Thurman I. Miller Papers
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 4297
Papers of Thurman Irving “T.I.” Miller (1919-2017), a native of southern West Virginia who served in the Marine Corps from 1939-1945, worked as a master electrician in the coal mining industry, and authored multiple books about both those experiences later in life.
The collection includes research material, genealogical material, drafts of his books, and other material. Formats include correspondence, clippings, ephemera, photographs, research materials and interviews, handwritten and typed book drafts and newspaper pieces, maps, schematics, audiovisual files, and more.
Subjects include Miller’s participation in UMWA; his and others’ time serving overseas in World War II, especially in Miller’s unit, the K Company, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines; the Helen/Tams area of Raleigh County, WV; Coyne Electrical School which Miller attended; and more.
The collection also contains material pertaining to the following books, authored by TI Miller unless otherwise noted:
1. War and Work (2001)
2. Coal Bloom (2003)
3. Always Faithful, Always Free (2008)
4. Earned in Blood: My Journey From Old-Breed Marine to the Most Dangerous Job in America (2013) (This book included extracts from TI Miller’s first three books, comprising about a third of Earned. The rest was new material generated by Thurman and his son David and factual research created by David in association with St. Martins Press editors.)
5. Suicide Creek (2012) (TI Miller wrote the foreword only)
6. Miner: A Life Underground (with David T. Miller, 2015)
English
Requires signed form.
Rsearchers may access born digital materials by requesting to view the materials in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department at https://westvirginia.libanswers.com/wvrhc.
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
Thurman “T.I.” Miller (November 26, 1919 - November 11, 2017) was a native of Otsego, in Wyoming County, West Virginia. He lived for almost fifty years in the community of Helen, in Raleigh County.
He joined the Marine Corps in 1939 and was decorated for his service on Guadalcanal and in other South Pacific battles. In the final year of World War II he taught at the prestigious Officers’ Candidate Academy at Camp Lejeune. Although best remembered as a gunny sergeant, he left the Corps qualified as First Sergeant. In later years he served as President of the West Virginia Chapter of the storied First Marine Division.
After the war he began a four-decade career in the coal mining industry, becoming a master electrician and mechanic, and served as an officer in the United Mine Workers of America union. In the 1950s he attended Coyne Electrical School in Chicago.
After his retirement from mining in 1980 he stayed active, becoming a fine wood craftsman.
He was a frequent contributor of letters to the editor and opinion pieces to the Beckley newspaper and others, and found a third career late in life as a prize-winning author, beginning in 2001. He published five books: War and Work (2001); Coal Bloom (2003); Always Faithful, Always Free (2008); the Book of the Month Club selection Earned in Blood: My Journey From Old-Breed Marine to the Most Dangerous Job in America (2013); Suicide Creek (2012) (Miller wrote the foreword only); and Miner: A Life Underground (with son David T. Miller) (2015). He remained in contact with many of his Marine Corps friends and with every branch of his large extended family and included many of their memories in writing about his life and times. He was interviewed extensively by the World War II Museum in New Orleans and those recordings became part of the background for the HBO miniseries The Pacific.
Miller’s family included his wife Recie, sons Gilbert and David, and daughter Gloria. He is interred at Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens in Prosperity, alongside his wife.
[Taken from Miller’s obituary]
2.4 Linear Feet (2 ft. 5 in. (1 record carton, 15 in.); (2 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 flat storage box, 1 in.); (3 rolled oversize items, 3 in. each))
12.4 Gigabytes (5849 files, formats are primarily .jpg and .tif but also include .doc, .rtf, and .pdf among others)
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository