Sketch of Billy Lee Yoho
Past District Governor Billy Lee Yoho is a 44 plus years member of the College Park Lions Club, having scored a perfect attendance record. Lion Bill served as president in 1961-1962 and he was awarded the 100% President's Award at the conclusion of his year. He would like to be known as a Christian, a Husband, a Father, a Person who cares about his community through his life and profession, and as a Lion. His mother named him after her favorite evangelist, a Presbyterian, Billy Sunday. Sunday died the same year that Billy was born. He was honored by receiving Life Membership from Lions Clubs International in 1980. He has earned the Lions Master Membership Key Award and continues to bring guests to the club meetings. He held all committee chairs as well as all three vice presidents' positions before ascending to the top job in his club. He continues to be active in his Club, the District and the Multiple District. He and Shirley attend most of the District socials throughout the year. He is a Melvin Jones Fellow of Lions Clubs International. When our own, College Park Lion Norman McLean, died, he directed his attorney and personal representative, Bill to give the Roaring Lions program, 'Speakers are Leaders' to MD22C. Norman was also an original in the 'Bull-throwers Award.' Bill served again as president, as the first one in his Club to retrace his roots as the CEO of CGS. Lion Ron Seibel had done it three times, and Lion Bob Smaldore has done it twice.
Lion Bill is a practicing attorney, and was elected president of the Prince George's County, MD Bar Association in 1976. He is no longer a member of the Prince George's County Bar Association. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Trial Lawyers Association, the MD State and the Washington County, MD Bar Associations. He has offices in Lanham and had offices in Hancock, Washington County, MD , in practice with Theodore L. Mast and Robert Scott Hoyert. Bill and Bob started practicing law in College Park, MD in 1953. He claims his legal disposition to be similar to that of the old time 'country lawyer.' When a client wants to see him in Hancock, he flew 6149 Romeo to the Hancock, WV airstrip, got in the 1974 Plymouth they kept there and then proceeded to the office in Hancock, MD, returning home to College Park the same way he came unless the weather had socked him in for a while, making him wait or drive home in the old car. Under the leadership of Lion Walter L. Green, President of the PG's Bar Association, Bill was asked to channel some of his special efforts toward setting-up the original legal aid bureau in Prince George's County. Some of the incorporators or organizers were our own, the late, Lion Edwin Hutcheson, then of the Hyattsville Club, now deceased, former Lion (retired Circuit Judge) William B. Bowie, of the Upper Marlboro Lions Club, former Seat Pleasant Lion (retired William H. McCullough, Judge, Circuit Court), John Mitchell (retired Circuit Judge, Montgomery County), former Lion Howard Chasanow, (retired, MD Court of Appeals), former member of the Greenbelt Club. He, as well, started the Lawyer Referral Service.
He is an instrument rated retired flying pilot, belonging to many pilot groups, particularly the Aircraft Owners Pilots Association. He represented the AOPA when it wrongly was turned down by the local politicians as to the Bowie, Pointer Ridge, County Airport. He learned to fly in a J-3 Cub, and he flew a Cessna T-210 out of College Park Airport. He has flown his airplane to 32,000 feet above the MD and PA landscape, and on one occasion, a TWA Captain was asked by New York Center what he thought of that little red and white high wing flying off to his 747's right over Harrisburg letting down from 37,000 feet passing through 32,000 feet to enter New York Center's control area, and all he could say was: "what's that little fellow doing up here; how did he get up here?" Bill's most cherished accomplishment was being a active partner in a group of pilots and non-flying citizens who saved the College Park Airport, the "Cradle of Aviation." Bill is also, an advanced pilot of a different kind, of the United States Power Squadron, and until recently piloted his 37' Egg Harbor in the Chesapeake and its environs, having had gone as far north as Wildwood, NJ and as far south as the Norfolk harbor. The special knowledge he acquired in the classes he attended over several years made it possible for him and his good friend George W. Allen, Jr., who now lives in San Jose, CA, to retrieve and save the owners of the Chris Craft, 'I Love Luby', Luby Chevrolet, late in the evening following a nor'easter in the late fifties. He is a proud life member of the National Rifle Association.
