tire operation in the South at that
time. Mr. Carroll was one of the finest
people I’ve ever met. After my daddy,
Mr. Carroll was my greatest mentor.”
In the early 1980s, Rusty hired an
outside salesman and began selling
tires wholesale across southeast
Georgia. As the business grew, he
purchased the property behind them.
When an offer came to buy the front
part of their property that faced Hwy
280 from someone who wanted to put
up a Wendy’s franchise, it was perfect
timing. “McDonalds had opened across
from us in the late 70s, and the flow
of traffic had become congested with
our big trucks coming and going. We
sold the front property for the Wendy’s
franchise and built a new building on
the property I’d bought behind us,”
which is where Georgia Tire continues
to do business today.
In 1987, Michelin Tires invited
Rusty to participate in a military sales
program with them. “The program
provided tires to the PX and BX
operations at military bases,” said
Rusty. Through the program, Georgia
Tire would eventually provide tires to
PX and BX automotive repair shops
on all of Georgia’s military bases, and
in Florida and Alabama. “We shipped
tires to bases as far away as Alaska and
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The contract
lasted about fifteen years. It was a great
opportunity for us.”
One of the main bases Georgia
Tire serviced was Robins Air Force
Base. “Daddy took tires there for us
nearly every day for twelve years,”
said Rusty. “Every morning, he would
go to Southern Café and drink coffee
with his friends and then come sit and
read the paper at the office. We had
the truck loaded and waiting. When he
finished reading the paper, he took the
tires to Warner Robins. Everyone loved
Daddy there. He had flown a B17 in
WWII. He was still a hero to them.”
One morning in early February,
the weather took a turn. “The roads
had started to ice over. I said, ‘Daddy,
it’s bad weather out there. You’ve got
to be careful today. I must have said it
two or three times. Finally, Daddy laid
the paper down and looked up at me.
He said, ‘Son, I flew a B17 through the
English fog and landed it when I could
hardly see the runway. I think I can
drive a truck in a little ice and rain to
Macon just fine.’”
Another time, during onion
season, Rusty got a call from Harvey
Ware, the manager of the PX tire
operation at the base in Warner
Robins. “He said, ‘I’ve got some three
stars Lieutenant Generals from the
Pentagon here, and they want some
Vidalia onions. They’re leaving shortly.’
Daddy had just started reading the
Savannah paper. I said, ‘Daddy, you’re
going to have to go to Robins a little
earlier today. They’ve got some three
stars at the base and they’re waiting on
these onions.’ He said, ‘Humph.’ A few
minutes later, I said, ‘Daddy, we’ve got
everything loaded. They’re waiting on
you.’ He said, ‘I hear ya.’ Finally, I said,
‘Daddy, these are important people.’ He
laid down his paper and said, ‘You tell
those three stars when they’ve bombed
the Germans, I’ll hurry up for them.’”
Harry Moses, Sr., continued his
morning ritual until he could no longer
drive. “Then we had someone drive him
here,” said Rusty. When his father died
in 2005, he was almost ninety years
old. He and his wife Carolyn had been
married for 59 years.
Harry taught his son many
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