About

Tampa Chapter

The Tampa Chapter of the National Association of Buffalo Soldiers & Troopers Motorcycle Club began in Florida in the 1990s, when a small group of riders set out to build a recognized presence in the local motorcycle community.

The chapter took shape as Buffalo Soldiers motorcycle clubs were forming in other states. Its members then took part in the work that turned those separate clubs into today's NABSTMC.

The chapter's mission remains to ride, educate, and serve: preserving Buffalo Soldiers history, encouraging safe motorcycling, and supporting the Tampa Bay community.

NABSTMC Tampa Chapter

How the chapter developed

These milestones follow the Tampa Chapter's own historical record, with national dates added only where other NABSTMC chapter histories agree.

  1. 1993

    Kenneth “Dream Maker” Thomas founds the Buffalo Soldiers motorcycle club in Chicago. Published chapter histories date the founding to October 1993. Chicago is recognized as the mother chapter.

  2. 1996

    Carl Laury, Mack Burton, and Vince Bland, riders from St. Petersburg and Bradenton, begin talking about a more organized Florida club.

  3. January 1997

    The Florida Chapter is established. Eugene Wright joins the following month and is not part of the January founding group.

  4. 1997–1998

    The chapter becomes known for long-distance riding across the Southeast and begins to develop its events, fundraising, and organization.

  5. 1999

    Leaders from the growing network of Buffalo Soldiers motorcycle clubs meet during the National Bikers Round Up and form the national association that became NABSTMC.

  6. Early 2000s

    Carl “Road Dog” Laury, identified in other chapter histories as president of the Florida Mother Chapter, remains a contact for riders working to start chapters elsewhere.

  7. Today

    The Tampa Chapter continues this legacy through riding, education, community service, charitable work, and fellowship.

Origins in 1996

Three friends who rode together in St. Petersburg and Bradenton wanted their riding to be more organized, and they wanted a club that could be recognized in the local motorcycle community. Forming a club was discussed. At first, nothing was decided.

During the summer of 1996, Carl Laury took an extended motorcycle trip. In Denver he reunited with friends associated with Chicago's Buffalo Soldiers motorcycle club. He continued to Sturgis, South Dakota, and also visited Chicago. Chapter records say he was impressed by the openness and presence of the Chicago organization.

After he returned to Florida, he began working with Mack Burton and Vince Bland to establish a Florida chapter.

The Florida Chapter, January 1997

The chapter historical record identifies these founding and early members:

  • Carl Laury
  • Mack Burton
  • Vince Bland
  • Clarence Sanders
  • Marva Carley
  • Claude Carley

Eugene Wright joined in February 1997.

Building the chapter

Long-distance riding

The chapter became known for hard riding and long trips throughout the southeastern United States. The schedule was demanding, and chapter records note that some prospective members found it difficult to keep up.

Event recognition

Chapter records say the club earned recognition such as “Most Members” and “Longest Distance Club” at motorcycle events it attended. Those awards are part of the chapter's historical record.

Organization

Later riders included Walt Massie and Jake Collins. Chapter records also identify Tom Macon as an important figure in the chapter's organizational development. His military background brought organizational skill, professionalism, and energy, and the chapter gained experience with annual events, fundraising, and how the club was run.

Building a national organization

The Florida Chapter did not develop on its own. After the Chicago club, other riders formed chapters in Maryland and then in states including Florida, Delaware, Virginia, and New Jersey. Published histories place Florida among the earliest of those chapters.

Chapter records describe an early 1999 meeting in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, between the Florida and Maryland chapters. That account says the meeting helped plan a Round-Up gathering for the growing Buffalo Soldiers motorcycle organizations.

Other NABSTMC chapter histories place the 1999 organizing meeting at the National Bikers Round Up in Greenville, South Carolina. There, Kenneth “Dream Maker” Thomas and the presidents of other early chapters, including Carl “Road Dog” Laury, approved a national association. Thomas became its first national president. Those accounts do not all use the same name for the 1999 organization. It developed into today's National Association of Buffalo Soldiers & Troopers Motorcycle Club.

Chapter records say the Florida Chapter later hosted a Buffalo Soldiers motorcycle-club hospitality tent at the National Bikers Round Up. The Chicago Mother Chapter describes the national idea as “One Club, One Patch.” Chapter records say Florida's part in that effort helped shape national bylaws.

The historical Buffalo Soldiers — the 9th and 10th Cavalry — are a separate story from this chapter history. Read the Buffalo Soldiers Legacy.

Florida's recorded contributions

Chapter records credit the Florida Chapter with a significant role in the national organization. The items below are presented as that chapter historical record. They are not each confirmed by an independent source.

  • Hosting the first National Buffalo Soldiers motorcycle-club meeting
  • Introducing the club's uniform hat with cavalry braid as a Buffalo Soldiers motorcycle-club symbol
  • Having members who held the offices of the first National Vice President, the first National Sergeant-at-Arms, and the second National President
  • Helping create the protocol for establishing new chapters
  • Introducing the National Rocker
  • Being the only chapter to hold two National Rockers at the same time, reportedly for five years

The legacy today

Today, the Tampa Chapter continues this legacy through riding, education, community service, charitable work, and fellowship. That work includes Buffalo Soldiers history, safe motorcycling, and chapter scholarships.

Meet Our Members Contact the Chapter

About this history

This history draws from Tampa Chapter records and published histories from the National Association of Buffalo Soldiers & Troopers Motorcycle Club community. Where those sources disagree, the page uses the more limited wording.