Remembering 'Dutch' Miller
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H.D. “Dutch” Miller was born in 1922 in
the small eastern Kentucky
town of Adeline. He attended school in Ashland, but left high
school without earning his degree, taking
a job in Mississippi.
He joined the Marine Corps in 1942.
Trained as a pilot,
he fought in the Pacific Theater, flying Corsair fighters
in the famed “Black Sheep Squadron” led by George
“Pappy” Boyington. In addition to his WWII service,
he served in the Marines again in 1952-54 and
1955-58. During his time in service he
earned a GED. He retired from the
Marines as a major in 1955.
In 1946, “Dutch” married Betty Ann Sheets
from Ashland.
They had three sons — Marc, Matt and Myke. He entered
the auto business as a salesman for Met Motors in
Ashland. He and his wife then moved to Huntington
where he became a salesman and then sales manager
for Rich Chevrolet at 610 4th Ave. He borrowed
enough money to buy 50% of the dealership and
renamed it Dutch Miller Chevrolet. By 1972,
he owned 100% of the business. Today, the
family-owned Dutch Miller Auto Group
has 14 dealerships, with 700 employees.
Active in the community, he was the
official announcer
for the Huntington Golden Gloves boxing matches for
more than 40 years and was a frequent announcer
for the Huntington Junior League’s Horse Shows.
A strong supporter of Marshall University,
he was a founding board member for
MU’s Society of Yeager Scholars.
In 1955, he was named to the
Greater Huntington
Wall of Fame.
“Dutch” Miller died March 8, 1995, and
Betty Ann Miller
passed on a short time later, on Aug. 10, 1995. They
had been married for almost 49 years.
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Note: This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on Dec. 12, 2023.
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