DACS

urn:taro:smu.00011 Jack Miller papers A Guide to the Collection Finding aid prepared by Parker Hevron, 2005 DeGolyer Library

P. O. Box 750396 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275-0396

Finding aid encoded by Lara Corazalla 2006 Finding aid written inEnglish. Description based on DACS Overview DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University Miller, Jack, 1920-1942 Jack Miller papers 1920-2008 4 boxes (3 linear feet) The collection illustrates the life and times of Lt. Jack Miller, a United States Marine from Dallas, Texas, who served in the Pacific theater during World War II. Records cover the years between 1920 and 2004, with the bulk of materials from 1920 to 1945. The collection provides insight into conditions and operations during military action on the island of Guadalcanal. Content related to Jack Miller's military service accounts for two-thirds of the collection and includes photographs, letters, newspaper clippings, transcripts, audio recordings and video recordings. Additionally, there is information about the U.S.S. Jack Miller (DE-410), a United States Navy Destroyer Escort that was launched in early 1944 in honor of Miller. The remainder of the collection is divided between material on the Miller family's unsuccessful quest to locate Miller's remains over more than sixty years and material on the World War II Memorial Plaza at Southern Methodist University. A2004.0001 Material is in English Biographical Note

Jack Miller was the second son of Henry S. Miller, Sr. and his wife, Carmen Miller. The Millers first gained prominence in Dallas, Texas from the real estate and commerce dealings of Sam Miller around the start of the twentieth century. Sam Miller’s son, Henry S. Miller, Sr., went on to become a key player in the Dallas real estate industry as well. Upon Henry S. Miller, Sr.'s death, his eldest son, Henry S. Miller, Jr., Jack Miller's brother, assumed control of the family business. The business remains active in the Dallas real estate market and has since expanded nationally.

Jack Miller graduated with a B.A. in Commerce from Southern Methodist University in 1938. Afterwards, he joined the United States Marine Corps and completed officer training at Quantico, Virginia. He voluntarily joined the 2nd Marine Battalion, known as Carlson’s Raiders, named after its commanding officer, Colonel Evans Carlson. Lt. Miller served as a Raider for 18 months before being killed in action on the island of Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands, on December 4, 1942. Because his death came in a forward area, Miller was buried on the side of a trail. He posthumously received a Presidential unit citation. For his heroism, he was also awarded the Navy Cross, the highest honor the Navy can bestow.

After his death, the Miller family, including his brother, Henry S. Miller, Jr., and his sister, Dr. Carmen Miller Michael, began the process of locating Jack Miller’s remains. As of 2005, their search has been unsuccessful.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The collection illustrates the life and times of a United States Marine who saw serious action in the Pacific theater of World War II. It provides insight into conditions and operations during military action on the island of Guadalcanal.

Content related to Jack Miller’s military service accounts for two-thirds of the collection and includes photographs, letters, newspaper clippings, transcripts, VHS tapes, eight millimeter film, 78 rpm records, a wax record and an audio cassette tape. The collection also contains material covering Miller’s early childhood, including photographs and school assignments.

Additionally, there is information regarding the U.S.S. Jack Miller, a United States Navy Destroyer Escort that was launched in early 1944 in honor of Miller.

The papers also include material on the Miller family’s quest to locate Miller’s remains. The search has continued for over sixty years and as of 2005, has been unsuccessful. The collection also contains information about the World War II Memorial Plaza, which is located east of the Laura Bush Promenade in front of Fondren Library at Southern Methodist University. It was dedicated by the Miller family in 1999 and serves as the University’s tribute to its students who lost their lives in the war.

Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is organized into five series:

Series I: Jack Miller’s personal and military life, 1920-1999 Series II: The U.S.S. Miller (DE-410) and the search for Jack Miller’s remains, 1944-2004 Series III: The World War II Memorial Plaza at SMU, 1942-1999 Series IV: Audio and Video, 1942-1992 Series V: Memorabilia, 1934-1999 Access to Collection:

Collection is open for research use.

Publication Rights:

Permission to publish materials must be obtained from the Director of the DeGolyer Library.

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain copyright authorization.

Related Materials

For additional material pertaining to the Miller family, see the Henry S. and Juanita Miller papers.

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following terms in the Southern Methodist University Libraries' online catalog. Researchers desiring related materials may search the catalog using these terms.

Miller, Jack, 1920-1942. Miller family. Jack Miller (Destroyer escort) United States. Marine Corps. Marine Raider Battalion, 2nd. World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American. Marines--United States. World War II Memorial Plaza (Southern Methodist University). Miller, Henry S., 1890-1968. Miller, Carmen Jablow, 1892-1990. Michael, Carmen Miller. Preferred Citation

Jack Miller papers, DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University

Acquisition Information

Gift, Carmen Miller Michael, 2004.

Processing Information

The Jack Miller papers were received in manila folders and envelopes, loosely categorized by topic. During their processing, the collection was divided into separate files. Folded documents were flattened, and the papers were arranged chronologically by topic, placed in acid-free folders, and stored in acid-free boxes.

Processed by

Parker Hevron, 2005

Encoded by

Lara Corazalla, 2006

Detailed Description of the Collection Series I: Jack Miller’s personal and military life, 1920-1999 1 Box

This series contains letters, photographs, school assignments, military records, and correspondence illustrating the life of Jack Miller. The items range from a school assignment completed in crayon in the 1920s to the Army telegram informing the Millers of their son’s death on Guadalcanal Island in December 1942. The papers are arranged into folders by type and then placed in chronological order.

11School assignments and drawings, circa 1925-1935 12Memberships and citations, 1934-1941 13United States Marine Corps graduation, 1936-1942 14Photos of Jack Miller (Marine Corps) and Photos of Miller’s fellow Marine officers, undated 15Photos and negatives of Jack Miller, 1920-1940 16Photos (duplicates) of fellow Marine officers, i.e. LeFrancois, Plumley, Lamb and various others, 1942 17Photos of Jack Miller in uniform (forward area, Guadalcanal), undated 18Letters home, July 1940-November 1942 19Copies of letters to Jack Miller from his family, 1941-1942 110Copy of Army telegram notifying the Millers of Jack Miller’s death, 1942 111Letters of Condolence regarding Jack Miller’s death 112Newspaper clippings regarding Jack Miller’s service and death, 1940-1944, 1972 113Military citation material, 1942-1949 114Memorial service brochures and letters, 1942-1999 115Letters to and from Henry S. Miller, Jr. 116Transcript of Wrigley’s The First Line broadcast on CBS radio, Jan. 11, 1945 Series II: The U.S.S. Miller (DE-410) and the search for Jack Miller’s remains, 1944-2004 1.5 Boxes

This series contains material related to the launch of the U.S.S. Miller (DE-410) in 1944. The U.S.S. Miller was a U.S. Navy Destroyer Escort named after Jack Miller. Additionally, this series chronicles the search for Miller’s remains on Guadalcanal, which was intense for the first ten years after Miller’s death, started to wane for the next thirty, and then intensified again after being led by Miller’s sister, Carmen Miller Michael. Moreover, the series contains information regarding the lives of several of Miller’s acquaintances from Carlson’s Raiders, and the relationships they formed with Carmen Miller Michael. The papers are arranged into folders by subject.

117Correspondence regarding the U.S.S. Miller and its launch 118Clippings and photos regarding the U.S.S. Miller 119Internet printouts regarding Jack Miller, Col. Carlson and the U.S.S. Miller 120Correspondence between H.S.M, Sr. and Philip M. Morgan, May 1946-May 1947 121Correspondence with Bill Fisher regarding Vouza trip to Guadalcanal, 1992-1993 122Correspondence between Lt. Col. Joseph Mueller and Carmen Miller Michael regarding Jack Miller’s gravesite, 1981-1987 123Maps of Guadalcanal, undated 124Correspondence regarding Jack Miller’s gravesite, 1942-1945 125Correspondence regarding Jack Miller’s gravesite, 1945-1989 126Military personnel records received by family, 1989 127Military personnel records received by family, 2008 21Pamphlets and brochures from the United States Marine Corps, undated 22Copies of correspondence between Carmen Miller Michael and Rep. Steve Bartlett (R-TX) regarding Jack Miller’s gravesite, 1988-1989 23Correspondence between Carmen Miller Michael and Jim Gardner regarding the poem, Ambush! 1998 24United States Marine Raider Association, 1981-1998 25Correspondence between Carmen Miller Michael and A.V.K. Gary (USMC, ret.), 1988-1998 26Victor Maghakian and the film, Gung Ho, 1942-1996 27Clippings and brochures regarding present-day Guadalcanal, 1982-2004 Series III: The World War II Memorial Plaza at SMU, 1942-1999 1 Box

This series consists primarily of correspondence and documents related to the World War II Memorial Plaza at Southern Methodist University. The Memorial Plaza is located on the north side of Fondren Library, directly adjacent to the Laura Bush Promenade. Dr. Carmen Miller Michael and her brother, Henry S. Miller, Jr., funded the memorial's construction. The memorial is intended to honor the SMU graduates who died in World War II. It was dedicated Monday, March 22, 1999. Present at the dedication were the extended Miller family, Representative Sam Johnson (R-TX), and various SMU and Dallas dignitaries. The documents are arranged into folders by subject and then placed in chronological order.

28Letter from Umphrey Lee (former SMU President, deceased) regarding Jack Miller’s death, 1942 29Miller family correspondence regarding the Memorial Plaza, 1998-1999 210Miller family correspondence regarding the Memorial Plaza, 1999 211SMU media coverage of the World War II Memorial Plaza Dedication, 1999 212Other media coverage of the World War II Memorial Plaza Dedication, 1999 Series IV: Audio and Video, 1942-1992 1 Box

This series contains VHS tapes created by Bill Carmody (U.S.M.C. ret.) and Joe Bibby (U.S.M.C, deceased). The tapes feature Carmody and Bibby recounting their war experiences as Carlson’s Raiders. Guadalcanal is prominently featured, as is the Makin Island Raid. Jack Miller is mentioned several times, though his story was not the basis for the tapes, nor is it featured more prominently than anything else. Additionally, some eight millimeter movie footage of Jack Miller is included that is not related to Carmody or Bibby. A wax record given to Jack Miller as a gift from an acquaintance in California is also included, along with an audio tape copy of the record’s contents. This series also contains three 78 rpm records of the CBS radio broadcast, The First Line, from January 11, 1945, in which Jack Miller is mentioned as part of the story of the Second Marine Raider Batallion. The items in this series are arranged by type.

31VHS – Joe Bibby, The War Years 32VHS – Joe Bibby, The War Years 33VHS – Task Force Guadalcanal, 50th Anniversary, 1992 34VHS – Bill Carmody reads As I Saw It 35VHS – Bill Carmody reads Day By Day on Okinawa 368 mm – Jacque A. Williams, footage of Jack Miller 378 mm – Jacque A. Williams, footage of Jack Miller 38Wax record – gift to Jack Miller from California friend, 1942 39Audio tape, copy of above wax record 41Sound recording of The First Line CBS radio broadcast Jan. 11, 1945 [Six parts on three 78 rpm records] Series V: Memorabilia, 1934-1999 1 Box

This series contains various memorabilia related to the life of Jack Miller. It includes Jack Miller’s bank ledgers, wallet, Boy Scout card, SMU Athletic “Letter” and pendant, and business cards. In addition, there are two honorary plaques, two books related to Jack Miller’s military service, a small flag for Jack Miller’s mother, the American flag that flew over the United States Capitol building in honor of Jack Miller in 1999, a pen inscribed with Jack Miller’s name, and a wooden box from the launching of the U.S.S. Miller, with the shattered champagne bottle wrapped in ribbon inside. The historical envelopes from this collection are also included. The items in this series are arranged by type.

42Foldable plaque, Jack Miller Room dedication ceremony, location and date unknown 43Book – Guadalcanal 1942 by Joseph Mueller 44Book – The Marine Raiders by Edwin P. Hoyt 45Small flag, for Jack Miller’s mother, undated 46American flag, flew over the United States Capitol building on February 22, 1999 in honor of Jack Miller 47SMU Athletic Letter and pendant, owned by Jack Miller 48Historical envelopes 49Plaque, hung in the anteroom of the U.S.S. Miller (DE-410) 410Pen, inscribed Jack Miller 411Jack Miller’s bank ledger, Republic National Bank of Texas, 1940-1941 412Jack Miller’s bank ledger, First National Bank, Quantico, VA, 1941 413Jack Miller’s Boy Scout card, Circle 10 Council, 1934 414Jack Miller’s wallet 415Jack Miller’s business cards 416Wooden box from the launching of the U.S.S. Miller, with shattered champagne bottle wrapped in ribbon inside