FORT THOMAS, Arizona – The Melvin Jones International Memorial is a 50-foot obelisk that stands guard over a wide spot in the road along U.S. 70. People from all over the world gather here every January. They come here to dedicate and rededicate, and their numbers briefly triple the population of the community.

They are Lions and they meet here to reaffirm their dedication to the principles set down by their founder, Melvin Jones, who was born here in 1879 when the town was a military outpost. Jones eventually moved to Chicago where he was instrumental in founding Lions Club International. Now his followers meet here every winter on the Saturday closest to his Jan. 13 birth date.

Year after year, the faces may change but the main topic is always the same -- dedication.

And dedication comes in many forms.

Pat and Dan Bennington, for example, make at least a couple of treks to the Jones Memorial every month. It’s a 400-mile round trip from their home in Avondale, Ariz., but they do it willingly.

During the construction of the Melvin Jones Museum on the site, Dan Bennington put in 1,032 hours of volunteer labor. And in the months prior to every year’s rededication ceremony, they drive out here once a week to help get the grounds ready for the more than 250 Lions who attend.

“We don’t mind,” Pat Bennington said while rushing around to make sure the 34th annual rededication ceremony went off without a hitch. “It is not a chore, it’s an honor.”

Bill Lewis of Safford also makes frequent trips to the memorial. He is the last remaining member of the Safford Lions Club that organized the monument project and then raised the money to build it.

“We started work in 1965 and held the first ceremony here on Oct. 12, 1969,” Lewis recalled. “I dreamed it up while driving between Safford and Globe. I told the Safford Lions that we needed some place where Lions could come to remember Melvin Jones.”

Lewis is still active. Now he helps raise funds for a proposed museum expansion. As currently envisioned, the project would turn a 20-acre parcel into a park that would surround the enlarged museum, now basically one large room filled with Melvin Jones artifacts and open only on rededication days. The new facility would be substantially larger and open year around.

Nobody questions the dedication of Dr. Tae-Sup Lee. Currently the international first vice president, he will be sworn in as the 87th president of Lions Club International later this year and will be the group’s first Korean leader. Over the past year, Dr. Lee spent a mere 20 days at his home in Seoul, the capitol of the Republic of Korea. The rest of the time, he was on the road taking part in Lions-related activities.

“The Melvin Jones Memorial has a deep and special meaning for Lions all over the world,” Dr. Lee said, and then he presented the memorial committee with a pledge for $31,700 from the Lions of his country.

Later, in his luncheon address, Dr. Lee noted that Melvin Jones “still serves as inspiration and a beacon of hope for what we want to achieve. He taught us that unselfishness can be the greatest force in any country.”

The incoming president also announced that the theme for his term will be “Innovation: Gateway to Our Future.”

The reason so many Lions make the journey to Fort Thomas every year was summed up by Dr. Bud Danylchuk of Fort Francis, Ontario, Canada, and a former international director. “This is our Mecca, our Bethlehem,” he said. “We make pilgrimages here to rededicate ourselves and to re-energize the membership.”

Danylchuk added that the new and improved memorial will “provide a venue to show the world what the Lions do.”

Jesus and Alba Soto live in Sonora, Mexico, and they know all about dedication. They drove more than seven hours from their home in Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) to get to the annual ceremony. When asked why, they replied with a smile, “It is muy important to us.”

Janet Soto (no relation) of Globe, Ariz., put it another way.

“Coming here gives us a reaffirmation to keep on doing what we do,” she said. “This is why we stand out in the cold and ask for money, to feel good because what we do helps others.”

Other displays of dedication now line the walkway that leads to the Jones museum. For $75, Lions (or even interested non-Lions) may purchase engraved bricks that are placed in the pathway. The money goes into the memorial fund. Anyone interested can contact the Melvin Jones Lions International Memorial, P.O. Box 163, Fort Thomas, AZ 85536.

The 2004 rededication ceremony will be held on Saturday, Jan. 10. Each function starts with a flag raising, national anthems from several countries and brief speeches by Lion dignitaries. The group then adjourns to Eastern Community College at nearby Thatcher for the annual luncheon.