Tennessee State Trapshooting Association
Home grounds Nashville Gun Club 1100 County Hospital Rd, Nashville TN 37218
D222020le click here to add text.2020
HomeTSTA News
Captain Larry Taylor son of Tennessee Hall Of Fame Member R L Taylor
Capt. Larry Taylor received the Medal of Honor in recognition of his “conspicuous gallantry, his profound concern for his fellow soldiers, and his intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty,” Lieutenant Colonel Ann Hughes said at the White House ceremony.
Taylor, 81, was a 1st Lieutenant during the Vietnam War and was honored for completing a daring rescue mission in the dead of night in 1968.
He and another pilot — flying in a Cobra helicopter, which Biden, 80, described as the “newest, fastest, deadliest Army helicopter at the time” during the ceremony — responded to a call from four soldiers who were surrounded by enemy forces after an earlier recon mission.
The plan was to provide cover for the soldiers while a rescue helicopter made its way there, Biden said, but once Taylor and his co-pilot arrived at the pitch-black scene, they learned that no rescue unit was coming.
After taking several hits to his helicopter while attempting to help cover the four soldiers on the ground, Taylor found himself low on ammunition — and time.
“Lieutenant Taylor received a direct order: ‘Return to base.’ His response was just as direct: ‘I’m getting my men out,’” Biden said. “Lieutenant Taylor would perform the extraction himself, a maneuver never before accomplished in a Cobra.”
aylor landed the helicopter while still facing enemy fire and instructed the patrol team to grab a hold of the aircraft however they could.
“They turned around and jumped on the aircraft — a couple were sitting on the skids, one was sitting on the rocket pods, and I don’t know where the other one was but they beat on the side of the ship twice, which meant, ‘Haul ass,’ ”. “And we did.”
The pilot then found a safe, friendly area to land the Cobra and the four soldiers disembarked, their lives “undoubtedly” saved, Hughes said at the White House ceremony.
“We took them down there and I landed, and I left my wide landing lights on and so the four of them ran out in front of the helicopter and then they turned around and lined up, all four of them, saluted, and then ran for the lights,” Taylor said to reporters last week, per CNN.
“When duty called, Larry did everything — did everything to answer," Biden said at the ceremony. "And because of that, he rewrote the fate of four families for generations to come.”
“That’s valor,” he continued. “That’s our nation at its very best.”
During his time in the military, Taylor flew more than 2,000 missions and received more than 50 combat decorations, including the Silver Star, 43 Air Medals, a Bronze Star and two Distinguished Flying Crosses, according to an Army report.
On receiving the Medal of Honor, he said: “That’s the ultimate. You can’t get any better than that. I’m thankful that we were able to get the [Soldiers] out that night, and all four of them became lifelong friends.”
John David Dobbs Sr., age 85, of Powell, Tennessee passed away on Friday, October 20, 2023. He graduated from Fulton High School in 1957 and then proudly served his country in the US Navy. He attended the University of Tennessee. John D. was a teacher in the Knox County School System for 25 years before moving to the position of Supervisor of Adult Education for the remainder of his career with the school system.
He is preceded in death by his parents, John Leonard Dobbs and Dorothy Lou Dobbs; and brother, Charles "Buster" Dobbs.
John D. is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Carolyn Kelley Dobbs; sons, John David Dobbs, Jr. (Patti) and John Kelley Dobbs; grandchildren, Kayla Funderburk, Kelsea Cunningham, Josie Decker, Joshua Dobbs and Jansen Dobbs; great-grandchildren, Ava Funderburk and River Funderburk; and sister, Betty Floyd.
The family will receive friends on October 24, 2023 from 12:30 to 2:30 PM with a funeral service to follow in the chapel of Berry Highland Memorial, 5315 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. A graveside service with Military Honors will immediately follow in Berry Highland Memorial Cemetery at the Whispering Waters Pavilion.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to the Tennessee Breast Cancer Coalition at www.tbcc.org.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.berryhighlandmemorial.com for the Dobbs family.
John David Dobbs Sr.
August 11, 1938 – October 20, 2023
1998-99 TSTA President
Elcue Wilkins, Jr. was born February 19, 1940, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Elcue and Susie Wilkins. The second of seven children born into that union, he shared a close relationship with his brothers and sisters.
Elcue received Christ at an early age at Oak Grove Baptist Church. Later in life, he joined the Church of Christ Parkway Village, where he was a member for over 4o years.
In 1963, Elcue married Anne Lucille Thompson. They were blessed with four children who share his passion for cooking and gathering with loved ones.
After graduating from Booker T. Washington High School, he joined McLean Trucking Compa¬ny. He began a trucking career that spanned 25 years. After retiring from trucking, Elcue established
Wilkins Heating and Air Conditioning, which he oper¬ated for over ten years. Always looking for another opportunity, he began a short stint with FedEx Express before retiring.
Elcue was a member of the Amateur Trapshooting Association and Memphis Sport Shooting Association and spent much of his life fishing, hunting and trapshooting. He looked forward to going on road trips with his friends, traveling to various states, participating in his hobbies, and enjoying good food. He thoroughly enjoyed "frying up" his favorite catch and sharing it with his family and friends.
