MS-345 John William Miller Papers

Access and Provenance

The John William Miller Papers were donated to Wright State University Special Collections and Archives by Bob Robke, on behalf of John’s widow, Kay Miller, after John’s death in 2005. The collection was accessioned on 1 Nov. 2006. Kay Miller donated some additional personal materials in January 2007. The collection is approximately 13 linear feet.
The collection includes educational background about John; personal information, such as memorabilia and personnel records; engineering and technical reference materials, such as manuals and guides, data sheets, and military specifications; technical reports and notes; project reports; product catalogs; photographs and posters. Most of the items are either about John Miller or were used by him in his career as an engineer and civil expert on the jet engine at Wright Patterson Air Force Base from 1941 to 1976.
The John William Miller Papers date between 1930 and 2005. However, the vast majority of materials date to the 1950s and 1960s. This collection documents the testing and development of aircraft engines, helicopter transmissions, and other subsystem components, through the life and career of expert John William Miller.

There are no restrictions on the use of the John William Miller Papers.

Series Listing

Brief Biographical Sketch

John William Miller was born October 16, 1916, in Cabool, Missouri, to Fred M. and Florence (Wicker) Miller. When John was eight years old, his family moved to Norton, Kansas. John attended Almena High School for two years and then Norton Community High School. He was a member of Glee club, Hi-Y, and Future Farmers of America. John graduated from Norton Community High School, where he was a social science major, on May 17, 1934.

After high school, John attended Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, in Manhattan, Kansas. He graduated on July 28, 1939, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. John later completed additional courses and training at Ohio State University; University of Kentucky (Engineering Defense Training Program); University of Dayton; and Wright State University.

In 1941, John came to Dayton, Ohio, to work at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, in the Power Plant Laboratory. John worked at WPAFB for 35 years, retiring in 1976 as the Chief Subsystems Engineer (Propulsion and Power Division), collocated in the AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) project. During his time at WPAFB, he worked as a test engineer, aeronautical engineer, and aerospace engineer, testing small aircraft engines, turboprop and turboshaft turbine engines, and helicopter transmission systems. He also served as a supervisor, project team leader, Section Chief, and later Chief Subsystems Engineer. He contributed to the publication of several Army Air Corps Technical Reports, Memorandum Reports, and Technical Notes. John was also a registered Professional Engineer.

John led a full life outside of the workplace as well. He married Katherine Jones, whom he met while working at WPAFB. Katherine had been a member of the stenography pool assigned to his engineering group. John and Katherine had two children, a son Gary (deceased) and a daughter Barbara. John was a member of South Park United Methodist Church in Dayton; the Toastmasters International Club #405 (a member from 1951 and former president); and the William E. Ash Aphasia Support Group at Miami Valley Hospital. He often attended the Aviation Club at the Hithergreen Senior Citizens Center, and was at one time an active member of the Boys Scouts of America Troop Committee #153.

Scope and Content

The John William Miller Papers contains personal information about John William Miller, as well as a wealth of technical reference material that would be useful to a researcher interested in the testing and development of aircraft engines, helicopter transmissions, and other aeronautical subsystems during the 1940s through 1970s.

Series I: Education
Includes documents related to the formal education of John William Miller. It includes items from his K-12 education in Kansas, including several items related to his graduation from Norton Community High School in 1934. It includes documents pertaining to his undergraduate education at Kansas State College (now Kansas State University), as well as additional coursework, particularly at the University of Kentucky’s Engineering Defense Training Program in 1941. It includes records of training and professional development undertaken through Wright Patterson Air Force Base, also. 1 box.

Series II: Personal
Includes many different documents of a more personal nature, such as: driver’s license, ration stamps, news clippings, and certificates. This series includes multiple folders of personnel documents related to John’s career at WPAFB, such as Efficiency Ratings, Notifications of Personnel Actions, resumes, and retirement. John’s eight-page resume may be of particular interest to the researcher; it is dated 1974 and covers his entire career in great detail. One folder relates to John’s involvement with Toastmasters and includes several of his speeches. There is also a folder containing documents related to John’s death in 2005, including an obituary. 1 box.

Series III: Reference
This is the largest series in the collection and contains material that would have been used for technical reference. It includes: scholarly articles (written by others); conference materials; course materials and lecture notes; textbook excerpts; product manuals; design manuals and guides; reference manuals and guides; data sheets; model specification sheets (engines, airplanes); military specifications and military standards; environmental data; subject files; and pocket reference guides. The subject matter of the reference materials ranges from general mechanical engineering manuals; to general information about aircraft engines, helicopter transmissions, and other subsystem components; to product-specific or model-specific guides. 7 boxes.

Series IV: Reports
Contains Technical Reports, Technical Notes, test reports and project reports. One folder pertaining to the AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) project may be of particular interest to the researcher. This series contains two oversized items, located in box 13, and indicated in the finding aid by “OS 13”. 3 boxes.

Series V: Catalogs
Includes sales catalogs and other promotional materials from subsystem component manufacturers. The series includes catalogs for the following companies: Lycoming, Continental, Heli-Coil, Tedeco, and Cone-Drive. 1 box.

Series VI: Photographs
Contains both personal and work-related photographs. The personal photographs include mainly photographs of John as a young man; a few school group photos; John and his wife Kay; reunions; and travel. The work-related photographs include photos of airplanes and helicopters; control panels; system components; tests; and awards ceremonies. The folder of AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) photographs may be of particular interest to researchers. This series contains two oversized items, located in box 13, and indicated in the finding aid by “OS 13”. 2 boxes.

Series VII: Posters
Includes a few oversized posters of airplanes and system diagrams. All items in this series are oversized and located in map case drawer 73, indicated in the finding aid by “OS 73”.

Container List