Member name written in ink on yellow background. Inner circle of white with gold text above. Lion's Club logo at bottom in gold and blue. Dark blue outer rim with gold text.

The Lions Club was started in Chicago in 1917 by Melvin Jones. Now an international organization, the Lion's Club has 1.3 million members. Clubs allowing women to join opened in 1986. 

This button belonged to the curators' grandfather.

Color illustration of a bird flying over a bronze bell. White background with black text and red outer rim. 

The motto of the Philadelphia-based Liberty Bell Bird Club was: "Protect our feathered friends." 

Illustration of a left hand in green on a white circle. Green band on outside edge with text in white. 

Famous left-handeders include Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Alan Turing, and 4 of the 5 original designers of the Macintosh computer. 

White text on red background. Illustration of Polish crest (White Eagle). 

The Polish Club at Lane Tech dates back to the 1970s and is still going strong. The student group can be seen performing at Lane Tech's International Days and Nights.

Dark blue image of winking bobcat wearing a bow tie. Yellow background with dark blue text and rim. 

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Early-style Felix the Cat illustration. Black text on white background. 

This 1930s button came with a membership card and was issued by a movie theater owner named Katz.

Illustration of the Joker in blue, black, red, and white above a red background. Text in white. 

The Joker was a fictional character from the DC comic book series,Batman. The Joker made his first appearance in the comic book's very fist issue in Spring 1940. Credit for the character's creation is often disputed, with Jerry Robinson, Bill Finger, and Bob Kane all receiving some or all of the credit. Although Kane and Robinson take credit for the design of the character, they acknowledge Finger's writing contribution. 
 
Throughout the comic book series and various film adaptations, the Joker is often portrayed as a master criminal with a genius intellect and sadistic sense of humor. Many observers have noted that the Joker and Batman's dynamic relationship parallels the concept of yin and yang. In numerous episodes, for instance, when Batman was able to kill the Joker, or vice versa, the former relented at the last moment. Without each other's arch nemesis, either one would lose their identity, thus bringing an end to this seemingly endless battle.

Blue background with white star in middle. Star features an H on each of its five points and a JH in the middle above a scale. Outside of to the right, left and below the star there are a hand, heart and profile of a face. 

This button may refer to the teaching philosophy of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. His motto was “Learning by head, hand, and heart”. He was a Swiss education and social reformer and helped improve literacy in Switzerland in the 18th century. His belief that anyone can learn and everyone has a right to an education led to education becoming more democratic in Europe. His great influence is why he is considered to be the "Father of Modern Education".

Pestalozzi's philosophy was that education should develop one's powers of head, heart and mind and that this would create individuals who knew right from wrong and became responsible citizens.

Black and white line drawing of a smiling man with a mustache on white background. Text in black. 

The Philadelphia Bulletin was a daily evening newspaper published from 1847 to 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest circulation newspaper in Philadelphia for 76 years and was once the largest evening newspaper in the United States. It was widely known for its slogan: "In Philadelphia, nearly everybody reads The Bulletin."

Color portrait of a gray-haired man in white tie formal wear. Off-white background. I.O.F. appears in black outlined in white on bottom half. Red, white, and blue ribbon encircles the portrait. 

The International Order of Foresters was a fraternal organization established in 1874 as an offshoot of the Ancient Order of Foresters.