The Lions have pioneered rehabilitation and education for the blind. Prime examples of this are our own Texas Lions Camp in Kerrville, which conducted a training program for the adult blind for many years and continues to serve sight impaired children at its summer camp today, the Lions World Service for the Blind at Little Rock, Arkansas, and the Lions Leader Dog School in Rochester, Michigan --- these are just a few of the Lion's sponsored programs that serve the sight impaired.

One of the most popular and effective programs of the Lions in recent years has been the involvement with the Eye Bank program. In the beginning the purpose of an Eye Bank was two fold. First, to act as a clearing-house between a person willing to donate his or her eyes after death and a person needing a corneal transplant. Secondly, to act in the capacity of educator to the public concerning eye problems and how donating eye tissue can help alleviate many of these problems.

In 1945 the Buffalo, N.Y. Lions club promoted the establishment of the Buffalo Eye Bank -- one of the first two such eye banks in the world. Today there are over 100 member eye banks in the Eye Bank Association of America with over half of them sponsored by Lions and there are over fifty eye banks in the International Eye Foundation outside the U.S. and Lions sponsor a large majority of these. Today thousands of people have had their sight restored through corneal transplants with tissue provided through Lions Eye Banks and considerable research has been conducted into the causes, prevention and cure of eye diseases.

The District 2-E1 Lion's Eye Bank, Inc. was first conceived during the 1966-67 term of District Governor Bill Longley of Stamford. At the 1967 District Convention in Vernon a resolution was adopted to establish a "District 2-E1 Lions Eye Bank Library," with the intention that the organization would principally collect eye wills for other already existing eye banks and provide information concerning eye bank operation in our district. But as is the fate of many good resolutions, the matter was soon forgotten and no action was taken.

Then in 1971-72 an effort was made during District Governor James H. Wheeler, Jr., year as governor to organize the various resolutions and procedures which had been adopted at conventions through the years, with the purpose of composing and printing a set of by-laws for the district.

In researching these matters, Cabinet Secretary PDG Irvin Hiler discovered the resolution concerning the organization of the District 2-E1 Lions Eye Bank along with a set of by-laws for the District. Delegates to the 1972 District Convention in Abilene adopted these by-laws, but, again, nothing was really done to implement the eye bank until the mid-winter conference of 1973 when the matter was brought up and a committee was appointed by District Governor Loren Maples to study the matter. Deliberations of this committee resulted in an organizational meeting of the District 2-E1 Lions Eye Bank, Inc. who recommended the adoption of the constitution and by-laws. The constitution and by-laws were adopted and officers and directors were named.

Lion Bryan Bradbury of Abilene prepared articles of incorporation as a non-profit organization, and the Secretary of State of Texas issued a charter March 19, 1974. This charter states that the District 2-E1 Lions Eye Bank, Inc., is organized for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes; "to devise and carry out the ways and means necessary to aid the blind and visually impaired; to foster and develop an eye bank in the State of Texas for the use of hospitals, physicians, and eye research in the restoration of sight of persons blind or partially blind."

Equipment and supplies were obtained and the eye bank was in operation. PDG Irvin Hiler had the privilege of signing the first Eye Will card as District Governor at his first cabinet meeting on August 10, 1974 at Stamford.

In accordance with restrictions by Lions Clubs International, the by-laws of the Eye Bank provide that all Lions in good standing in our District are voting members of the organization, with no dues being assessed. However, in order to finance the operation of the Eye Bank, the Lions of the District voted to underwrite the expenses by contributions from Lions Clubs on the basis of $1.00 per member each year. Forty-six clubs that contributed their $1.00 per member the first year of operation are considered Founder Clubs of the Eye Bank. Of the original 46 clubs four (4) have been one hundred percent contributor for the 25 years of operations of the Eye Bank. They are Abilene Elmwood West, Abilene Evening, Abilene Founder and Mineral Wells Noon.

Other, non-voting memberships are available to anyone contributing $5.00 or more per year, ranging up to a life membership for $100.00 or more. Special gifts and memorials are also accepted and several memorial gifts have been received.

The Eye Bank is operated by a Board of Directors composed of the current District Governor, Vice-District Governor, Sight Conservation Chairman, Medical Director and an Executive Director -- plus (12) twelve Zone Directors. Zone directors are elected at the annual meeting held during the District Convention each year. They are elected for two-year terms, with those for even-numbered zones being elected in even-numbered years and odd-numbered zones in odd-numbered years.

In the past the Eye Bank has been responsible for several pairs of donated eyes being used for corneal transplants, making arrangements for the enucleating of the eyes in some cases, and arranging for the importation of eyes from other Eye Banks in other cases.

