WARREN COLEMAN AWARD

The Warren Coleman Honorary Award was created at the Iowa Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation meeting on June 10, 1988.  The initial award concept was that one award would be given to each club for each one thousand dollar contribution in a Lion year.  The rules have changed during the years so that now a club donating one thousand dollars over a three-year period may apply for an award for each one thousand dollars donated.

Past District Governor (PDG) Sir Warren Coleman was a long time member of the Oskaloosa Lions Club having joined the club in 1948.  He served as District Governor in 1957-58.  This happened to be the same year as Past International Director (PID) Sir Ralph Whitten was also a District Governor.  From 1958 to 1988 PDG Warren served as Executive Secretary/Treasurer of what is known today as the Iowa Lions Foundation.  In 1988 he gave up the Treasurer position and continued as Executive Secretary for another ten years.  In 1998 he was named ex-officio executive Secretary and served in that capacity until his passing on July 31, 2000.  He served the Foundation under a number of names for over forty years.

Lions who were privileged to attend Foundation meetings in those days were amazed at the records that he maintained, all before the time of computers.  He could recite the circumstances of every donation on the investment side and what had happened to the initial investment.  He could account for every penny donated and spent for each of his many years of service.

PDG Sir Warren became only the second Lion to be Knighted by the Council of Governors on January 11, 1997.  The only other Iowa Lion so honored was PID Sir Ralph Whitten in 1993.  PDG Sir Warren was a very humble man and very much respected by the Lions of Iowa.  As long as his health allowed he attended all Foundation meetings, Mid Winter Conferences and State Conventions.

PDG Sir Warren was born on September 29, 1906 in Oskaloosa, lived for about three years in Marshalltown and returned to Oskaloosa.  He graduated from Oskaoosa High School with the Class of 1925.  He served in the Navy during World War II.  Most of his adult life was spent working for the “Oskaloosa World Herald”.  He was a linotype setter and foreman of the composing room for the paper.  He and his sister Dorothy were the President and Secretary for the Oskaloosa High School 50 year Club for many years and the historians for the Oskaloosa High School.  While he was knighted in 1997 his parting comment was “I love serving and doing something I enjoy”.

When the first Warren Coleman Honorary Award was presented, it was presented to PDG Warren.  The second award was presented to his sister Dorothy Coleman, who was just as dedicated to the Foundation as PDG Warren was himself.  Today a copy of that first plaque is displayed in the State Office in tribute to the many years of service given by a great Iowa Lion PDG Sir Warren Coleman.  

 Current members of the Cedar Falls Lions Club who have received this award are marked with # on the members page.

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