Archives West Finding Aid
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Earl Andrew Miller papers, 1942-1995
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Miller, Earl A. (Earl Andrew), 1925-2002
- Title
- Earl Andrew Miller papers
- Dates
- 1942-1995 (inclusive)19421995
- Quantity
- 2.75 linear feet, (1 box and 1 oversize folder)
- Collection Number
- ACCN 1570
- Summary
- The Earl Andrew Miller papers (1942-1995) contains material on Miller and his company, the Miller Ski Company of Orem, Utah. In the 1950s Miller developed an early release binding for Alpine skiing. A later patent for the ski brake revolutionized the sport of Alpine skiing. Most of the documents in the collection are photocopied newspaper articles. There are several brochures used as marketing tools for various ski products, several early photographs (photocopies) of Miller, and two booklets written by Miller promoting ski safety.
- Repository
-
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860
Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
- Languages
- English, Japanese, German, French
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Miller was born in Manti, Utah, in 1925, and grew up skiing on local slopes. In 1942, at seventeen, he won the Utah Four Way Championship (slalom, downhill, cross country, and jumping). During World War II, Miller became a Mustang fighter pilot with the United States Air Force, graduating first in flying skills and second in academics in a class of 400. After World War II he attended Washington State University, the University of California at Los Angeles, and graduated from Brigham Young University. Miller was a constant inventor and promoter, holding more than one hundred patents and trademarks. He studied extensively with Dr. William Dempsey of Boston General Hospital on developing the first tension¬ometer to test pressures on human bones. During the 1960 Winter Olympics, more than ten Olympic ski teams used his ski binding racing toe, and world-wide sales grew to more than 500,000 ski bindings during the next twenty years. In 1953, he was one of the twelve skiers who formed the Intermountain Ski Instructors' Association which later became known as the Professional Ski Instructors' Association.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Earl Andrew Miller papers (1942-1995) contains material on Miller and his company, the Miller Ski Company of Orem, Utah. In the 1950s Miller developed an early release binding for Alpine skiing. A later patent for the ski brake revolutionized the sport of Alpine skiing. Most of the documents in the collection are photocopied newspaper articles. There are several brochures used as marketing tools for various ski products, several early photographs (photocopies) of Miller, and two booklets written by Miller promoting ski safety.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.
Preferred Citation
Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
DocumentsReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | Professional Biographies
This folder contains two biographies on Miller's background and business achievements.
|
1966-1993 |
| 1 | 2 | Newspaper Business Portraits of Miller
This folder contains articles from various newspapers.
|
1966-1980 |
| 1 | 3 | Photographs and News Clippings
This material includes a news clipping announcing Miller's arrival to Mt. Hood, Washington, for the National Four Event Combined Ski Championship (ca. 1942), Miller in a World War II P-51 airplane (ca. 1944), and an aerial picture of Miller demonstrating his "all angle" Miller Binding (ca. 1961).
|
1942-1961 |
| 1 | 4 | Miller Ski Company Publications
The book, That Men Might Ski (1951), and the brochure Can Skiing Survive?" (1954) were written and published by the Miller Ski Company.
|
1951-1954 |
| 1 | 5 | Marketing Brochures Featuring Miller Bindings
This folder contains marketing brochures for Miller Bindings printed in Japanese, German, French, and English.
|
|
| 1 | 6 | "Miller Falling Contest" and Other Japanese News Coverage
The "Miller Falling Contest" was held throughout the skiing world by the Miller Ski Company to promote their bindings and other skiing equipment. These articles tell of the contest in Zao Yamagata, Japan, and are written in Japanese.
|
|
| 1 | 7 | Four Season Ski Report
Miller designed this Provo, Utah, ski area and hoped to develop it into an international ski resort. It was later purchased by Robert Redford, who renamed it "Sundance."
|
1976 |
| 1 | 8 | Patent Drawings of Miller's Safety Binding
This folder contains several drawings of Miller's Safety Binding patent #3,330,572.
|
1964 |
| 1 | 9 | The Miller Soft," Miller Ski Company Design
This folder contains a flyer and an article on "The Miller Soft."
|
1970 |
| 1 | 10 | Snowboards with Release Binding, Miller Ski Company Design
The documents include a drawing of a "flyswatter" bone fracture, prevalent among snowboarders; flyers on "Miller Snowboards with Release" and "Miller Release Binding Dynamics"; and newsletters from the Miller Ski Company promoting the safety features of their snowboard release bindings.
|
1993-1995 |
| 1 | 11 | Promotional Brochures and Ads for the Miller Ski Company
Miller gave presentations of his ski products, particularly his first release binding which took several years of promotion before it was accepted. The materials in this folder are the newspaper ads and brochures used to advertise these presentations.
|
|
| 1 | 12 | Skiing and Business Awards Presented to Miller
These awards include the "E" Award for Export Excellence from Alexander Trowbridge, Secretary of Commerce, (ca. 1966); the appointment as an official delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business (ca. 1980); and the induction into the Ski Hall of Fame in Ishpining, Michigan (ca. 1994).
|
1996-1994 |
| 1 | 13 | Utah Ski Archives Donation
Contributions of both documentary and financial kinds received by the Utah Ski Archives at the University of Utah Marriott Library.
|
1993 |
| 1 | 14 | Award Ceremonies, Fliers, and Photograph Reproductions |
|
| 1 | 15 | News Clippings |
1969-1990 |
| map-case-folder | |||
| 1 | Certificates |
1973-1980 | |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Skis and skiing--Equipment and supplies
- Skis and skiing--Safety measures
- Skis and skiing--Utah--History--Sources
Personal Names
- Miller, Earl A. (Earl Andrew), 1925-2002--Archives
Form or Genre Terms
- Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
- Pamphlets
Finding aid created by Jane Chesley
1996 (last modified: 2019)