He is also a proud veteran of World War II, having suspending his studies at the Mt. Rainier Junior-Senior High School, he joined after his Dad signed and gave his permission for Bill to commence a minority cruise (17 to 21 years of age) as a regular in the United States Navy. First, he spent 12 weeks at boot camp in Sampson, NY. Thereafter, he went to gunner's mate school for 12 weeks, then served a period as a gunnery instructor at Shell Beach, LA, which is 25 miles outside of New Orleans on Lake Borgne. He left LA to attend the Mine Sweepers School in Miami. Then as a gunner's mate he went aboard USS PC 1144, a 164 feet patrol craft he helped commissioned and her first tour was in the Caribbean. Later remaining crew and boat went to the Pacific. While it was still in Miami, on the way to put the boat in commission, Bill suggested to the Skipper that the crew would do well if it could take advantage and receive its gunnery training at Shell Beach. It was arranged and from that day on he was known as the 'Shell Beach Gunners Mate.' Again, was most opportune since they had to pick the boat up in New Orleans. She, 1144, was built in Bay City, MI and she was floated with mast horizontal on the deck down the Mississippi. He then went to the 5"38 anti-aircraft school in Anacostia and from there to the Material Preservation School at the Philadelphia Navy Yard where he helped to moth-ball the gun mounts of a retired battle wagon of the North Carolina Class. He then went to Newport, RI where the 4th Division, he herded, awaited to commission the CA class heavy cruiser USS Oregon City at the South Boston Navy Yard. Thereafter she, the OC, spent the rest of Bill's cruise on shake down in the Atlantic. The OC was built in Fall River, MA. She is now in the moth-ball fleet in Philly..
He continued a close relationship with his ship mates on the PC, Hugh C. Yount of High Point, NC, who lived and worked here until about five years ago, when he returned to his native, NC and in retirement, he died, and the late James F. Fitzgerald, an attorney practicing in the Montgomery County area.
He is a member of the Phillips -Kleiner Post 5627 Veterans of Foreign Wars since 1955 and the American Legion Post 217 in College Park.
After completing his Navy service, he attended night school and graduated from Central High School in Washington, DC. Through the kind assistance and personal intervention of Dr. H. C. (Curley) Byrd, he was able to enter the University of MD while still completing his one last high school course. He received his bachelors, BA, degree at the University of MD at College Park, and his doctor of laws, LLD, degree at the University of MD School of Law in Baltimore, completing his entire collegiate and graduated studies under the GI Bill at an out-of-pocket cost of $37.00. He is a life member of Delta Theta Phi Legal Fraternity. He is a life member of the University of MD Alumni Association.
He was City Attorney for the City of College Park, completing a Monmouth eminent domain street and sewer improvement and Town Attorney for the Town of Colmar Manor, excelling in note worthy cases in both jurisdictions, the Berwyn Metal Fabricators-Andrew Mothershead, Jr. vs. City of College Park (bad county zoning) and the Harry W. Hill, Jr. vs. Colmar Manor-John Torvestad case, where councilman Hill won an election by write-in ballots. The Mayor wanted to be in office to celebrate his silver, 25th, anniversary as Mayor. Both cases went to the Court of Appeals of Maryland and Bill's clients won . He has become most accustomed and involved in the health and medical fields as he served almost two decades as general counsel for Prince George's General Hospital. The gigantic size of the facilities in Cheverly came about as a result of the efforts of purchasing and condemning the land adjacent to the Hospital, spearheaded by Bill.
He received the Distinguish Service Award from the Jaycees and was an active member until he became an 'exhausted rooster' at 37 years of age. He organized the College Park Chapter of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, now Jaycees, and served as president, joining and attending two twenty-thirty car caravans to St. Louis and Atlanta. He was instrumental in hosting the catered dinner project of Maryland Jaycees 1961 DSA Awards Program in the Municipal Center in College Park, where among their guests was the Administrative Assistant to President John F. Kennedy, Edward O'Donnell, a gala affair.
Past District Governor Lion Bill's 22 C Night in Martin's West honored the 1990 Humanitarian Award winner, Miss Sally Struthers, for her world wide chairmanship of the Christian Childrens Fund. Governor William Donald Schaefer spoke and told everyone what a great county, Montgomery, was, until he was corrected and then he noted he was in Prince George's County, not Montgomery. The Governor received a Melvin Jones Fellowship from 'Commander Yoho', as he called him, not wanting to have another governor in attendance. Miss Struthers received $25,000.00 that evening from the Lions of MD22C and Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) for a clean fresh water project in El Chaquite, Jalapa, Guatemala, Central America, the first land only international directed program from this District, MD22C.
