Page County IA Archives Obituaries.....Miller, Alton Glenn 1944
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Nettie Mae Lucas http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00015.html#0003602 July 17, 2005, 12:39 pm

Unknown Newspaper
Alton Glenn Miller
"Big Band Era Musician"
March 1, 1904 - December 15, 1944

 Alton Glenn Miller was born March 1, 1904 in Clarinda, Iowa to L. E. and Mattie
Lou Miller. By the Spring of 1906, the family had moved to North Platte. They
made their home in North Platte for about a year. At that time, land was
available for homesteading under the Kinkaid Act, so L. E. took the family to
McPherson County, (just north of Lincoln County) and homesteaded two
half-sections of land southwest of Tryon. The family lived in a sod house at the
farm near Tryon. In 1912, the Millers left the soddie and returned to North
Platte, where Mr. Miller had built a new house. 
The Miller boys attended Washington Elementary (often referred to at the time as
the 'West End' school). In 1916, the family moved on, this time to Grant City,
Missouri, where he went to grade school, worked for the town bandsman John
Mosbarger, was given his first trombone and then played in the town band. In
1918, Glenn's family, including an infant daughter, Irene, moved to Ft. Morgan,
Colorado where Glenn graduated from high school. During his senior year, Glenn
decided to try the game of football, and by the end of the season, he was chosen
by the Colorado High School Sports Association as "the best left end in Colorado." 
In 1928, after working in Los Angeles and Chicago, Glenn moved on to New York
City where he worked with bands of Ben Pollack, Red Nichols and Paul Ash. In
1932, Glenn organized the Smith Ballew Band, and worked two years as manager,
arranger and trombonist. In 1934, he helped the Dorsey brothers to organize
their first full-time Big Band and in 1935, he organized Ray Noble's American band.

In 1937, Glenn decided to fulfill his dream and organize his own band. This
first band soon ran into financial difficulties and had to disband, but Glenn
tried again in 1938. 
In 1942, at the peak of his civilian career, Glenn decided to serve those in
uniform. Too old to be drafted at age 38, Glenn first volunteered for the Navy
but was told that they didn't need his services. He then pursuaded the Army to
accept him, and he soon became part of the Army Specialists Corps with the rank
of captain. For the next year and a half, besides arranging music, Glenn created
and directed his own 50-member band. In 1944, the Glenn Miller Army Air Force
Band went to England, where they became known as the American Band of the allied
Expeditionary Forces. In the first month they played at 35 different bases,
while performing 40 radio broadcasts in their spare time. 
Glenn Miller disappeared on December 15, 1944. His plane disappeared on a flight
over the English Channel, and no trace was ever found. 


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