Additional information provided by Debbie Brewer Cox: Son of Henry E. Tanner and Grace M. Lane (Portageville, Missouri). Husband of Glendale Patricia "Pat" Patton (daughter of Homer C. Patton and Dorothy Lorene Brewer). Born Billy Boy Tanner and name later changed to William B. Tanner but his first son was named after him as Billy Boy Tanner Jr.
WILLIAM B. TANNER, 75, of Memphis, died Thursday, December 1, 2005 at Methodist University Hospital. He is survived by his wife, Pat Tanner; his daughters, Vicky Holland of Sequim, WA and Crystal and Weatherley Tanner, both of Memphis; his step-sons, Richard and Robert DiLeonardo, both of Memphis; his sister, Margie Reddick of Portageville, MO and his brother, Herbert Tanner of Memphis. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Friday at Memorial Park Funeral Home on Poplar. Services will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Park Funeral Home with burial in Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any memorials be sent to the newly established William B. Tanner Foundation, for charitable purposes including cancer research, 2076 Union Ave, Memphis, TN, 38104, or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Memorial Park Funeral Home, Inc. (Obituary published in The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN, on December 2, 2005)
Tanner amassed wealth, woes -- Bending rules led to legal scrapes in a life marked by grit, zest -- It was hard to pick William B. Tanner out on an airplane. You would expect to see a multimillionaire with a love of fine art and tailored suits sipping champagne in first class. But Mr. Tanner wasn't about to waste a penny on comfort or status when he could get there in the same airplane for less. Mr. Tanner picked his way out of Missouri cotton fields to build a media empire that he sold for millions before landing in prison where he served time and later built a second fortune out of banks and billboards. Mr. Tanner, 75, died Thursday of pneumonia. Visitation is from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Memorial Park Funeral Home on Poplar. Services are at 10 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Park. He followed in the tradition of such Memphis entrepreneurs as Piggly Wiggly's Clarence Saunders and Kemmons Wilson of Holiday Inn. But his was a grittier rise. Mr. Tanner mixed good-old-boy flamboyance and up-at-dawn farmer's hours with a razor-like Wall Street obsession of making a dollar that often found him bending the rules and occasionally getting in trouble with the law. Most recently, he was indicted in January, accused of bribing a judge. Mr. Tanner's latest business venture was as the owner of a handful of Kia car dealerships, which he sold in June. His bone marrow cancer was diagnosed in 2001, and he began a battle that included stem cell transplants. But his cancer never slowed his 12-hour workdays or his cunning pursuit of wealth. "Right up until the last two weeks, he was up early and taking care of his business," said longtime friend William Norcross. "He worked enormous hours. He and Kemmons Wilson had the best work ethics of anyone I've ever known." Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton said Mr. Tanner was a true friend and he, too, admired his work ethic and zest for life. "I admired Bill Tanner for being a self-made man who came from very humble circumstances and became a very successful entrepreneur. He was the most tenacious guy I know when it comes to negotiations and putting together the business deal. I will miss Bill Tanner." Mr. Tanner worked 365 days a year and said holidays were a chance to catch up on work because it was quiet. "I always liked to do things my own way, my own self," Mr. Tanner once said. "If it was going to fail, I wanted it to fail my way." He was born Billy Boy Tanner in Portageville, Mo. Named after a popular song of the day, Tanner later had his name changed to William B. Tanner, and would joke that the B stood for "bad." He moved to Memphis in the early 1950s and learned the bartering that would help him build a media empire. He sold jingles produced at Pepper Sound Studios to radio stations. When a station couldn't pay all cash, he would take the rest in air time. He used the air time for ads for a deodorant he was peddling, Everdry . Mr. Tanner was a millionaire by his 34th birthday. In 1982, he sold his company to Media General for $39.5 million and stayed on to operate the company at an annual salary of $400,000. He also bought controlling interest in Central Trade Bank, formerly United American Banks . A year later, federal agents seized boxes of records at Mr. Tanner's office. He pleaded guilty in January 1985 to charges of mail fraud and filing false income tax returns for underestimating his income by $300,000 over three years. He served almost two years in prison. He dealt with tragedy in his personal life, losing both sons. Billy Boy, 35, his namesake, was found dead of heart failure in 1990 in a Summer Avenue