District
Governor
Lion Marco Martinez was born in Bakersfield, CA and raised in McFarland, CA.Lion Marco is a graduate of McFarland High School. He enlisted into the U. S. Army in June 1975 and stationed at Ft. Hood, TX where he attended Central Texas College and received an AS in Applied Science in Automotive Technology. After completing his three-year enlistment and returning home, he joined the U. S. Army Reserve and worked as an automotive technician and promoting to Service Manager for Delano Ford Lincoln Mercury dealership. Lion Marco changed his career path and completed the California Correctional Academy (CDCR) and worked at various State Prisons retiring with 25 years of service at the rank of Sergeant. Also, Lion Marco retired from the U. S. Army Reserve and California State Military Reseve with 33 years of service and four combat tours. Lion Marco has been married to Lion Margie for the last 45 years and have a son and daughter and two grandchildren.
After retiring Lion Marco joined the McFarland Lions Club in June 2015 and has been enjoying serving his community. In addition to his Lion Activities , Lion Marco has served as Chairman for the City of McFarland Planning Commission and serves as Secretary for the McFarland Veterans Committee. His hobby for the last thirty-seven years has been collecting International Parachutists Wings; current collection at over 4,000 pieces. Lion Marco’s true passion is serving his community and is proud to be a Lion.
212 7th Street, McFarland, CA 93250
C: 661.428.9090
E: lionmarco4a2@yahoo.com
1st Vice District Governor
Lion Rose was born in Bay City Michigan while her parents were migrating for work. Upon their return to Texas, her parents came to CA at the age of 2, starting in the Fresno, Sanger and Corcoran area. Her father liked to take long drives and he found Richgrove, they moved there in 1953, she was 6. Lion Rose has been there ever since.
After her marriage in 1965, they decided to move to LA. She worked part-time at a Parochial School and was involved in their Parent Club and Booster Club. She was a Den Mother for Boys Scouts. Her marriage broke up and she had to work full time, her first job was at Bank of America, then got a job as a Legal Secretary at Legal Aide Foundation, they were part of the Cesar Chavez movement. She attended an event for Cesar Chavez. She lived there til 1980. The life style was too fast for her. Her boys were
getting older and they were being approached by gangs. Her husband strayed. Rose moved back to Richgrove with her 4 children in 1980. She worked at Delano High School, was involved with organizations there. While working at the DH Adult Ed School, she was convinced to get her HS Diploma, as she had dropped out in 1965. After two years she got a job at Richgrove School, 1983, until she retired in 2013. In 1995 she helped with a grant for the Richgrove School Preschool, where she was
secretary for 5 years. She went to college to get her BS. There she was involved with school activities, she tried to organize a PTA, she did put together a Parent Club. She started a Girl Scout Troop due to her young 8-year-old daughter, which she ran for 10 years, her daughter was now in HS. As Town Council member she was instrumental in bringing sidewalk curbs and cutters to the community which
was completed in 2009, which was Richgroves’ Centennial. She was a board member of the Richgrove Community Service District. She was instrumental in starting the process of a Park.
In 2002, Lion Rose was approached by Lion Club from Delano where a community member was a member, she was asked to start a Lions Club in Richgrove. The community member and some Delano Lions started Richgrove Lions. Since 2002, Lion Rose has dedicated herself to help community members whenever there is a need. She organizes fundraisers, school carnivals, food sales and since 2016 worked the Kern County Fair for 4 hours each day for 12 days for student Scholarships, Food Baskets during the holidays, and whenever there is a need. Lion Rose started as a Tail Twister, was president for two years, treasurer for several years and secretary for a lot of years. For the district she has been So Region Chairs twice Zone I Chair three times. Graduated from RCLL in 2024. Lion Rose is a dedicated servant of the Community and is proud to be a Lion. She Serves.
E: Lionrose46@yahoo.com
C: 661-709-9357
2nd Vice District Governor
I was born and raised in Selma, California and have lived in the San Joaquin Valley almost all my life. I graduated from Laton High School in 1976 (the bicentennial year of our United States). My father was a member of the Laton Lions Club for 45 years, and he sponsored me and my husband, Jerry, in February of 2015. I observed and learned from my dad and my mom to have the heart of service as they were great examples of that attitude and lifestyle.
I grew up in church and was a Sunday School teacher and always helped with VBS. When I became old enough, I joined the choir, and music was a big part of my life and still is. After my three sons were born, I got a position working for the Selma Unified School District in the food services department. I enjoyed serving meals to the students daily and to this day, I will run into students that remember me as being a “fun” cook, always serving with a smile and offering kindness, as you never know what those kids are going through in their home life. After retiring from the school district, I also ran a catering company, striving to give great service and great food to my clients. The clients became friends that I have to this day even though I am no longer actively catering. Establishing relationships and that bond with brides, business owners, community members, etc, was paramount and very important to me.
Those principles have stayed with me, being kind, courteous and having compassion, and I want to project that in my service with the Lions club. Since becoming a lion in 2015, I have been active in the District as well as my club. I have been in a board position with my club every year, (Mostly as secretary), and in the DIstrict I have served many times as zone chair and song leader. My husband and I made sure to always attend district meetings and conventions, as well as a few MD4 conventions. My dad passed away 9 months after sponsoring me, and my husband passed away in 2022. Their passing left a great void in my life, but my Lions family has helped to fill that empty space. I felt that I wanted to do more with my life, and give back to the community and others, and serve wherever needed, so I made the decision to place myself in the running for District Governor. I am most happy when I can be in a position to help others, and serve and show kindness, and that is my philosophy for this life I chose to do,
I appreciate and humbly accept my role with my club and with my district and hope to instill in others that heart of service. Be kind, show kindness, be willing to help others achieve their goals, help the communities around us to thrive, and give back from all I have received over the years. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity.
E: LionVirginia76@gmail.com
C: 559-999-9449