Wright Brothers replica builder to work with Montana Indians

As a carpenter, Mark Miller had built things before. Like, oh, you know, a replica of the Wright Brothers' first plane, one that could fly.

But this was something different.

Much simpler. But maybe much more important.

The custom display case he made last summer for the 70 students at the Blackfeet Reservation DeLasalle School in Browning, Montana, was more than a wood-and-glass box to house artwork, projects and awards.

It's purpose was to help these fourth- through eighth-grade students garner recognition, build confidence and boost self-esteem.

It came straight from the heart of Miller and his wife, Mary, who traveled more than a dozen times from their Glen Ellyn home to the school near Glacier National Park to do missionary work.

The Millers plan to move to Montana next year to make their work with poor Native Americans a full-time mission. Mark announced late last year he was closing his Glen Ellyn wood shop, where he makes high-end custom furniture and built-ins.

"I've been pretty well blessed," said Mark, 55. "It's a life I want to live. I'm ready to go. I've been self-employed here for 24 years. It's been a lot of work. We've raised our kids, they're all doing well. It's just something I feel almost called to do - as well for Mary, too."

They're more than welcome, says Michael Hairsine, director of technology at the Blackfeet School.

"Their passion and enthusiasm are so strong," he said. "They're really here with a mission. They're not just here on a vacation. They're here with a purpose."

Patrick Miller, one of the couple's four grown children, adds: "We're a family of dreamers, for sure."

'The Airplane Guy'

Thirteen years ago, Miller was part of a different team with a different dream: the Wright Redux project. Its mission was to build and fly a replica of the 1903 Wright Brothers flyer by Dec. 17, 2003, the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight.

Miller and his friend, Tom Norton, built and captained the improbable and inspiring project, despite having no aviation experience.

The idea was hatched when Norton worked with one of his sons to assemble a Wright 1901 glider. He caught the bug to build something bigger. After a few weeks of lobbying, he persuaded Miller - the carpenter - to take on the project. It grew from there, capturing the imagination of people near and far.

The Wright Redux project tapped into Glen Ellyn's community spirit in a David vs. Goliath race against other well-heeled groups such as the 180,000-member Experimental Aircraft Association. This was well before "crowdsourcing" and social media campaigns, so word of the two-man effort spread mostly through word-of-mouth. The Daily Herald wrote stories about the effort, too.

Miller said people would drop by his wood shop - unsolicited - on the 300 block of Duane Street to donate $10 or $15, slipping cash through the mail slot. One person even donated 8,000 yen.

A Naperville engineering firm built and donated a $180,000 replica of the 150-pound aluminum engine used by the Wright Brothers to power the propeller.

While the national flight group was testing its aircraft in a wind tunnel at Langley Air Force Base, the Wright Redux crew used a pickup truck to pull their replica atop a hay trailer.

Miller was dubbed "The Airplane Guy," a distinction that follows him today.

"The airplane, particularly that one, was so far outside the realm of what I thought I could do. We did it. It really was a special group," he recalled. "When I'm out selling new work, it's the final thing in the portfolio. Everybody always wants to hear the story."

So, on Oct. 20, 2003, "The Spirit of Glen Ellyn," with Ken Kirincic at the controls, took off from Clow International Airport in Bolingbrook. Miller and his crew didn't keep the exact time, but the plane flew an estimated 120 feet.

"We just stood there and hugged and cheered and jumped up and down," Norton recalled. "It was amazing."

'Called' to the West

The Miller family has a deep history of volunteering and helping others, traveling on missions since 1992.

Mary Miller is a social worker who has served as director of youth ministries at St. Petronille Church in Glen Ellyn since 1996. She and Mark have taken their children and students on missionary trips to the Appalachian Mountains, post-Katrina Louisiana and other such places.

But it was the DeLasalle School and reservation that found a place in their hearts and minds. They're ready to do whatever is needed, but Mary hopes to teach, and Mark wants to fix up the reservation's wood shop.

"Mary and I are hoping to be a part of something much larger than ourselves," Mark said. "There are a lot of good people working really hard to support a good school. We have learned from all of these mission trips to not be so arrogant as to think we are 'saving' anyone. But we are looking to live our lives in simple service.

Mary has taught "immersion" classes for visiting students; some of Mark's contributions include building a two-room addition to the school, painting and hanging drywall.

And, of course, the display case.

"You can't help people unless you understand them," said Hairsine, the school's technology director. He added visiting students "see the real face of poverty. They step out of their comfort zone. They see daily struggles. Daily life is much different from the suburbs of Chicago."

Miller is honored to help.

"The tribe has its problems," he said. "The town of Browning has its problems. But there's a really good core group of people working hard to make things better and the way they do it, I believe it in and I want to be a part of it."

Down payment on a cabin

Last summer, Mark Miller whimsically posted on his Facebook page that if he could get a $1 donation from 10,000 people, he would use that money for a down payment on a cabin in Montana, where he and his wife, Mary, have been doing missionary work since the early 1990s.

Funding plan: Their son, Patrick, started GoFundMe page in the fall, and so far, the

“Montana Life” campaign has raised nearly $3,600.Who really benefits: DeLasalle Blackfeet School, a Native American reservation in Browning, Montana, near Glacier National Park.Why they’re doing it: “They all believe education is really important to help people get out of poverty. That’s a key thing,” Mary Miller said.