motel room. His youngest son, Blake, nicknamed "Tiger," died in 2000 of heart failure at age 40. Tanner said both abused drugs. But while Mr. Tanner suffered personal losses, his businesses continued to flourish. In 1992 he bought into Jerry Peck's billboard company and formed Tanner-Peck Outdoor Advertising. Mr. Tanner bought up other billboard companies until he had a virtual monopoly on the local market. When he heard Tunica might get casinos, he went up and down U.S. 61 and personally sewed up billboard lease deals with farmers. He ran into legal trouble again after he was accused of poisoning trees near his billboards. He was ordered to pay $11,300 in fines in a civil case. He was arrested one Sunday morning on Sam Cooper Boulevard with a chain saw and cut limbs nearby. The charges were later dropped. He sold his billboard company in September 1996 in a deal worth $100 million. Less than two weeks later, he sold his bank for $52 million in stock from First Commercial Corp. of Little Rock. Jerry Peck filed a lawsuit against Mr. Tanner in 1996 but in 2001, Chancellor Floyd Peete ruled against Peck. Peck appealed and the case is pending. Peete died in 2002. Then earlier this year Mr. Tanner was charged with bribing Peete. Mr. Tanner pleaded not guilty. Mr. Tanner was the husband of Pat Tanner. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the William B. Tanner Foundation, whose charitable purposes include cancer research. (Written by Cindy Wolff, published in the Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN, on December 2, 2005)
Bill Tanner leaves estate to widow; amount not given -- Indicted for bribery in January, flamboyant merchant sold Kia dealerships this year -- Memphis businessman William B. Tanner , who died Thursday, left his estate to his widow and left continuing trust funds for his daughters who also will receive personal items such as his jackets, cuff links, watches, a bronze bust of himself and Bibles, according to his will filed this week. Tanner, 75, who tangled with the law on his way to making millions in banking, billboards and media enterprises, died of pneumonia after battling bone marrow cancer the past four years. His last will and testament, drawn up in October, names wife Glendell Patricia Tanner as executrix and leaves to her all of his real and personal property not addressed in the four-page document. The total value of his estate is not given, although it is listed in the probate filing as less than $950,000. In the will, Tanner also says it is his wish that she make up any difference should trust funds previously created for daughters Crystal and Melody Tanner of Memphis not generate at least $60,000 each in annual distributions. Tanner said in the will he created the trusts hoping they will allow his daughters "to enjoy peace of mind over financial matters and will allow them the resources to follow what dreams they may have." It also is Tanner's wish, the will says, for his wife to disburse $6,000 each month to his former wife, Pearline Tanner, and $1,000 a month to daughter Vicky Holland of Sequim, Wash. Tanner's attorney, W. Ernest Norcross, said those were payments his client would like for his widow to carry out, but that she was under no obligation to do so. For decades Tanner was a hard-charging, flamboyant businessman whose troubles often were as big as the fortunes he made. In the mid-1980s he did prison time for mail fraud and false income tax returns and in January of this year he was indicted on charges that he bribed a judge who ruled in his favor in a high-stakes business dispute. He pleaded not guilty. Friends and associates said Tanner, who sold a number of Kia car dealerships earlier this year, worked 12-hour days up to the final weeks of his life despite his illness. (Written by Lawrence Buser, published in The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN, on December 7, 2005)
WILLIAM B. TANNER, 75, of Memphis, died Thursday, December 1, 2005 at Methodist University Hospital. He is survived by his wife, Pat Tanner; his daughters, Vicky Holland of Sequim, WA and Crystal and Weatherley Tanner, both of Memphis; his step-sons, Richard and Robert DiLeonardo, both of Memphis; his sister, Margie Reddick of Portageville, MO and his brother, Herbert Tanner of Memphis. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Friday at Memorial Park Funeral Home on Poplar. Services will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Park Funeral Home with burial in Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any memorials be sent to the newly established William B. Tanner Foundation, for charitable purposes including cancer research, 2076 Union Ave, Memphis, TN, 38104, or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Memorial Park Funeral Home, Inc. (Obituary published in The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN, on December 2, 2005)
