Earle G. Byers, founder of the FFC-MVPA
Born June 21, 1931 in Dean in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he was naturalized an American citizen when his family later moved to the United States.
After completing his education, Earle met his future wife, Evelyn, briefly before shipping out to Korea to serve in combat with the 5th Regimental Combat Team, 5th Infantry Division, US Army.
After returning they were married on October 7, 1956. Earle and Evelyn both worked for RCA in Burlington, MA. Later returning to Florida in 1968, Earle left RCA to pursue other business interests. His passion for history and his fierce patriotism prompted him to charter the First Florida Chapter of the MVPA. He served as our 1st President from 1982 – 1983 and also served as Treasurer.
Earle G. Byers, 76 of Winter Park, passed away Thursday June 5 2008 at the Hospice House of the Comforter, Altamonte Springs.
We are thankful for your vision and leadership Sir. The FFC-MVPA stands on the shoulders of Giants like you.
Major Cecil Tanner, The G503 Master of the Northern Region
Friend & Mentor to Many, US Army “Mustang” (E1 to 04, Retired), & Lifelong American Patriot
A Remembrance of our Friend by Joseph Lorentzson
Major Cecil Tanner known to all of us as (Cecil) was born September 21, 1919 in Hampton, FL a small community just South of Starke, FL.
At a young age as the Great Depression set in Cecil had to leave school to find work to help his father support the family, this led him to learning how to work on automobiles of the era, not replacing broken parts ,but rebuilding those parts like new.
After working as a forest fire spotter in 1937 at the Olustee, Florida tower for a year and saving his money, Cecil left Florida to go to the National Automotive School in Nashville, TN to learn the automobile repair trade.
Returning to Florida in 1939 and working in Jacksonville, FL. for a short time, Cecil joined the U.S. Army in the spring of 1940 as a private, working on all types of military vehicles.
When WW-2 broke out in 1941 Cecil rose through the ranks quickly becoming a S/SGT over a military base motor pool, where he even worked with then Lt. Col. Omar Bradley, and eventually moving on to train great numbers of troops in the 9th Army Division on maintenance and repair of Jeeps, GMC trucks and other military vehicles.
After the War in 1946 Cecil was sent to Japan to help train the Japanese on auto repair and while there he used a broken down Jeep to teach and rebuild it to a new vehicle, so Cecil may be the FIRST to restore a WW-2 Jeep.
Returning to the states several years later and having to leave that Jeep in Japan, Cecil retired from the army after 20 years, and went into the Auto Parts business opening a small chain of NAPA AUTO PARTS stores which he ran until retiring.