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Harry Lippincott has been a member of Lions Club International for 44 years. He has been elected as District 19 governor for the 2017-2018 season, which he said is very exciting since that year is the organization’s 100-year anniversary.

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In the October Fountain: Lions leave mark on community
9/28/2015 2:36:48 PM

Lions leave mark on community
Lippincott instrumental in establishing local club

By Sarah Robertson
Splash Contributor

After 44 years as a member of Lions Club International, Harry Lippincott is still very passionate about the mission of the organization. It's that passion for service and helping his community that has made him a major advocate for the Liberty Lake Lions Club.

Started just five years ago, the Liberty Lake Lions Club is a small but determined group. In 2010, Lippincott was a Zone Chair Person, which is someone who oversees about eight or nine clubs. This is when several Liberty Lake community members considered starting a club in their city. Lippincott thought it was a fabulous idea.  

"It was an area we felt could use a service club in the community," he said.

If you ask what makes this club special, he has no problem singing its praises: "This club is special because they are persevering and providing services needed by the community. "

Club President Wendy Van Orman remembered Lippincott coming to the office when she served as Liberty Lake mayor and stating that the community needed a Lions Club.  

"He is a wealth of information," she said. "Since our club is only five years old, we are still feeling around and figuring out what we are doing."

Lippincott is very proud of the work the club has done in such a short time, especially the Sensory Garden near City Hall. He acknowledged that the club really wants to be an integral part of the city.  

Lions Club International is an organization that started in 1917 by Chicago businessman Melvin Jones who believed that you couldn't get very far without doing things for others.  The club motto is, "we serve."  It is now the largest service club in the world with 1.4 million members in 210 countries. 

Lions Clubs generally support eyesight and hearing issues, Lippincott explained, but they also focus on services for the needs of youth and seniors. Lions Clubs are pretty independent and use their funds and talents as they see fit.  

"Any money earned from the public has to go back to the public," he said. "We look at a situation and see what we can do."

Lippincott brings many years of experience as a Lion to the Liberty Lake Club.  He was first recruited in Maryland when he worked for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, a government agency that eventually became NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency).  

Born in West Virginia but raised in Ohio by his mother after his father died, Lippincott did odd jobs for a bit.  His "claim to fame" is being the door-to-door bread salesman that sold bread to a member of the Smuckers jam family.  

His first job with the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey was holding an umbrella over the surveying equipment.  "I was perfectly happy lying around.  My uncle thought I should have a job," laughed Lippincott.

Lippincott worked in many parts of the U.S. and Canada, holding different positions. He worked on satellite survey crews that served as an early precursor to GPS and also helped establish the elevation for the Minuteman Missile silo sites.

However, his favorite job was a temporary assignment in Alaska after the "Good Friday Earthquake" in 1964.  Lippincott was assigned to "re-establish elevation and horizontal controls at airport runways."

But his favorite part of being in Alaska was the fresh king crab, which paired excellently with a cold beer.

Lippincott's job also helped him find his wife, Janette.  

"I was on a crew in northern Manitoba, and that is where I met Janette," he said. "She was the secretary for the manager at Sherritt Gordon Mines in Lynn Lake, Manitoba… We were married in her hometown of Eatonia, Saskatchewan, in July 1965."

Soon after their marriage, Lippincott was transferred to the main office in Rockville, Md., which is where he spent much of the remainder of his career.  

So the burning question is, how did he end up in the area? In 1989, Lippincott temporarily ran the tide gauge in Seattle while an employee had training in Maryland.  He liked Washington state very much.

After retiring in 1995, Lippincott and Janette came out to Washington to decide if it was a place they wanted to settle. They knew Seattle probably wasn't right for them, but Janette really liked the Spokane area with its four seasons.  It's also a day's drive to most of her family in Canada and easy access to the airport, which is essential since their only child, Nora, lives in England.  

And of course, moving to the Northwest meant finding a new Lions Club - Lippincott's passion in life.  

He's very excited to be a part of the Liberty Lake Lions Club's activities such as sponsoring the Bed Races at ValleyFest and volunteering at the Lions' North Idaho Fair food booth.  

Van Orman believes that the hearing, eyesight and diabetes screening that the Lions provide at the farmers' market has been a very big asset to the Liberty Lake community. She adds that the club is always looking for new ways to leave their mark on the community. 

Lippincott also encouraged anyone interested in the club to attend a meeting held the second and fourth Wednesdays at Barlow's from noon until 1 p.m.  

"We are always looking for new members willing to work together for one's community," Lippincott said.  "New people means new ideas!" 

• • •

Profiles: Harry Lippincott

Years as a Lion
44

Favorite Restaurant
Barlows

Local event he frequents
Liberty Lake Farmers Market 

Favorite Lions' event
Charter Nights, where the clubs celebrates its anniversary, and the yearly district conventions

On being a Liberty Lake Lion
"There are lots of good people in Lions, and I love what they do."

• • • 

For More ...
The Liberty Lake Lions Club meets noon to 1 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at Barlows Restaurant, 1428 N. Liberty Lake Road. 
To learn more about Lions International, visit www.lionsclubs.org. To find out about the local chapter, contact Wendy Van Orman at 220-1557.

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