Tanner amassed wealth, woes -- Bending rules led to legal scrapes in a life marked by grit, zest -- It was hard to pick William B. Tanner out on an airplane. You would expect to see a multimillionaire with a love of fine art and tailored suits sipping champagne in first class. But Mr. Tanner wasn't about to waste a penny on comfort or status when he could get there in the same airplane for less. Mr. Tanner picked his way out of Missouri cotton fields to build a media empire that he sold for millions before landing in prison where he served time and later built a second fortune out of banks and billboards. Mr. Tanner, 75, died Thursday of pneumonia. Visitation is from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Memorial Park Funeral Home on Poplar. Services are at 10 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Park. He followed in the tradition of such Memphis entrepreneurs as Piggly Wiggly's Clarence Saunders and Kemmons Wilson of Holiday Inn. But his was a grittier rise. Mr. Tanner mixed good-old-boy flamboyance and up-at-dawn farmer's hours with a razor-like Wall Street obsession of making a dollar that often found him bending the rules and occasionally getting in trouble with the law. Most recently, he was indicted in January, accused of bribing a judge. Mr. Tanner's latest business venture was as the owner of a handful of Kia car dealerships, which he sold in June. His bone marrow cancer was diagnosed in 2001, and he began a battle that included stem cell transplants. But his cancer never slowed his 12-hour workdays or his cunning pursuit of wealth. "Right up until the last two weeks, he was up early and taking care of his business," said longtime friend William Norcross. "He worked enormous hours. He and Kemmons Wilson had the best work ethics of anyone I've ever known." Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton said Mr. Tanner was a true friend and he, too, admired his work ethic and zest for life. "I admired Bill Tanner for being a self-made man who came from very humble circumstances and became a very successful entrepreneur. He was the most tenacious guy I know when it comes to negotiations and putting together the business deal. I will miss Bill Tanner." Mr. Tanner worked 365 days a year and said holidays were a chance to catch up on work because it was quiet. "I always liked to do things my own way, my own self," Mr. Tanner once said. "If it was going to fail, I wanted it to fail my way." He was born Billy Boy Tanner in Portageville, Mo. Named after a popular song of the day, Tanner later had his name changed to William B. Tanner, and would joke that the B stood for "bad." He moved to Memphis in the early 1950s and learned the bartering that would help him build a media empire. He sold jingles produced at Pepper Sound Studios to radio stations. When a station couldn't pay all cash, he would take the rest in air time. He used the air time for ads for a deodorant he was peddling, Everdry . Mr. Tanner was a millionaire by his 34th birthday. In 1982, he sold his company to Media General for $39.5 million and stayed on to operate the company at an annual salary of $400,000. He also bought controlling interest in Central Trade Bank, formerly United American Banks . A year later, federal agents seized boxes of records at Mr. Tanner's office. He pleaded guilty in January 1985 to charges of mail fraud and filing false income tax returns for underestimating his income by $300,000 over three years. He served almost two years in prison. He dealt with tragedy in his personal life, losing both sons. Billy Boy, 35, his namesake, was found dead of heart failure in 1990 in a Summer Avenue motel room. His youngest son, Blake, nicknamed "Tiger," died in 2000 of heart failure at age 40. Tanner said both abused drugs. But while Mr. Tanner suffered personal losses, his businesses continued to flourish. In 1992 he bought into Jerry Peck's billboard company and formed Tanner-Peck Outdoor Advertising. Mr. Tanner bought up other billboard companies until he had a virtual monopoly on the local market. When he heard Tunica might get casinos, he went up and down U.S. 61 and personally sewed up billboard lease deals with farmers. He ran into legal trouble again after he was accused of poisoning trees near his billboards. He was ordered to pay $11,300 in fines in a civil case. He was arrested one Sunday morning on Sam Cooper Boulevard with a chain saw and cut limbs nearby. The charges were later dropped. He sold his billboard company in September 1996 in a deal worth $100 million. Less than two weeks later, he sold his bank for $52 million in stock from First Commercial Corp. of Little Rock. Jerry Peck filed a lawsuit against Mr. Tanner in 1996 but in 2001, Chancellor Floyd Peete ruled against Peck. Peck appealed and the case is pending. Peete died in 2002. Then earlier this year Mr. Tanner was charged with bribing Peete. Mr. Tanner pleaded not guilty. Mr. Tanner was the husband of Pat Tanner. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the William B. Tanner Foundation, whose charitable purposes include cancer research. (Written by Cindy Wolff, published in the Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN, on December 2, 2005)
