Prior to Terry joining the Lions, he had acquired a lot of skill in management working for a large company, Fel-Pro, which is owned by Federal Mogul, a company that has over 55,000 employees today. Terry was in Upper management for this corporation and retired in 2009.Terry lives in downtown West Dundee, on Oregon Ave, with his wife Jo Lynn in a home that can be described as a historical treasure. Jo Lynn is a Past President of Dundee Historical Society. They have 3 Grandaughters, Jessie, Kayla and Chloe. Jessie is the long term partner of our own Lion Matt Reibel, who Terry sponsored into our Club! Twin Granddaughters Jessie & Kayla were involved in Lion activities from an early age raising funds for us with the 50/50. Terry believed strongly in getting the family involved in Dundee Lions, a tradition carried on by our own Lion President, Mike Buhrmann. Not only did Terry and Jo Lynn bring the spirit of their family to the Lions but they were renowned for opening the doors of their home to anyone who needed help. Terry became a Dundee Township Lion in January, 2011. When he joined our Club, the Club was in need of some-one to “upright the ship”. However the club was not aware they were sinking! Terry soon learned that the Club was not handling its legal responsibilities to the government correctly as a not for profit charity organization. The Club had not filed the required annual paperwork and had lost it’s status as a non-profit charity in Illinois. Unfortunately the Club was not aware of this. When Terry uncovered this dilemma, he jumped in with both feet. With much research and effort over the following years, he, together with Lion Stan Werner, was able to bring the club back in line with the state and federal regulations. This truly changed the entire dynamic of this club and set us on course to be the upright, successful and legal Dundee Lions Club we are today! Terry has been our club secretary since 2016. He has served as an Officer of this Club for 7 consecutive years in a hardworking, unglamorous but vital role holding the Club together with our President Mike Buhrmann. He has done much more than that though, his jovial spirit and smile permeates our meetings and warms the hearts of all in attendance even during recent years when he has struggled with his health. Thank you, Lion Terry, for your leadership and for being such a wonderful team player and role model! When the Lions took over the Summer Concerts in the park. Terry was, and continues to be, a leader in organizing these functions and is always in attendance. Many of you may wonder where those neon green t-shirts with “Ask me how to become a Lion” came from? Lion Terry and Lion Jim Schuldt and team formulated the idea and brought this great recruitment tool to life!
The same held true for Terry with his contribution to the school basketball tournaments which have been such a huge part of our Club history and legacy.Because of Terry’s participation and activity with the Dundee Township Lion’s Club,he received the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a Lion, the Melvin Jones Award. While we have noted many of the previous members of the Legacy program for their many years of service to the Club, … with Terry, he stands out because ofthe impact of the contributions he has provided within a relatively short period of time. You do not need to be a Lion for 50 years to become a Legacy Lion, it’s all about what you do with your time in the Club that counts.And it’s because of this that we highlight Terry Seifert as our special Legacy Lion this evening.