Tavern Products, Inc.

motley family military flowchart.jpg

Founder of Tavern Products, Inc., Bob Motley, U.S. Army, 1943

Our uncle, Bob Motley, was the founder of Tavern Products, Inc. and owned the company until 2003.  He served in the U.S. Army in the Philippines during World War II.

Bob Motley, U.S. Army, 1944

Our uncle, Bob Motley, served with the U.S. Army in the Philippines during World War II.

C.E. & Zolus Motley

Our grandfather, C.E. Motley, and his brother, Zolus Motley, during their service in World War II.  His brother, Zolus, was an officer in the Army, while our grandfather was a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy.  C.E. was 42 years old when he enlisted in the Navy to fight in the war, even though he was way past the draft age.  Zolus was a football player at Texas A&M when he joined the Army as a Second Lieutenant.

C.E. Motley, c. 1943 during WWII

Our grandfather, C.E. Motley, was a Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy Seabee's during WWII.

C.E. Motley, c. 1945

Our grandfather, C.E. Motley, was a Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy Seabee's during WWII.

C.E. Motley and his step-son, Dale Renfro

Our grandfather, C.E. Motley, and his step-son, Dale Renfro.  Dale was too young to enlist in the U.S. Navy as a pilot, so he went to Canada and earned his pilot rating with the Canadian Air Force.  He then returned to the U.S. and flew for the U.S. Navy but died in a military plane crash.

Major Lynn Motley Shadow Box

Our mother, Lynn Motley, enlisted in the Women's Army Corps (WACS) in 1942.  She immediately applied for Officer Candidate School (OCS) and became a Second Lieutenant.  She had a fascinating career working in the White House Crypto Office, as a courier between the War Department and the White House, serving in Austria for four years during the occupation from 1945-1949, and in Lord Louis Mountbatten's Headquarters in Ceylon.  She also spent a year studying Russian at the Army Language School in Monterrey, CA.  She ended her military career as a Major in 1954 to stay home and raise her family.

First Lieutenant Bill Motley, Sr.

Our father, Bill Motley, Sr., at his wedding reception in 1954 at the Navy Chapel in Washington, DC.  He was a First Lieutenant at the time and ultimately retired in 1967 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

2LT Bill Motley wounded in Korea

Our father, Bill Motley, Sr., enlisted in the Army in 1943 and served as a Field Artillery soldier in Germany during World War II.  In 1950, he was granted a Direct Commission to Second Lieutenant and immediately shipped off to Korea for the war.  He was serving as a Forward Observer for the 5th Regimental Combat Team (RCT) when he was shot in the knee.  Upon his return to the states, he went to work for the Army Security Agency (ASA), where he served for the rest of his career.  He retired in 1967 as a Lieutenant Colonel.  In the mid-1970's, he served as a Distributor's Representative for his brother's company, Tavern Products, Inc. and handled the north Texas area.

John Motley, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Reserve

Our current owner, John Motley, retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, having spent 15 years on active duty, including service in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and 13 years in the Army Reserve, to include service in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.  John deployed to Baghdad, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn from July to December 2010 and then reached his mandatory retirement (28 years of service) from the Army in June 2011.

Afghanistan 2011 - Operation Enduring Freedom

After reaching his mandatory retirement in the U.S. Army, John volunteered to serve in Afghanistan as a civilian contractor supporting the Afghan National Tracking System (ANTS), a GPS-based tracking system for the Afghan military and police vehicles.  In this picture, he is with an Afghan Special Forces Command Sergeant Major in September 2011.

Afghanistan 2011 - Operation Enduring Freedom

After reaching his mandatory retirement in the U.S. Army, John volunteered to serve in Afghanistan as a civilian contractor supporting the Afghan National Tracking System (ANTS), a GPS-based tracking system for the Afghan military and police vehicles.  In this picture, he is with a group of Afghan Special Forces soldiers in September 2011.

Afghanistan 2013 - Operation Enduring Freedom

In May 2013, John volunteered again to serve in Afghanistan as a civilian contractor supporting the U.S. Navy SEALS in Uruzgan and Logar Provinces for ten months until March 2014.