Bill Tanner leaves estate to widow; amount not given -- Indicted for bribery in January, flamboyant merchant sold Kia dealerships this year -- Memphis businessman William B. Tanner , who died Thursday, left his estate to his widow and left continuing trust funds for his daughters who also will receive personal items such as his jackets, cuff links, watches, a bronze bust of himself and Bibles, according to his will filed this week. Tanner, 75, who tangled with the law on his way to making millions in banking, billboards and media enterprises, died of pneumonia after battling bone marrow cancer the past four years. His last will and testament, drawn up in October, names wife Glendell Patricia Tanner as executrix and leaves to her all of his real and personal property not addressed in the four-page document. The total value of his estate is not given, although it is listed in the probate filing as less than $950,000. In the will, Tanner also says it is his wish that she make up any difference should trust funds previously created for daughters Crystal and Melody Tanner of Memphis not generate at least $60,000 each in annual distributions. Tanner said in the will he created the trusts hoping they will allow his daughters "to enjoy peace of mind over financial matters and will allow them the resources to follow what dreams they may have." It also is Tanner's wish, the will says, for his wife to disburse $6,000 each month to his former wife, Pearline Tanner, and $1,000 a month to daughter Vicky Holland of Sequim, Wash. Tanner's attorney, W. Ernest Norcross, said those were payments his client would like for his widow to carry out, but that she was under no obligation to do so. For decades Tanner was a hard-charging, flamboyant businessman whose troubles often were as big as the fortunes he made. In the mid-1980s he did prison time for mail fraud and false income tax returns and in January of this year he was indicted on charges that he bribed a judge who ruled in his favor in a high-stakes business dispute. He pleaded not guilty. Friends and associates said Tanner, who sold a number of Kia car dealerships earlier this year, worked 12-hour days up to the final weeks of his life despite his illness. (Written by Lawrence Buser, published in The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN, on December 7, 2005)
Additional information provided by Debbie Brewer Cox: Son of Henry E. Tanner and Grace M. Lane (Portageville, Missouri). Husband of Glendale Patricia "Pat" Patton (daughter of Homer C. Patton and Dorothy Lorene Brewer). Born Billy Boy Tanner and name later changed to William B. Tanner but his first son was named after him as Billy Boy Tanner Jr.
WILLIAM B. TANNER, 75, of Memphis, died Thursday, December 1, 2005 at Methodist University Hospital. He is survived by his wife, Pat Tanner; his daughters, Vicky Holland of Sequim, WA and Crystal and Weatherley Tanner, both of Memphis; his step-sons, Richard and Robert DiLeonardo, both of Memphis; his sister, Margie Reddick of Portageville, MO and his brother, Herbert Tanner of Memphis. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Friday at Memorial Park Funeral Home on Poplar. Services will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Park Funeral Home with burial in Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any memorials be sent to the newly established William B. Tanner Foundation, for charitable purposes including cancer research, 2076 Union Ave, Memphis, TN, 38104, or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Memorial Park Funeral Home, Inc. (Obituary published in The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN, on December 2, 2005)
Tanner amassed wealth, woes -- Bending rules led to legal scrapes in a life marked by grit, zest -- It was hard to pick William B. Tanner out on an airplane. You would expect to see a multimillionaire with a love of fine art and tailored suits sipping champagne in first class. But Mr. Tanner wasn't about to waste a penny on comfort or status when he could get there in the same airplane for less. Mr. Tanner picked his way out of Missouri cotton fields to build a media empire that he sold for millions before landing in prison where he served time and later built a second fortune out of banks and billboards. Mr. Tanner, 75, died Thursday of pneumonia. Visitation is from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Memorial Park Funeral Home on Poplar. Services are at 10 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Park. He followed in the tradition of such Memphis entrepreneurs as Piggly Wiggly's Clarence Saunders and Kemmons Wilson of Holiday Inn. But his was a grittier rise. Mr. Tanner mixed good-old-boy flamboyance and up-at-dawn farmer's hours with a razor-like Wall Street obsession of making a dollar that often found him bending the rules and occasionally getting in trouble with the law. Most recently, he was indicted in January, accused of bribing a judge. Mr. Tanner's latest business venture was as the owner of a handful of Kia car dealerships, which he sold in June. His bone marrow cancer was diagnosed in 2001, and he began a battle that included stem cell transplants. But his cancer never slowed his 12-hour workdays or his cunning pursuit of wealth. "Right up until the last two weeks, he was up early and taking care of his business," said longtime friend William Norcross. "He worked enormous hours. He and Kemmons Wilson had the best work ethics of anyone I've ever known." Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton said Mr. Tanner was a true friend and he, too, admired his work ethic and zest for life. "I admired Bill Tanner for being a self-made man who came from very humble circumstances and became a very successful entrepreneur. He was the most tenacious guy I know when it comes to negotiations and putting together the business deal. I will miss Bill Tanner." Mr. Tanner worked 365 days a year and said holidays were a chance to catch up on work because it was quiet. "I always liked to do things my own way, my own self," Mr. Tanner once said. "If it was going to fail, I wanted it to fail my way." He was born Billy Boy Tanner in Portageville, Mo. Named after a popular song of the day, Tanner later had his name changed to William B. Tanner, and would joke that the B stood for "bad." He moved to Memphis in the early 1950s and learned the bartering that would help him build a media empire. He sold jingles produced at Pepper Sound Studios to radio stations. When a station couldn't pay all cash, he would take the rest in air time. He used the air time for ads for a deodorant he was peddling, Everdry . Mr. Tanner was a millionaire by his 34th birthday. In 1982, he sold his company to Media General for $39.5 million and stayed on to operate the company at an annual salary of $400,000. He also bought controlling interest in Central Trade Bank, formerly United American Banks . A year later, federal agents seized boxes of records at Mr. Tanner's office. He pleaded guilty in January 1985 to charges of mail fraud and filing false income tax returns for underestimating his income by $300,000 over three years. He served almost two years in prison. He dealt with tragedy in his personal life, losing both sons. Billy Boy, 35, his namesake, was found dead of heart failure in 1990 in a Summer Avenue motel room. His youngest son, Blake, nicknamed "Tiger," died in 2000 of heart failure at age 40. Tanner said both abused drugs. But while Mr. Tanner suffered personal losses, his businesses continued to flourish. In 1992 he bought into Jerry Peck's billboard company and formed Tanner-Peck Outdoor Advertising. Mr. Tanner bought up other billboard companies until he had a virtual monopoly on the local market. When he heard Tunica might get casinos, he went up and down U.S. 61 and personally sewed up billboard lease deals with farmers. He ran into legal trouble again after he was accused of poisoning trees near his billboards. He was ordered to pay $11,300 in fines in a civil case. He was arrested one Sunday morning on Sam Cooper Boulevard with a chain saw and cut limbs nearby. The charges were later dropped. He sold his billboard company in September 1996 in a deal worth $100 million. Less than two weeks later, he sold his bank for $52 million in stock from First Commercial Corp. of Little Rock. Jerry Peck filed a lawsuit against Mr. Tanner in 1996 but in 2001, Chancellor Floyd Peete ruled against Peck. Peck appealed and the case is pending. Peete died in 2002. Then earlier this year Mr. Tanner was charged with bribing Peete. Mr. Tanner pleaded not guilty. Mr. Tanner was the husband of Pat Tanner. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the William B. Tanner Foundation, whose charitable purposes include cancer research. (Written by Cindy Wolff, published in the Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN, on December 2, 2005)
Bill Tanner leaves estate to widow; amount not given -- Indicted for bribery in January, flamboyant merchant sold Kia dealerships this year -- Memphis businessman William B. Tanner , who died Thursday, left his estate to his widow and left continuing trust funds for his daughters who also will receive personal items such as his jackets, cuff links, watches, a bronze bust of himself and Bibles, according to his will filed this week. Tanner, 75, who tangled with the law on his way to making millions in banking, billboards and media enterprises, died of pneumonia after battling bone marrow cancer the past four years. His last will and testament, drawn up in October, names wife Glendell Patricia Tanner as executrix and leaves to her all of his real and personal property not addressed in the four-page document. The total value of his estate is not given, although it is listed in the probate filing as less than $950,000. In the will, Tanner also says it