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On Jun 28, 1930,
in Thatcher, AZ, twin sons were born to Carlos and Carol (Baker)
Tanner. The boys were named H.C. Tanner and C.H.
Tanner, and those initials were the only names by which they were
known. There was also a sister named Jackie. Soon after, the family
moved to the copper and railroad town of Douglas, near the border
with Mexico. A high school classmate claimed that "no one in the
class of 1948 in Douglas was better liked or more respected than
H.C." He was also in the Honor Society, was vice president of the
senior class, and the center on the football team in the days when
football players played "both ways." His coach was instrumental in
helping him secure an appointment to West Point. Prior to that,
however, he toiled at physically demanding tasks at a ranch south of
the border, and played football on scholarship for Arizona State
College (later University) in Tempe.
H.C. entered the
U.S. Military Academy on Jul 5, 1950, with a congressional
appointment, and played plebe football, but injuries prevented him
from continuing a Corps Squad program. This proved advantageous to
Company E-1 sports, as he devoted his athletic talents to
intramurals. He was the sprinter on the E-1 track team and left many
competitors in the dust. Even then he was recognized as a big man, a
man’s man, although when around females of any age, he was courtly
as an archduke. The ladies never were exposed to stories of his
exploits in his teens, or his renditions of risqué songs in Spanish.
His scholarly
efforts enabled him to stay out of academic difficulty, and he
graduated near the middle of the class. With many interests, he
joined the Camera Club, the Debate Council, the French Club, the
Golf Club, and the Ski Club. But it was in the military sphere that
his abilities stood out. He was company commander on the Air Force
Trip, after that a "Cow Corporal," and was Co. E-1’s executive
officer as a cadet lieutenant during First Class year.
At branch drawings
he chose the U.S. Air Force, and after basic pilot training at
Marianna, AZ, went on to fly multi-engine aircraft. He flew B-29
bombers, and later the newest bomber (at the time), the B-47. While
at Lockbourne Air Force Base in Columbus, Ohio, he met Mary Ann
Swank of Newark, OH. Their courtship was interrupted several times
by overseas deployments and Cold War alerts, but finally their
mutual devotion paid off, and Mary Ann became Mrs. Tanner in Newark
on Aug 27, 1960. Their marriage was blessed with a daughter, who
became Helen Carol Tanner Greenwell, and a son, Hugh Carlos Tanner.
Flying duties were
followed by a concentration on Ballistic Missile Defense, as he was
awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal after serving as Aide to
the Commanding General of that command. He attended the University
of Chicago, coming away with an MBA in 1963. Another Commendation
Medal honored his service with the Ballistic Systems Division from
1964 to 1966. He graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College in
1967.
The Vietnam War
found him flying again, this time in Thailand, with the 553rd
Squadron at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, where he flew and
commanded EC121 Sup Constellation aircraft. During his combat
service he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Air
Medals, and another Commendation Medal.
After Southeast
Asia he was assigned for three years to the Office of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff and, while there, was awarded the Meritorious
Service Medal. He monitored the Minuteman Program in 1973 and was
Deputy Director of Engineering for Ballistics Systems Division from
1975 to 1977.
His Air Force
career ended with retirement in 1977, but he found a new way to
contribute to his community. H.C. was hired as Business Manager of
the Chino (California) Unified School District in 1979 and charged
with the reorganization of his department, to include audits of all
accounts. While there during a massive expansion of the school
district (at a rate of 1,000 students per year), he monitored the
construction of a high school, a middle school, three elementary
schools, a new maintenance and transportation facility, and a
remodeled district office. After leaving Chino he served as
Associate Superintendent of the Orange County Unified School
District. In 1986 he was hired as Assistant Superintendent of
Business in the West Covina Unified School District for three years,
but was lured back to Chino with an enhanced title and salary
contract. Along the way he earned a master of science degree in
school administration at the University of Southern California An
avid golfer, he played until retirement. His service to the
education profession ended with retirement in 1993 due to illness.
On Sep 27, 1999,
his country, his family, classmates and friends lost a big, caring
man with a colorful personality when he died in Irvine, CA.
— Family, Friends
& Classmate
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