.

While John Calvin Jones was never officially in the army, he was often called Captain because of his work with the Apache scouts, and at one time he was in charge of the wagon trains which hauled supplies to Camp Thomas. His various assignments with the military and the Jones ranch are factors which lend confusion as to the actual birthplace of the founder of Lions International who was Melvin Jones, son of Lydia and John Calvin Jones, born January 13, 1879, either at the military post or at the Jones ranch. In discussing this question during several Fort Thomas visits in the 1950's, the white-maned Lion Club leader believed the military post was his birthplace, but he may have been born at his grandparent's home.

His most vivid memory relating to his Fort Thomas days concerns a spanking he received at the age of three for running away from home with his dog to the nearby Gila River.

As a small lad, young Melvin Jones moved to Russellville with his parents, brothers and sisters. Here, in this Arizona mining camp, east of Benson, John Calvin Jones ranched and served as a deputy United States Marshal.

From a lowly start in the Johnson & Higgins Insurance Agency in Chicago, Jones went on to establish his own successful insurance business. Along life's way, he married Rose Amanda Freeman, who passed away in 1954. His second marriage, to Lillian M. Radigan, took place in 1956.

With a background of service in the Business Circle, a businessmen's club in Chicago, Jones organized Lions International, which held its first convention in Dallas, Texas, on October 8-9-10, 1917. Now (February 28, 1967 data) this eminent and far-flung organization counts 21,047 clubs in 136 countries and geographical locations, in every corner of the world, with a total membership of 817,275.

Starting in 1950, Jones served Lions International as its Secretary-General, an honorary title. In 1958 he was further honored by the board, which changed his official title to Founder and Secretary-General.

Refusing to rest on past laurels, Jones, with boundless bounce, continued to be a dynamic force in Lions affairs until his death, June 1, 1961, at Flossmoor, Illinois.

On several occasions before his passing, Melvin Jones visited the site of his birth and participated in discussions with Safford, Arizona, Lions and other Lion groups that laid the foundation for the memorial now honoring his memory.

Located in Fort Thomas alongside U.S. 70, the beautiful but unpretentious memorial was dedicated June 27, 1965, with fitting ceremonies led by Edward Lindsey, of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, 2nd vice-president of Lions International. This tribute to the Graham County boy who made good is more and more becoming a mecca for Lions from every country throughout the free world.