After more than 40 years of service as a tool and die maker for General Motors, Bob Sturgis is retired and living in Lennon, Michigan. Bob has been an active Lions Club member for more than 30 years, serving on numerous District and State Committees, and was Lions District 11 D-1 Governor during 1999-2000. In Lionism, Bob is a Melvin Jones Fellow who has received two International Presidents Leadership Medals and five International Presidents Certificates of Appreciation.

Peter Latz is a Chicago attorney whose specialties include estate planning, trust administration, estate administration, taxation and real estate. He represents individuals and institutions in handling all aspects of trust and estate administration.

Before forming his own law firm in 1989, Peter worked in the fiduciary tax department and estate settlement division of the First National Bank of Chicago. He also served as a trust officer for First United Trust Company, and has been an instructor at the American Institute of Banking.

Peter also serves on the Illinois Eye-Bank's Advisory Council, and is a Board member for the Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness.

Bert retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1974, and from General Motors in 1991. He joined the Zilwaukee Lions Club (District 11 D-1) in 1974 and remains an active Lion to this day, having received numerous Club, District and International awards, as well as a Melvin Jones Fellowship. Bert is also active in his community, as a member of the Zilwaukee City Planning Committee, Zoning Board of Appeals and Tax Increment Finance Authority.

Bert has also served on the Board of Directors at the Special Needs Vision Clinic (SNVC) since 1987, and has been its Chairman since 1991. The clinic, located in Saginaw, serves the needs of physically and mentally handicapped citizens throughout Mid-Michigan.

Since 1988, Bert has played an active role in Midwest Eye-Banks. He is a recipient of the Eye-Bank's prestigious Founder's Award.

Gary Babcock has been a Lion for more than 30 years. He has served multiple officer positions including District Governor, Vice District Governor, Cabinet Treasurer and Zone Chairman. Gary is Treasurer for the Lions of Michigan Foundation.

Gary is also a trustee and Board Member for the Napoleon United Methodist Church. Gary was awarded the Lions Clubs International Distinguished Leadership Metal, LCIF Melvin Jones Fellow, LMSF John S and Noel Benefactor Awards, LMSF Ken Lautzenheiser Service Award, two international President’s Appreciation Award and two District Governor’s Appreciation Awards.

He earned a Bachelors of Science in Accounting from Ferris State University. Gary retired from Consumers Energy after 35 years and now spends his time with his wife Linda, four children and eight grandchildren.

Lion Dr. Gary Anderson has been a member of the Grand Rapids Lions Club for over 25 years. After graduating from Augustana College in 1975 and the Illinois College of Optometry in 1979, he started a private practice in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is a member of the American Optometric Association, Michigan Optometric Association, and the West Michigan Optometric Association. Dr. Anderson has been honored with several awards for his work in Lionism including the Lions International President Recognition Certificate, Welcome homes Service Award - 1990, Grand Rapids Lions Lifetime Achievement Award - 1997, and the Lions of Michigan Service Foundation - Humanitarian Award - 1998.

"Doc" Barr worked in the field of education for over 40 years, holding a variety of positions from elementary school teacher to superintendent of schools. He received a Doctorate in Education from Wayne State University and has worked in a supervisory capacity in the areas of curriculum development, school bond issue elections and computer network development. Dr. Barr lives in Novi, Michigan.

Rashid Bashshur is Director of Telemedicine at the University of Michigan Health System and Emeritus Professor of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Since the early 1970's, he has been a catalyst for the development and evaluation of telemedicine systems in the U.S. While at the National Academy of Sciences (Institute of Medicine), he was consultant to the Office of Economic Opportunity on the use of telecommunications to support rural applications at the RANN Program (Resarch APplied to National Need) of the National Science Foundation. The NSF awarded him a grant to evaluate a telemedicine program in rural Maine and to access the status of telemedicine nationwide. He organized the first two national conferences on telemedicine, whose proceeds where published as Telemedicine: Exploration in the Use of Telecommunications in Health Care.

Over the past two and a half decades, Dr. Bashshur has served as senior consultant to numerous telemedicine projects, agencies and governments. He is the founder of the Nation Consortium for Telemedicine Evaluation, based at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Biographical statement to come.

Larry Klaus and his wife, Margaret, have lived in the Marquette, Michigan area for many years. Larry has worked as a police officer, newspaper circulation manager and independent business owner. Since 1973, he has been an active member of the Chocolay Township Lions Club, serving as its Secretary for more than 25 years.

John Krienke is a licensed psychologist with the State of Michigan, and is a member of the American Psychological Association. Krienke retired in 1995 from Eastern Michigan University, where he held the position of Counseling Psychologist. Prior to his work at EMU, he worked for 13 years of the Counseling Center of the University of Michigan. A veteran of the U.S. Navy Reserves, Krienke achieved the rank of Second Class Petty Officer while on active duty. He was an active volunteer for the Wolverine Council of the Boy Scouts of America, in which he started as a Cubmaster and eventually became the Washtenaw District Committee Chairman.Krienke has been a member of the Ann Arbor (Host) Lions Club since 1978. He and his wife, Carolyn, have a daughter, a son and three granddaughters.

In addition to serving as a Board member for Midwest Eye-Banks, Dr. Sugar also volunteers his time and expertise as a medical director for the Michigan Eye-Bank.

Dr. Sugar's areas of specialization include corneal transplantation, cataract and refractive surgery (LASIK, PRK, Intacs, conductive keratoplasty), and management of diseases of the cornea and conjunctiva. He graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1969; then, in 1974, he completed his residency in Ophthalmology at Washington University in St. Louis. He completed his fellowship in Cornea and External Diseases at the University of Florida in 1975.

Chuck Weir is a retired educator, having spent 34 years as a teacher and administrator for visually impaired children at the Michigan School for the Blind, where he held a variety of administrative positions. He also acted as coordinator of the Midwest Regional Center for Deaf-Blind Children, serving a five-state region. A lifelong resident of Michigan, Chuck holds a Master's Degree from Michigan State University and has received numerous awards in recognition of his service to the community through the Lions of Michigan and Lions Clubs International.

Chuck is also a Past Lions Council Chairman and served as a Director on the Lions International Board of Directors from 1995 until 1997.