Lt. Col. Henry Tift Myers was born in the Myon Hotel in Tifton on September 16, 1907. He graduated from Culver Military Academy in 1925 and the University of Georgia in 1929. He joined the Army Air Corps, graduating at the top of his class in 1932. American Airlines hired him as a co-pilot in 1933, where he set records for speed and distance and soon made Captain. After Pearl Harbor, he returned to the Air Corps, serving as pilot for Gen. Harold George. When it became clear that Pres. Roosevelt needed his own plane, The Sacred Cow, Myers became the first presidential pilot. He flew Roosevelt to the Yalta Conference in 1945 and flew Mrs. Roosevelt around the globe to visit troops. He helped design Pres. Truman’s plane, The Independence, and flew Truman and his family around the world. In 1945, he took Truman to the Potsdam Conference and brought Gen. Eisenhower home from Europe for the VE celebration. After flying hundreds of world leaders and dignitaries, Myers returned to American Airlines in 1948 as Captain, logging more than 35,000 flying hours in his 35-year career. He died on December 8, 1968, in Fort Worth, Texas, and rests at Oakridge Cemetery in Tifton. In 2007, he was inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame.