You’d have to travel far and wide to find someone with more interesting life stories than Charles Miller, MD. Charlie retired from active medical practice in 1996, but he hasn’t slowed down a bit. He and his lovely wife, Florence, have been happily married since 1951. They divide their time between their homes in St. Louis and Palm Desert, California.

 

Charlie is known for his love of aviation, and he continues to fly today. Charlie’s first experience with flying was with the Army Air Corps during World War II. He flew throughout the South Pacific, from Brisbane to Tokyo. Toward the end of the war, Charlie’s orders sent him to Seoul, Korea, to bring back the Japanese governor general and his family and staff. Charlie wasn’t certain how this would happen since the governor general was still the enemy. Charlie and a squad of Marines were happy to learn that the governor general was anxious to go with them without any resistance, preferring to cast his lot with the Americans rather than the enemy Koreans. 

 

Prior to the war, Charlie attended engineering school at Iowa State. After the war, he completed his undergraduate work in pre-medicine with a major in psychology and minors in chemistry and physics. He applied to and was accepted at the Washington University School of Medicine. His best friend in college followed Charlie to medical school a year later. His friend’s wife taught at John Burroughs where Florence Noland, a transplanted New Yorker, taught math. You’ll have to ask Charlie if his friends were playing matchmaker, but they were responsible for Charlie and Flo meeting. 

 

Charlie’s residency was at the old St. Luke’s hospital in the city. His area of practice was internal medicine. In addition, he examined pilots for medical fitness for the FAA. Charlie was a member of the original staff at St. Joseph Hospital in Kirkwood, which opened in 1954. The facility had been a Maritime Service hospital before the US government sold it to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet for $1. Charlie was also a member of the staff at St. Luke’s. 

 

He has many stories to tell about his medical career, including signing off on one of the last cases—if not the last case—of polio in the St. Louis area. Charlie served on the Board of Trustees for St. Joseph Hospital for 20 years. He was the president of the medical staff and then president of the St. Louis County Medical Society where he was the author of the Past-65 program to improve medical care for senior citizens before the days of Medicare.

 

Charlie and Flo are the proud parents of Jeff, a Ph. D. researcher in electronics; Ted, an invasive cardiologist; Mike, a chemist; daughter Chris, a chemical engineer; and Mary, an architect. They have 12 grandchildren. Everyone is spread throughout the US. Charlie says that’s not all bad, because it gives him and Florence a chance to travel coast to coast to see them. He taught Florence and all five children to fly.

 

Through all the years of raising a family and maintaining a successful medical practice, Charlie never roamed far from flying. He served as a flying instrument examiner for a reserve troop carrier squadron at Scott AFB. He was discharged with a rank of major. 

 

He has been a flight instructor since WW II and has maintained his certification to this day. He gives flight instructions as a hobby. His favorite plane to fly is a Cessna 414, a light, twin-engine personal transport aircraft with a pressurized cabin that allows for high-altitude flights. 

 

Recently, Charlie received the Wright Brothers “Master Pilot” award from the FAA in recognition of more than 50 years of safe aeronautical experience. He has actually flown for 63 years.

 

Charlie has been with the Des Peres Rotary Club since 1990. He wasn’t a charter member but joined shortly after the club was formed. In the early years, he served as club secretary. When he is in Palm Desert, Charlie makes up at a couple of the local Rotary clubs. Whether in St. Louis or Palm Desert, Charlie knows he can always find friendly people at a Rotary Club meeting.

 

Last updated: November 2006