On September 23, 1930, forty-two men from the Stewart County, Tennessee area met and completed the Application for Post of The American Legion. The Post would be named after Douglas Milford Lyons, a WWI Veteran who was killed in combat action in Verdun, France, 12 October 12, 1918 (Distinguished Service Cross Awarded for action-citation comments below). The application was signed by the Post Adjutant H.P. Andrews, from Dover, TN and forwarded through Legion Command channels for final completion on September 26, 1930.
On February 24, 1931 the Post Application for Permanent Charter was completed, with 67 Post members paid up for the year on the roster. J. Ben Thomson was the Commander, H.P. Andrews remained as the Adjutant, T.E. Andrews was the Treasurer, W.P. Bruton was the Historian, Irls S. Roberts was the Service Officer, and William Robinson was the News Correspondent. Post 72 was granted its Permanent Charter on February 26, 1931 and has been a part of the Stewart County Community for nearly Eighty-five years.
Dover Post 72 has recently seen a revitalization in Post Membership as reflected in being awarded the Department of Tennessee’s Sam D. Stooksberry Memorial Award. The Sam D. Stooksberry Award is presented in memory of the Past Department of Tennessee Commander and Membership Chairman Sam. D. Stooksberry to the Post that achieves the greatest percentage of increase in Post Membership, when compared to the previous year’s membership. Dover Post membership was at 188 percent for 2014. Our current membership for 2015 is at 157 percent.
Dover Post 72 also received a Department of Tennessee Certificate of Achievement in recognition of exceptional and outstanding achievement in the annual “Best Consolidated Post Report” competition and as evidence of being the Department of Tennessee’s Second Place Winner for 2013-2014.
For nearly eighty-five years, Dover Post 72 has been a part of the Stewart County Community. The post’s humble beginnings in 1930 was just the start of a long line of assistance offered to Veterans, their families, and our citizens. We look forward towards The American Legions Centennial Celebration in 2019 and remain committed to keeping The American Legion a part of our community for many years to come.
