• Photo

Carl H. Tolley receives the lion’s share of honors from the Rural Retreat Lions Club. He is a Melvin Jones Fellow and serves as district governor. Photo by Jean Farley

Sphere IT

Save This Page

Reader Reaction

digg it

Soul of a Lion

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

As a young boy in Havaco, W.Va., Carl H. Tolley respected the men he knew in the Lions Club there. Today, he is among the admired members of the Rural Retreat Lions Club and serves as district governor of Virginia Lions District 24-F for 2008-09.
Also, Tolley recently received the Melvin Jones Fellowship, named for the founder of Lions Clubs International and the highest recognition bestowed on a club member. A member of the Rural Retreat Lions Club since 1994, Tolley is on the organization’s board of directors.
“He’s the hardest working Lion we’ve ever had,” said club president Frank Slavin. “He’s always willing to volunteer. No one deserves the award more than he does.”
To become a Lion, an individual must be invited by a member to join. Lion Cathy Lovelace and postmaster at the Rural Retreat Post Office is responsible for Tolley’s membership.
“I was most impressed with him as a customer at the post office,” Lovelace commented this week. “He was such an impressive individual. I thought he would make an excellent addition to the club. I urged him to join but he said he was so busy. He did join and is involved in everything. His energy and drive is more than I ever imagined. He has a heart of gold.”
Fellow Lions Club member Bill Hall and former district governor added, “Carl is one of the most dedicated members I’ve ever met. He is hard working, dedicated and conscientious.”
Commenting on joining the Lions Club, Tolley remarked, “I wanted to give something back to the community. I knew the Lions Club’s main project was sight and hearing conservation.”
He is witnessing an increase in the number of requests to the club to buy eyeglasses for those in need. Tolley attributed the demand to the economy.
“A lot of people are out of work,” he said, “or their work hours have been cut. The rise in gas prices and the cost of food are making it hard on many people.”
According to him, the Lions Club often buys groceries for people in need, too. It’s becoming more involved with local food banks.
“We do photo screenings for school-age children,” Tolley added. “We take people to their doctors’ visits when needed. We do a lot of other community projects. The Lions Club is the largest service organization in the world.”
In addition to his regular Lions Club duties, Tolley has extra responsibilities as district governor. He is chief operations officer for the 38 Lions Clubs in the district, which stretches west from Pulaski County into far Southwest Virginia.
“I’ll meet with every club during the year,” Tolley stated. “It’s quite an honor to serve as district governor.”
Walter S. “Sam” Crockett was the last local Lions Club member to serve as district governor. The Wythe County treasurer and Wytheville Lions Club member held the position in 1996-97.
During his years in the club, Tolley held the offices of president for two terms, vice president, Lion Tamer, board of directors member and chairman of the membership committee. He has received a leadership certificate from the International Association of Lions Clubs, attended four state Lions conventions and served as zone chairman for the past two years.
Tolley has been a Rural Retreat resident since 1974. He was familiar with Wythe County since his late mother was from here.
“I hoed corn on Cripple Creek in the summer when we came over here,” Tolley recalled. “We went back to West Virginia in the wintertime.”
Tolley was serving in the U.S. Navy when his father died. His mother then moved back to Wythe County.
A 22-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, Tolley was in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He served with the First and Third U.S. Marine Divisions and the Fleet Marine Force in the Pacific.
He and his wife, Patsy, are the parents of four children, Dean Tolley, Bobbi T. Crouse, Lisa T. Alderman and Beth Reffitt Tolley. They have six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Tolley is a member of the Pleasant Hill Lutheran Church in Groseclose. He also is active in American Legion Post 229 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4667.
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .