W. Curtis Ezelle
(1921-1996)

Died aged c. 75

W. Curtis Ezelle was born in 1921 in Hardee County and spent two years at the University of Florida before entering the Army in 1941 following the attack on Pearl Harbor. In 1948, he was elected to the first of 12 terms (nearly 48 years) as Hardee County Tax Collector. His community service included membership in the Masonic Lodge and Kiwanis Club, which sponsored the Hardee High School Key Club, in which he took a special interest. He was active in the National Association of Counties and was president of state and national organizations for county tax collectors and financial advisors. W. Curtis Ezelle died in 1996.

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