The original office of the Eye Bank was established in Wichita Falls at the beginning by then Executive Director PDG Charles E. Davis, with 24-hour answering service being provided by a local Lion there and a volunteer ham radio operator to transmit information concerning the availability or need of eyes. The office was moved to Abilene in July 1981 when PDG James H. Wheeler, Jr., became the executive director.

Our Eye Bank is just one of a dozen Lions Eye Banks which cover the state of Texas and hundreds of others throughout the nation which co-operate fully with each other and exchange available tissue. When legislation was enacted authorizing morticians, dentists and technicians with proper training to enucleate eyes our new medical director, Dr. Miller Richert, and PDG Irvin Hiler conducted an enucleation training session for twenty morticians from the West Central Texas Funeral Directors Association at the Abilene Country Club on October 26, 1978 . Nine of these were from our own District and the rest from neighboring districts.

For many years the Eye Bank had a working arrangement with Hendricks Medical Center and our certified technician was an operating room nurse on their staff. This eliminated the problem of locating an enucleator at all hours of the night when eye tissue became available, or searching for a place where the tissue was needed and could be used on short notice.

Typical procedure -- (Oct, 10,1981)
First call 4:30 pm from Hendricks Medical Center that prospective donor was expected to die. Technician Larry Varnadore was alerted for enucleation.
6:30 pm Larry called to notify that the tissue was ready to be picked up. (Dr. Richert unable to use locally)
7:15 pm paper work completed at HMC and eyes picked up
7:23 pm called Houston Eye Bank -- technician returns call at 7:30 for details, checks his waiting list, reports he can't use tissue. Suggests Atlanta, San Francisco or New York City.
7:35 pm called Fort Worth Eye Bank-- J. T. Tinkle returns call at 8:00 for details; will check with doctors.
8:15 pm Hinkle called back; one doctor out of town on hunting trip, two others unable to locate patients;
Will check with radio operator and call back if he finds out anything.
11:00 pm called Atlanta, Ga
11:30 pm Atlanta technician calls back for details; can't use tissue; suggests call back Monday morning.
8:30 am Sunday call from Kansas City Eye Bank for information; will check and call back if needed--does not call back.
8:30 am Monday called Atlanta back still no need for tissue, suggested New Orleans or Washington, D.C.
8:35 am call New Orleans; can't use eyes, but just received call from Virginia Eye bank needing tissue.
8:40 am call Old Dominion Eye Bank in Richmond, VA need tissue and can use.
Replenish ice in container, tape up container and address to ODEB. Take to airport for 9:50 am flight to Dallas via Chaparral.
9:45 am Monday call Old Dominion Eye Bank with flight information and arrival time: 6:33 pm.

In 1994 PDG C. Lee Smith was elected as the eye bank Executive Director succeeding PDG James H. Wheeler, Jr. At that time the Eye Bank had lost its certification from the Eye Bank Association of America. To maintain the certification it is necessary to perform at least five enuculations per year and the Eye Bank had failed to meet this number. The Board decided to enter into an agreement with Transplant Services Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. The memorandum of cooperation was signed on May 13, 1994. Under the memorandum of cooperation the Eye Bank has been recertified. (review memorandum of cooperation)

Under the current system of operation for the Eye Bank the Lions main objective (and, incidentally our biggest job) is to educate the general public--and our lions -- of the great good which can be bone by donating their eyes (and organs) upon death to the Eye Bank in order that they might be used to restore the sight of some blind person.

A matching grant program was approved at the annual meeting in 1997-1998. The $250.00 grant is to be matched by the sponsoring Lions Club. The program was increased at the 1998-1999 annual meeting to a two to one ratio grant. ($250.00 by the local Lions Club -- $500.00 by the Eye Bank.) As of June 2000 there have been three grants given through District clubs.

In May of 2000 Districts 2-E1, 2-E2, and 2-X1 joined together in a tri-district agreement of cooperation to work with Transplant Services Center for the advancement of Eye Banking within the Districts. President Tom Ward appointed PDG James H. Wheeler, Jr., PDG Irvin Hiler, and PDG C. Lee Smith to serve on the Tri-District Lions Advisory Committee. The organizational meeting was held in Dallas at the Transplant Services Center offices on July 8, 2000.

Harold Granek, Md, was elected as chair of the committee and three areas of focus were designated for consideration. 1. How to raise public awareness of Eye Banking activities. 2. Work with the State Funeral Home Board to identify individuals who would work with Eye Banks. 3. Donor/recipient celebrations.