Oak Cliff lions Club BILL MELTON HUMANITARIAN AWARD

The Oak Cliff Lions Club Bill Melton Humanitarian Award is presented annually to recognize and honor a person (or persons) whose activities, contributions and service to the community, best symbolize the ideals of Lionism. The Award is usually given to non-Lions who have demonstrated dedication to Community, Profession, God and Mankind, that exemplifies the motto of Lions Clubs International, "We Serve". Modeled after the Lions Clubs International Humanitarian Award, the Oak Cliff Lions Club Humanitarian Award was Founded in 1978, by President Bill Melton. The Club Board of Directors re-named the Award in April 2010, in Honor of Melton. 

• 1978       Tom Landry* - Coach, Dallas Cowboys; Super Bowl VI and XII Championship Teams; NFL Hall of Fame; Fellowship of Christian Athletes Leader; Horatio Alger Award 
• 1979       Bill Hunter* - President, Dallas School Board; Community Leader; Attorney and one of original Owners of American Basketball Association Dallas Chaparrals Basketball team
• 1980       H. Ross Perot* -  Founder, Electronic Data Systems; United States Presidential Candidate; Dallas’ Perot Museum of Nature and Science; Horatio Alger Award; Linz Award
• 1981       John Criswell* - News Anchor, WFAA Television; "Wednesday's Child" Leader 
• 1982       Ben Lipshy* - Founder/President, Zales Corporation; Chief Executive, University Medical Center, Inc.; Dallas Civic and Charitable Leader
• 1983       Buddy Minyard* - Chairman/CEO, Minyard Food Stores; President, Dallas Retail Grocers; Leader, Dallas’ Scottish Rite Masonic Order; Community and Charitable Leader
• 1985       Harold Schackman* - Zales Oak Cliff Manager; Head of Zales’ Employees Retirement Program; “Tireless” Community Worker – known as “Mr. Oak Cliff”; Oak Cliff Lion
• 1990       Dr. J.L. LaManna* - DO; Chairman, Southwest Osteopathic Physicians, Inc.; Provided Millions of Dollars to 150+ Oak Cliff non-profits; Dallas Baptist University Good Samaritan Award
• 1991       Lillian Bradshaw* - Director, Dallas Public Library; President, American and Texas Library Associations; First Married and Female Dallas Library Director 
• 1992       Dr. Charles Baxter* - MD; Chairman, Parkland Hospital Burn Center; Founder, Skin-Graft Center at Parkland; JFK Parkland Emergency Room Notable, November 22,1963
• 1993       Roger Staubach - Former Dallas Cowboy; MVP, Super Bowl VI; NFL Hall of Fame; 1963 Heisman Trophy at Navy; Developer, Community Leader; Horatio Alger Award
• 1994       Birdie Jackson* - Foster Care Mother; Well known Community Worker; Birdie Jackson Foundation
• 1994       Dan Eddy* - Dallas Salvation Army Fund Raiser; Oak Cliff Justice of the Peace; Oak Cliff Lion 
• 1995       Dr. Charles Sprague* - MD; Chairman/CEO, Southwestern Medical Foundation; Considered “Legend in Medicine”; three Endowment Chairs established in his Honor; Dallas Civic Leader
• 1996       Rodger Meier* - Chairman/CEO, Rodger Meier Cadillac; Civic Leader; Chair, Dallas Chamber; 1979 Dallas “Father of the Year”; Linz Award
• 1997       Ebby Halliday Acers* - Ebby Halliday Real Estate Founder; Philanthropic Leader; Texas Women’s Hall of Fame; President, North Dallas Chamber; Horatio Alger Award; Linz Award 
• 1998       Raymond Nasher* - Philanthropist; Developer of NorthPark Center; World Renowned Art Collector; Dallas’ Nasher Sculpture Center; Linz Award
• 1999       Robert S. Folsom* - Mayor of Dallas; President, Dallas School Board; Chair, Methodist Hospital Board; Developer; Dallas Civic Leader; Only Four Sport Letterman in SMU History
• 2000       Nancy Brinker - Founder, Susan G. Komen Foundation; United States Ambassador to Hungary
• 2001       Ruth Sharp Altshuler* - National, Texas, and Dallas Philanthropic Leader; Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Awarded by Smithsonian Institute; Linz Award
• 2001       Suzanne Duvall - Created Texas Mediator Credentialing Association and Pioneered creation of modern practice of alternative dispute resolution for National legal profession
• 2001       Martha Gilmore* - Minister; Educator; Pioneer for Women’s Ministerial Rights; Served on Children’s, Inc., Girl’s Foundation of Dallas and Crossroads Community Services Boards
• 2001       Canon Stephen Swann* - Founder, Episcopal School of Dallas; Community Leader; Stephen B. Swann Athletic Center dedicated to Physical Fitness, one of Finest in United States
• 2002       Liz Minyard - President, Minyard Food Stores; Civic Leader; Chair, Dallas Chamber; Chair, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas; Helped Found North Texas Food Bank