Bill is presently general counsel of the Multiple District 22 Lions Vision Research Foundation, International Association of Lions Clubs, which is a multiple project sponsored by the five Lions Districts of Maryland, District of Columbia and Delaware, at the Lions Low Vision Center in the 550 Building at the renown Wilmer Eye Institute Johns Hopkins Hospital Complex in Baltimore City. He was of counsel and formed that foundation. In addition, he has formed foundations for the Lions Foundation of Washington, DC, made up of nine Lions and Lioness Clubs, the Burtonsville Lions Club, College Park Lions Club and he and the late Lion Jack Campbell set up the original Lions Camp for the Deaf. He continues to offer his special talents to the Damascus Club, the Silver Spring Club and other clubs who might have wanted to form a foundation, it as to have a tax arm to received large sums of contributions. He is the USA/Canada Leadership Forum Chair for the Multiple District (1992-93), in NC. Governor Don Norton has asked him to head the inter-club publicity for the DC Foundation. He is MD22C's committeeman on the Multiple District Long Range Planning Committee. He has served as Deputy District Governor, now called Region Chairman, president of the Lions Bowling League, he has been a delegate at 30 Lions Multiple District Conventions, as delegate to 10 International conventions, the latest to Birmingham, England; he has attended the Lions USA/Canada Leadership Forum in Albuquerque, NM, Niagara Falls, NY, Salt Lake City, UT and Oklahoma City, OK, Des Moines, IO, and Edmonton, Canada. after the IO, but before the Canada event, he was so sure he was going to make the Nashville event, he lost his deposits when an emergency occurred. He and Shirley intended the Winston Salem USA/Canada Leadership Forum in September, 1993. It was the greatest. He has attended two "Lions Day at the United Nations."
Lion Bill was elected District Governor of MD22C at the Multiple District 22 Convention in Virginia Beach, VA 13 May 1989. Thereafter, he attended Governor's School and was sworn in as one of the 660 District Governor of Lions Clubs International in Miami, FL in June 1989 under the leadership of International President William L. (Bill) Woolard of Charlotte, NC. He was awarded the 100% Governors' Award.
Lion Bill was born in Huntington, WV 24 October 1925, the tenth child and the fourth son of Wilbert Wiley Church Yoho, Sr., and Nellie Pansy Bryan Bryan Hawkins. He was part of a twelve member family, six brothers and five sisters, all born in WV. His mother died in 1930. Bill has been living for the most part in Prince George's County since 1933, when he moved from Parkersburg, WV to Ardmore, MD with his two brothers, George and Gene, his two step-brothers Tom and John Gwinn and his sister, Mary, and two step-sisters, Till and Arietta Gwinn. His youngest brother, Robert Wayne Yoho, St. Petersburg, FL was born of the marriage of Wilbert and Effie Bowen Gwinn in their home in Ardmore. Two of his sisters, Charlotte and Frances' family, from the Yoho side, still live in Huntington. His sister Alyce Timmons lives in Bladensburg, a widow, with sister Mary Hicks, also a widow; his brother Gene and family live in Damascus; and his brother George and family live near Staunton, VA. He continues to spend his free time hunting and mowing the grass in Morgan County, WV, near Berkeley Springs. His constant favorite computer program is in genealogy called, Reunion, and he has been able to trace his family name 'Joho' , arriving ship 'Sno Two-Sister' in Philadelphia, in 1738. From there to PA, Winchester, then across the mountains to western VA and OH.
He is a Christian and is a Ruling Elder in the (his church), Hyattsville Presbyterian Church, a former Jaycee, a Mason; member of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, S. J., USA, 32°, Washington, District of Columbia; St. Elmo Commandery, No. 12, Knight Templar Hyattsville, MD; King David Council No. 19, R.& S.M.; Keystone Chapter No. 39, R.A.M.; a life member Tall Cedar of Prince George's Forest No. 139, TCL, and a Blue Lodge life member member of Mt. Hermon Lodge, No. 179, AF&AM in Hyattsville, MD.
He has been active in his community in various charities and health drives, having served as campaign chairman and as president of the Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. He is a member of and played golf at the Country Club of Woodmore, formerly Prince George's Country Club, until recently, when he, Bob Carney and Bob Hoyert golf at Gun Powder..
Billy is married to the former Shirley Ann Stone Morris, who is also a West Virginian from the Charleston area, and they have six children and thirteen grandchildren, who are scattered over Prince George's County, Karen Yoho, Dianne and Jimmy Arter, NC, Jean and Ron Byrum, Pennsylvania, Dr. Rev. Kevin and Julia Yoho, WV, John and Shelley Dolby, and Washington, DC, Joan Dolby. Bill and Shirley have lived for over 2 decades at Westchester Park, College Park, MD. His children, Kevin and Karen are by a previous marriage, Martha Helene Sue Carroll, who now resides with Karen. Email-<[email protected]>
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