is his wish that she make up any difference should trust funds previously created for daughters Crystal and Melody Tanner of Memphis not generate at least $60,000 each in annual distributions. Tanner said in the will he created the trusts hoping they will allow his daughters "to enjoy peace of mind over financial matters and will allow them the resources to follow what dreams they may have." It also is Tanner's wish, the will says, for his wife to disburse $6,000 each month to his former wife, Pearline Tanner, and $1,000 a month to daughter Vicky Holland of Sequim, Wash. Tanner's attorney, W. Ernest Norcross, said those were payments his client would like for his widow to carry out, but that she was under no obligation to do so. For decades Tanner was a hard-charging, flamboyant businessman whose troubles often were as big as the fortunes he made. In the mid-1980s he did prison time for mail fraud and false income tax returns and in January of this year he was indicted on charges that he bribed a judge who ruled in his favor in a high-stakes business dispute. He pleaded not guilty. Friends and associates said Tanner, who sold a number of Kia car dealerships earlier this year, worked 12-hour days up to the final weeks of his life despite his illness. (Written by Lawrence Buser, published in The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN, on December 7, 2005)
WILLIAM B. TANNER, 75, of Memphis, died Thursday, December 1, 2005 at Methodist University Hospital. He is survived by his wife, Pat Tanner; his daughters, Vicky Holland of Sequim, WA and Crystal and Weatherley Tanner, both of Memphis; his step-sons, Richard and Robert DiLeonardo, both of Memphis; his sister, Margie Reddick of Portageville, MO and his brother, Herbert Tanner of Memphis. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Friday at Memorial Park Funeral Home on Poplar. Services will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Park Funeral Home with burial in Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any memorials be sent to the newly established William B. Tanner Foundation, for charitable purposes including cancer research, 2076 Union Ave, Memphis, TN, 38104, or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Memorial Park Funeral Home, Inc. (Obituary published in The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN, on December 2, 2005)
Tanner amassed wealth, woes -- Bending rules led to legal scrapes in a life marked by grit, zest -- It was hard to pick William B. Tanner out on an airplane. You would expect to see a multimillionaire with a love of fine art and tailored suits sipping champagne in first class. But Mr. Tanner wasn't about to waste a penny on comfort or status when he could get there in the same airplane for less. Mr. Tanner picked his way out of Missouri cotton fields to build a media empire that he sold for millions before landing in prison where he served time and later built a second fortune out of banks and billboards. Mr. Tanner, 75, died Thursday of pneumonia. Visitation is from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Memorial Park Funeral Home on Poplar. Services are at 10 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Park. He followed in the tradition of such Memphis entrepreneurs as Piggly Wiggly's Clarence Saunders and Kemmons Wilson of Holiday Inn. But his was a grittier rise. Mr. Tanner mixed good-old-boy flamboyance and up-at-dawn farmer's hours with a razor-like Wall Street obsession of making a dollar that often found him bending the rules and occasionally getting in trouble with the law. Most recently, he was indicted in January, accused of bribing a judge. Mr. Tanner's latest business venture was as the owner of a handful of Kia car dealerships, which he sold in June. His bone marrow cancer was diagnosed in 2001, and he began a battle that included stem cell transplants. But his cancer never slowed his 12-hour workdays or his cunning pursuit of wealth. "Right up until the last two weeks, he was up early and taking care of his business," said longtime friend William Norcross. "He worked enormous hours. He and Kemmons Wilson had the best work ethics of anyone I've ever known." Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton said Mr. Tanner was a true friend and he, too, admired his work ethic and zest for life. "I admired Bill Tanner for being a self-made man who came from very humble circumstances and became a very successful entrepreneur. He was the most tenacious guy I know when it comes to negotiations and putting together the business deal. I will miss Bill Tanner." Mr. Tanner worked 365 days a year and said holidays were a chance to catch up on work because it was quiet. "I always liked to do things my own way, my own self," Mr. Tanner once said. "If it was going to fail, I wanted it to fail my way." He was born Billy Boy Tanner in Portageville, Mo. Named after a popular song of the day, Tanner later had his name changed to William B. Tanner, and would joke that