Celebrating 80 Years of Service to the Community

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Georgia Tire Company is reaching a monumental accomplishment this month, as the business is celebrating 80 years of service to the community. continued from page

The business began in 1945, when two brothers returned home after being held in prisoner of war camps.

Joe and Harry Moses served their country valiantly in World War II. Harry was a B-17 bomber pilot, and he flew 19 missions over Germany. Eighteen of the bombing runs were good – one turned out bad. On January 30, 1944, Harry's B-17 was shot down; he was captured and remained in a prisoner of war camp near Russia until his release on May 1, 1945.

Harry’s brother Joe Moses served as a frontline infantry medic in General George Patton's army. Joe was also captured by the enemy and held in a prison camp near Germany and Czechoslovakia, where he stayed until the end of the war and liberation in 1945. “It’s amazing what they did,” Harry’s son Rusty Morris emphasized. “When they got home, they had a little bit of money saved up for the first time in their lives, and they bought a gas station where Cornerstone Community Church is now (at the corner of Church and East 1st Streets in Vidalia). The rest is history.”

The gas station, known as the Moses Brothers Service Station, soon began to grow, as Harry took the reins to manage the business, and branched out into servicing earthmover and farm tires, leading to the creation of Georgia Tire Company. For several years, the company built its reputation as a cornerstone business within the area, serving numerous community members every single day.

In 1972, Rusty Morris joined the family business after graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology. With Rusty’s newfound college knowledge and enthusiasm for growing the business and Harry’s experience and expertise, the business continued to expand, even gaining a partnership with Michelin tires, marking the company’s first entry into the South Georgia markets.

Eventually, the business became a tire empire – serving community members and completing wholesale contracts with clients, such as the U.S. Military, all from its location in the heart of Vidalia, at 209 Smith Street.

Yet, the business is continuing to grow and thrive, as Rusty’s son, Morris, has officially joined the family business after having graduated from the University of Georgia in 2000. Morris is the third generation of the Moses family to dedicate themselves to serving the community – a decision which the family made 80 years ago, and continue to choose every single day.