As his health declined and he became less mobile, family and friends volunteered to take him to doctor's visits, run errands or bring him food, and cared for him at home until his passing.
He will be fondly remembered by his children, Christopher Wilkins (Rhonda), Cynthia Wortham (Fred), Stephen Wilkins (Paula) and Elcue Wilkins III (Sheronda.)
Elcue was a great conversationalist and listener.
He will be remembered as an outgoing and happy man who enjoyed life.
Elcue Wilkins, Jr.
February 19, 1940 - December 27. 2023
Dr. David Lane Cunningham, 90 years old, passed away peacefully on February 16, 2024. Born February 15, 1934, to Fred Lane and Leone Burnett Cunningham in Pleasant Hill, TN, he graduated from Van Buren County High School in Spencer, TN in 1951. David completed his undergraduate degree at UT Knoxville and his PharmD (1955) and his MD in Neurosurgery (1961) at UT Health Science Center/Memphis.
David practiced neurosurgery with The Memphis Neurosurgical Group and retired from Semmes-Murphey Clinic. Always interested in the latest and most improved ways of caring for patients, David was instrumental in bringing the first Gamma Knife technology to Memphis and served as the medical director of the Memphis Regional Gamma Knife Center. In addition to spearheading new medical techniques, David was committed to practitioner training. He served as a professor at UT School of Medicine and worked tirelessly with other colleagues to provide continued education, training, and research opportunities for doctors through the MERI (Medical Education & Research Institute). As a respected leader in the medical community, Dr Cunningham served as President of the Methodist Hospital board from 1990-1991. He also served on the TN Board of Medical Examiners from 1993-2007, serving as their President from 2000-2007. David also served as a physician in the Air National Guard from 1961-1994 and retired with the rank of Colonel.
David loved to fly airplanes and to race cars as a member of the SCCA. He learned how to fly first in an Aeronca Chief and later flew a Piper Navajo and Beechcraft Baron. His car racing days included a Triumph TR6, Spitfire and a 1967 Camaro over a 12 year period and won several Southeast regional races. His family relished in joining him at races and sharing his passion for cars. David collected and rebuilt antique cars and would delight his grandchildren with drives in his 1938 Buick Special.
An outdoorsman, David excelled in trap shooting where he competed and won a few state championships at different levels. A member of the Memphis Sport Shooting Association (MSSA) for over 20 years, David valued his time at the gun club with his buddies. He also shared his trapshooting skills with his grandchildren and coached some of them for their school competitions.
What David loved most was spending time with his wife, Sara, and their family. David met his “sweetie pie” on a blind date and they married March 31, 1956. David/Dad/ Papa C will be greatly missed by his 4 children, Mark (Shannon), Bruce (Kelly), Dale (Gina), Sheri (Jim), his 15 grandchildren, their spouses and his 15 great-grandchildren. David is preceded in death by his wife, Sara and his sister, Martha Sue and survived by his much-loved brother, John (Anne Marie). His legacy of love for his family, caring and doing for others and always having time to listen or tell a story will always be remembered.
Dr. David Lane Cunningham
February 15, 1934 - February 15, 1934
Glenn Thomas Welch Sr.
December 19, 1927 — April 9, 2024
Thompson's Station
Glenn Thomas Welch, Sr. peacefully passed away on April 9, 2024 at 96 years old. He was born December 19th, 1927 to the late Ercy N. "Jack" Welch and the late Ruth Jean Welch. Survived by wife of 75 years, Georgia Hall Welch; brother, Jack Welch of Knoxville; children, Glenn Thomas Welch Jr., Cynthia Hall Welch, Susan Welch (Michael) Heeney and Sylvia Welch Evans (Barney); six grandchildren, Shea Patrick Heeney, Kevin Hall Heeney, Georgia Evans Van, Rachel Evans Ingols, Logan Ayn Berlinsky and Gaelan Alexandra Berlinsky; and five great-grandchildren. Glenn grew up in the Green Hills area of Nashville and graduated from Hillsboro High School. He enlisted in the Navy after high school and was based out of San Diego serving on a PT boat and a submarine as an engineer. Ath the end of WWII, Glenn returned to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt University. After meeting the lovely Georgia, he left the University to work for McKesson & Robbins as a pharmaceutical salesman for 15 years. After leaving McKesson, Glenn found his dream job with Merrill Lynch where he thrived as an account executive and eventually became a vice president. He reluctantly retired at the age of 70. After retirement, Glenn took up trap shooting winning many awards. He was a member of the Nashville Gun Club and the Okoboji Indians, a shooting group formed in 1898, his name was Chief Ticker Tape. Glenn, being a true extrovert, lived life full of energy and at a non-stop pace. He enjoyed his farm in Williamson County and loved having his family gather there. We knew where to find him every weekend and it was usually on his tractor. Visitation will be 10:00AM – 12:00 Noon Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home. The family asks in lieu of flowers, for donations to be made to the American Cancer Society. WILLIAMSON MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICES, 615-794-2289. www.williamsonmemorial.com
