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Coach Graver Started the Ball Rolling
Forty-eight years ago, Coach Jim Graver started ball rolling. Chances are the ball was a baseball.
Back in 1957, Graver was the coach of Abington High School, Pennsylvania, USA, baseball team. Graver was also an active member of the Glenside, Pennsylvania, Lions Club.
With fellow Lion, William Ernst, Graver talked about starting a service club for high school boys.
So they asked their fellow Lions for support. Without hesitation, the Glenside Lions agreed that a Lions Youth group was a good idea. Graver and Ernst set out to work.
On December 5th 1957, the Glenside Lions presented a charter to the Abington High School Leo Club whose member were mostly made up of high school's baseball team.
As the world's first Leo Club, the group created the acronym - Leadership, Equality, Opportunity, (equality was later changed to Experience). And, the group chose maroon and gold, their school colors to represent the club.