the B stood for "bad." He moved to Memphis in the early 1950s and learned the bartering that would help him build a media empire. He sold jingles produced at Pepper Sound Studios to radio stations. When a station couldn't pay all cash, he would take the rest in air time. He used the air time for ads for a deodorant he was peddling, Everdry . Mr. Tanner was a millionaire by his 34th birthday. In 1982, he sold his company to Media General for $39.5 million and stayed on to operate the company at an annual salary of $400,000. He also bought controlling interest in Central Trade Bank, formerly United American Banks . A year later, federal agents seized boxes of records at Mr. Tanner's office. He pleaded guilty in January 1985 to charges of mail fraud and filing false income tax returns for underestimating his income by $300,000 over three years. He served almost two years in prison. He dealt with tragedy in his personal life, losing both sons. Billy Boy, 35, his namesake, was found dead of heart failure in 1990 in a Summer Avenue motel room. His youngest son, Blake, nicknamed "Tiger," died in 2000 of heart failure at age 40. Tanner said both abused drugs. But while Mr. Tanner suffered personal losses, his businesses continued to flourish. In 1992 he bought into Jerry Peck's billboard company and formed Tanner-Peck Outdoor Advertising. Mr. Tanner bought up other billboard companies until he had a virtual monopoly on the local market. When he heard Tunica might get casinos, he went up and down U.S. 61 and personally sewed up billboard lease deals with farmers. He ran into legal trouble again after he was accused of poisoning trees near his billboards. He was ordered to pay $11,300 in fines in a civil case. He was arrested one Sunday morning on Sam Cooper Boulevard with a chain saw and cut limbs nearby. The charges were later dropped. He sold his billboard company in September 1996 in a deal worth $100 million. Less than two weeks later, he sold his bank for $52 million in stock from First Commercial Corp. of Little Rock. Jerry Peck filed a lawsuit against Mr. Tanner in 1996 but in 2001, Chancellor Floyd Peete ruled against Peck. Peck appealed and the case is pending. Peete died in 2002. Then earlier this year Mr. Tanner was charged with bribing Peete. Mr. Tanner pleaded not guilty. Mr. Tanner was the husband of Pat Tanner. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the William B. Tanner Foundation, whose charitable purposes include cancer research. (Written by Cindy Wolff, published in the Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN, on December 2, 2005)
Bill Tanner leaves estate to widow; amount not given -- Indicted for bribery in January, flamboyant merchant sold Kia dealerships this year -- Memphis businessman William B. Tanner , who died Thursday, left his estate to his widow and left continuing trust funds for his daughters who also will receive personal items such as his jackets, cuff links, watches, a bronze bust of himself and Bibles, according to his will filed this week. Tanner, 75, who tangled with the law on his way to making millions in banking, billboards and media enterprises, died of pneumonia after battling bone marrow cancer the past four years. His last will and testament, drawn up in October, names wife Glendell Patricia Tanner as executrix and leaves to her all of his real and personal property not addressed in the four-page document. The total value of his estate is not given, although it is listed in the probate filing as less than $950,000. In the will, Tanner also says it is his wish that she make up any difference should trust funds previously created for daughters Crystal and Melody Tanner of Memphis not generate at least $60,000 each in annual distributions. Tanner said in the will he created the trusts hoping they will allow his daughters "to enjoy peace of mind over financial matters and will allow them the resources to follow what dreams they may have." It also is Tanner's wish, the will says, for his wife to disburse $6,000 each month to his former wife, Pearline Tanner, and $1,000 a month to daughter Vicky Holland of Sequim, Wash. Tanner's attorney, W. Ernest Norcross, said those were payments his client would like for his widow to carry out, but that she was under no obligation to do so. For decades Tanner was a hard-charging, flamboyant businessman whose troubles often were as big as the fortunes he made. In the mid-1980s he did prison time for mail fraud and false income tax returns and in January of this year he was indicted on charges that he bribed a judge who ruled in his favor in a high-stakes business dispute. He pleaded not guilty. Friends and associates said Tanner, who sold a number of Kia car dealerships earlier this year, worked 12-hour days up to the final weeks of his life despite his illness. (Written by Lawrence Buser, published in The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN, on December 7, 2005)
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