• 2003       J. McDonald Williams - President and CEO, Trammel Crow Companies; Developer; Dallas Community Leader; Board Member, A. H. Belo Corporation; Linz Award
• 2004       Chris Victor Semos* - Texas State Representative; Dallas County Commissioner; Civic Leader; Chair, Texas Sesquicentennial Celebration; Owner, Torch Restaurant; Oak Cliff Lion
• 2005       Lamar Hunt* - Founder, American Football League, MLS, NASL and WCT; Owner, Kansas City Chiefs – Super Bowl IV Champions; Named Super Bowl; NFL Hall of Fame
• 2006       Paul M. Bass, Jr.* - Investment Banker; Medical Advocate; Parkland Hospital Chair; Linz Award
• 2007       Dr. Wright L. Lassiter, Jr.* - PhD; Chancellor, Dallas County Community College District; Former President, Dallas’ Bishop College; Chair, Dallas’ African American Museum Board
• 2008       Peter Pauls Stewart* - Founder, Dallas’ Thanks Giving Square; Leader in Dallas Multi-Religion Community; Dallas Civic Leader; Linz Award
• 2009       T. Boone Pickens* - Oil and Energy Entrepreneur; Civic Philanthropist – Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, Meals on Wheels, Oklahoma State University; Horatio Alger Award
• 2010       Lindalyn B. Adams* - Leader behind Dallas’ Sixth Floor Museum, Old Red Courthouse Restoration, Dallas County Historical Landmark Program and Old City Park; Linz Award
• 2011       Ruben Esquivel - Chair, State Fair of Texas, Parkland Hospital Board of Managers, Dallas County Historical Foundation, Dallas Opera, YMCA of Metro Dallas, Oak Cliff Lion
• 2012       Michael A. Jenkins - President/Managing Director, Dallas Summer Musicals; President/Founder, LARC Entertainment Group; Co-Founder, Six Flags Parks; Winner, six Tony Awards
• 2013       Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper - MD; Author, “Aerobics”; Founder/President, Cooper Aerobics Center; created training for US Astronauts; trained 1970 Brazil Soccer Team to World Cup Championship
• 2014       Dr. Jody Grant - PhD; "Father" of Dallas' Klyde Warren Park; Nationally Known Banker/Economist; Dallas Civic Leader; All America Swimmer at SMU; Horatio Alger Award; Linz Award
• 2015       Kay Bailey Hutchison - United States Senator; Texas State Treasurer; Texas State Representative; Vice Chair, National Transportation Safety Board; Helped Repeal Wright Amendment
• 2016       Gail and Robert * Thomas - Gail - President & CEO, The Trinity Trust; raised funding for Margaret Hunt Hill and Margaret McDermott Bridges; Co-Founder, Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture. Robert - Past President, Dallas Bar Association; acquired property for Belo Mansion Dallas Bar Headquarters; Lead Counsel for DISD in Dallas Desegregation Case
• 2017       Vivian Castleberry* - First female editor and first female elected to Editorial Board at The Dallas Times Herald; Founder, Peacemakers, Inc., Dallas Women’s Center, Women’s Foundation
• 2018       Bill Melton -  Dallas County Treasurer; President, Goodwill Industries, WRR Radio, Oak Cliff Chamber, YMCA, Lions; Announcer, Olympics, 3 Super Bowls, Cowboys, SMU, 32 Cotton Bowls, 40 Texas Relays
• 2019       Dr. Phil Berry - MD; Founded Careflite at Methodist Hospital and Southwest Transplant Foundation; organ transplant recipient; President, Dallas County and Texas Medical Associations; 1,200 anterior hip replacements
• 2020-2021       Lyda Hill - Entrepreneur, Philanthropist; President, Visiting Nurses Association; Founded, Volunteer Connection; Funded Garden of the Gods Visitors Center and Ft. Worth Stockyards; Member, “The Giving Pledge”; Pledged $50 million to M.D. Anderson Cancer Program; Linz Award
•  2022      Dr. Gary Cook - D.Min.; Chancellor/ President, Dallas Baptist University;  Board, Baylor University Medical Center, Baylor College of Dentistry; Habitat for Humanity; Appointed to Texas Board on Aging and White House Conference on Aging
• 2023      Patrick Esquerre' -  Founder, La Madeleine Restaurants, Essilor Vision Foundation; arranged Meetings between French President Giscard d'Estaing and US President Gerald Ford; organized events for Pope John Paul II at Notre Dame Cathedral. He received the 1'Ordre National du M'erite Award
• 2024      Dr. Charles Tandy* - M.D.; President, Methodist Hospital Staff, Chief of Anesthesiology; Dallas City Council; DFW Airport Board; Chairman, Oak Cliff Chamber; Boards of Dallas Baptist University, Dallas Zoological Society and Dallas County Heritage Society
• 2025      Dr. Elba Garcia -  D.D.S.; Dallas County Commissioner; Dallas City Council; Dallas Mayor Pro Tem, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem; Dr. Elba and Domingo Garcia West Dallas STEM School; led $200 million restoration of Dallas County Records Building Complex.

*deceased