MS-216, IVONETTE WRIGHT MILLER PAPERS Collection Number: MS-216 Title: Ivonette Wright Miller Papers Dates: 1803-2007 Creator: Miller, Ivonette Wright, 1896-1995 Summary/Abstract: Ivonette Wright Miller was a niece of Wilbur and Orville Wright, the daughter of the Wright Brothers older brother, Lorin Wright. The collection consists of materials about Orville and Wilbur Wright, the Wright Family, and early aviation collected by Ivonette. The collection includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, journal articles, photographs, photograph albums, and memorabilia. Many of the photographs are original prints of pioneer aviators, Wright Family members, and friends. Other papers pertain to the role of Mrs. Miller and her husband, Harold Miller, in representing the Wright Family at various official functions. Quantity/Physical Description: 24.7 linear feet Language(s): English Repository: Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435-0001, (937) 775-2092 Restrictions on Access: There are no restrictions on accessing material in this collection, however, please note due to preservation concerns, original audio and video materials cannot be played in the reading room. Patrons may have access to reference copies. Items without reference copies can be digitized at the request of a patron for the cost of creating a digital copy. Please provide us at least two weeks advance notice if you would like to request an audio or video reference copy. Call (937) 775-2092 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Use of digitized content is subject to conditions governing use. Restrictions on Use: Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder. Existence and Location of Copies: The 16mm films have been digitized. The films are available as mp4 and AVI files in the E-Archives (ms216_e0001) and as mp4 files at the reference desk. Patrons should use these files to view the footage in place of the original film, which is in cold storage. 1 MS-216: Ivonette Wright Miller Papers Portions of this collection, particularly the photograph album pertaining to the Wright School of Aviation (Box 8), have been digitized and are available online in CORE Scholar, Wright State University’s Campus Online Repository, at: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/special_ms216/. Preferred Citation: [Description of item, Date, Box #, File #], MS-216, Ivonette Wright Miller Papers, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio. Acquisition: The Ivonette Wright Miller Papers were accessioned into the Wright State University Special Collections and Archives on December 23, 1992. The papers were donated by Ivonette Wright Miller, a niece of Orville and Wilbur Wright. Accruals: Additions to the collection have been made by Marianne M. Hudec, Ivonette’s daughter. The most recent addition was received in 2011. Separated Material: Books received with the collection have been cataloged and placed in the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room. DVDs and VHS tapes received with the collection have been inventoried, added to the SC&A Film database, and stored with Audio Visual Material in SC&A Room 416. The original 16mm films are in cold storage for long term preservation. Revisions: The Finding Aid was revised using the EAD format in June 2011 and again in October 2012 with additions to the collection. Related Material: MS-1, Wright Brothers Collection Publication Note: “Wright Reminiscences,” compiled by Ivonette Wright Miller. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation; Fairborn, Ohio; Wright State University, 1978. Processed by: The collection was initially processed by Richie Thomas in 1992/1993 and reprocessed in 2002/2003 by John Armstrong in preparation for the Centennial of Flight Celebration. Additions were added to the collection in June 2011, October 2012, and December 2013 by John Armstrong. Arrangement: The Ivonette Wright Miller Papers are arranged in eight series and two subseries. Series I: Family Papers, 1803-2007 2 MS-216: Ivonette Wright Miller Papers Subseries IA: General Family Information, 1803-2007 Subseries IB: Correspondence, 1916-2003 Series II: Lester D. Gardner Correspondence, 1947-1955 Series III: Photographs, 1889-1993 Series IV: Special Events, 1928-2007 Series V: Memorabilia, 1890-1990 Series VI: Publications, 1916-1981 Series VII: Audio/Visual Material, 1932-1999 Series VIII: General Subject Files, 1902-2003 Biographical/Historical Note Ivonette Wright Miller was born on April 8, 1896 to Lorin and Ivonette Stokes Wright. Ivonette’s father, Lorin, was an older brother of Wilbur and Orville Wright. Ivonette attended Edison Elementary School and graduated from Steele High School in 1914. After graduating from high school she attended Oxford College where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree in 1918. She married Harold Miller, a 1914 graduate of Steele High School and World War I pilot, on June 25, 1919 at Hawthorn Hill, the home of Orville Wright. The couple had three children. Their