DON MILLER

Don was born in December 1924 on a Northern Minnesota homestead, which his father had been given for his military service in World War-I. However, he grew up with his life divided between southwest Minnesota farms and Minneapolis, where he graduated from high school.

From the time he was nine or ten, he knew he would be a pilot. During his early teens, he spent hours hanging around airports and both buying and bumming airplane rides.

At the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, he was days short of his 17th birthday and unable to get into a flight program. Mistakenly thinking he might later get into flight training, he signed up for a four-year hitch in the navy. At the beginning of the war, U.S. military power was very limited and a major function was shipping supplies to combat areas. On over fifty crossings of the Atlantic, he was assigned to the communications staff of a commodore who led convoys between east coast ports and Europe, Africa, and Russia. This provided an opportunity to be involved in some interesting incidents including the invasion of Italy at Salerno Bay.

After the war he took flight training, but more experienced pilots were leaving the military for civilian pilot jobs, so he took a job with Northwest Airlines as a station agent. More importantly, he married his wartime sweetheart, Wally Thomas. Although, the marriage did not last long, she presented him with a son, Randal, a Seattle financial advisor. In due time, Randal married Christy, a Seattle bank manager, and they later presented him with a granddaughter, Share, and a grandson, Joseph.

In 1947 the Postal Service wanted a mail route from the lower forty-eight states through Alaska and across the North Pacific to the orient. Although, Pan American Airways had "favored carrier" status, they determined that airline service on a North Pacific route was not feasible. However, Northwest Airlines thought otherwise and was awarded the route. At that time, transoceanic air to ground communication was only possible with radiotelegraphy using Morse code, and a commercial radio operator was required on such flights. Don held that license and worked as a radio operator on snail paced DC-4 flights between the U.S. and Tokyo.

Don continued his flight training, and the day after he got his commercial pilot license in Helena, Montana, he was offered a job as a crop duster. After a few weeks on the job, the Montana Aeronautics Commissioner, Frank Wiley, a crusty old legendary barnstormer, met him at the airport. After confirming Don had been spraying, he gruffly said that was illegal, and that pilots needed 200 hours of commercial flight time and completion of a training course for certification as Ag pilots. After watching Don squirm for a while, he announced that, in view of the fact Don hadn't killed himself yet, he would certify him as an Ag pilot.

In 1952, Don was hired as a pilot for Northwest Airlines. For the first 6,000 hours, he mostly flew DC-3's between Seattle/Portland and Billings, with stops at Yakima, Wenatchee for a short time, Spokane, Kalispell, Missoula, Great Falls, Helena, Butte, and Bozeman. Regulations were limited and lax. Usually, they would fly, without air traffic control, below, around, or on top of clouds. On sunny days, passengers enjoyed a close in circle around Mt. Hood or Mt. Rainier or a tour of Glacier National Park before proceeding to their destination.

During a thirty-three year career he flew eleven different types of aircraft --- finally ending up as an instructor and check pilot on the Boeing 747. There were trips across the U.S. and to Europe, but most were to destinations in the orient. During the Vietnam War, he flew military contract flights carrying troops into Vietnam. One year he flew contract flights across the South Pacific servicing facilities at Kwajalein Island and Enewetak atoll, the target for test ICBM's, missiles out of Vandenberg Air Base in California. As a sideline, he owned and operated a travel agency in Seattle for fifteen years during which he attended various business seminars.

In 1968 he married his lovely wife, ex-flight attendant, Barbara. They lived on Oahu for two years, and on Lake Sammamish for many years. After his retirement in 1985, they spent a few years at Crescent Bar, and now live at Fancher Heights. Barbara also presented him with a son, Garner, a Tacoma architect, who with his wife, Michaela, an Olympia high school teacher, presented them with grandsons, Maxwell and Luke.

Don's interests and activities have included:

• Congregation member of the First United Methodist & the Free Methodist Churches.
• Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
• Chairman of the Northwest Airline pilot union.
• Board Member of the Lake Sammamish Bible Camp.
• President of the Lake Sammamish Community Club.
• President of the Crescent Bar Condominium Owners Association.
• Manager of the Crescent Bar golf pro shop.
• President of the Fancher Heights Owners Association.
• Republican Precinct Committee Officer, Treasurer.
• Republican Committeeman for Douglas County.
• Life Member of the Republican National Committee.
• Currently, a member of the Douglas County Regional Planning Commission.

Commenting about Rotary, Don said, "I consider it a privilege and an honor to be a Rotarian. Although I was only granted my Blue Rotary Badge on December 2, 2004, in this limited time, I have learned how great Rotary is, and what outstanding people comprise the membership."

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