son Jack was born in 1920, but later died in 1933 after a long illness. A daughter, Ivonette, was born in 1921 and died in 1923. Finally, a daughter, Marianne, was born in 1935. Miller was a soprano soloist in the choirs of Grace United Methodist and First Baptist churches in Dayton. She was a board member of the YWCA, the Dayton Women’s Club, and the Dayton Music Club. She was a member of the Montgomery County and Kettering-Moraine historical societies, the National Women’s Air and Space Museum, Aviation Trail, the President’s Club at Wright State University, and the Dayton First Baptist Church. In 1981 she received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Wright State. In 1988 she received a “Trailblazer” award from the Aviation Trail Association. For many years Ivonette was best known as the Wright family representative—particularly after the 1948 death of her uncle, Orville Wright. Whether christening a navy aircraft carrier or talking to a small local group, Ivonette was the person – until she was past 90 – who made Dayton’s world-famous family real people with her intimate recollections of her bachelor uncles “Wil” and “Orv.” She attended many ceremonies and dedications in honor of her uncles, appeared on network television shows, and gave more than 100 lectures on the Wright family. In 1978 Ivonette wrote about her experiences with her famous uncles in a book titled Wright Reminiscences. Her favorite story was when, at the age of 15, she flew in a Wright “B” Flyer with her “Uncle Orv” at Huffman Prairie in 1911. Afterwards, she reported that “The flight was very smooth, but windy. I felt very secure. I haven’t been the same since.” More importantly, she, and her husband Harold, an executor of Orville Wright’s estate, preserved an archive of more than 6,000 priceless Wright photographs, papers, and memorabilia, most of which were donated to Wright State University. Harold Miller died July 21, 1991, at the age of 95. Ivonette Wright Miller passed away on October 5, 1995 at the age of 99. 3 MS-216: Ivonette Wright Miller Papers Scope and Content The Ivonette Wright Miller Papers is a diverse collection of Wright Brothers material. The papers include family papers, photographs, and memorabilia originally owned by Orville and Wilbur Wright, Katharine Wright, and their father, Bishop Milton Wright. The papers also include hundreds of items collected by Harold and Ivonette Wright Miller in conjunction with dedications or anniversary celebrations commemorating events associated with the Wright Brothers. The papers are divided into eight series. Series I, Family Papers, contains an interesting cross-section of material. Subseries IA, General Family Information, contain items dating from the early 1800s, including Samuel S. Wright’s book manuscript entitled “Political Economy.” Perhaps most historically significant in this subseries are telegrams sent to and from Orville’s brother Lorin Wright in 1915 concerning discussions with Pliny Williamson in New York. Also significant is Ivonette’s handwritten draft of her book “Wright Reminiscences” and her memories of her uncles in “Uncle Will and Uncle Orv” that includes nine cassette tapes of interviews with Ivonette. Other significant items in this subseries include a copies of Wilbur’s and Orville’s “Last Will and Testament,” condolence letters and cards attached to flower baskets sent to the family on the death Orville, the City of Dayton “Resolution in the Death of Orville Wright,” the agreement to sell the Wright 1903 Flyer to the Smithsonian Institution, and the Smithsonian’s dedication ceremony for the Wright 1903 Flyer on December 17, 1948. Also included in this subseries is a section on Katharine Wright and Henry Haskell. Of particular interest in this section is Orville’s explanation of why he cut off contact with Katharine after she married Henry. Subseries IB, Correspondence, is divided into three major sections. The first contains the correspondence of Wright family members and close friends. A major portion of this correspondence concerns Orville Wright’s estate, as administered by Harold Miller and John Jameson. The second major section is correspondence concerning the appraisal of various Wright Brothers artifacts. The last section contains mostly correspondence between Ivonette and Charles H. Gibbs-Smith and Marvin W. McFarland concerning articles and books being written about the Wright Brothers. Series II, Lester D. Gardner Correspondence, contains information about Lester D. Gardner and his correspondence with Harold S. Miller pertaining to his Wright Replica idea. The bulk of the files contain correspondence pertaining to his program of giving a piece of the fabric from the Kitty Hawk “Wright Flyer” to prominent people in aeronautics throughout the world. Most of the correspondence is from recipients of the fabric. The correspondence is grouped alphabetically according to correspondent. Series III, Photographs, contains a wide range of significant photographs concerning the Wright Brothers.