Major Gun Collector Passed - Good Man, Good Friend


This thread of 2014 on another forum brought to light by nowinca's "like" sent me back down memory lane, bringing me to tears in my recall of time with Dr. Frank Miller, who as a Physician prolonged a number of lives by his personal support of some of the elderly & ailing members of Long Island Antique Gun Collector's Assn., of which I was a member from 1955-1980 ------->


Maybe as early as 1950s, then an intern, I met Dr. Frank Miller thru a want ad, mine or his, I don't recall. Somehow we hit it off, talked about guns & he gave me his father's holster from on the job, NYPD. Some years later he joined Long Island Antique Gun Collector's Assn. & we stayed in contact. I recall selling him a small Japanese matchlock pistol. Over time it became known he was keeping a couple elderly members alive by his personal attention. He told me to call him if I had an emergency he could help with.

I was known for my restoration work & Frank brought over a beautiful '86 Winchester, like new with its color case frame apparently laquered. Problem was its tang was broken just behind the hammer. I told him, in medical terms it's a terminal case. I could weld it but it would look a lot better as-is. He insisted on leaving it with me to do the best I could. I surprised myself doing an almost un-detectable repair. He was more than pleased, even when I told him my simulated color case would probably disappear when my laquer wore off.

Not long after I had occasion to call on him. On Sunday I badly mangled third finger left hand. I was set up to go to So. America on Monday & knew if I went to the ER I wouldn't be able to go. I called Frank & he told me to meet him at the physician's entrance of a certain hospital. He took care of my injury & gave me instructions how to deal with it on my trip. Leaving, a nurse asked how to handle this, he says "Nurse, he wasn't here, I wasn't here". Yes Doctor.

As far as I knew, he was mostly into finely crafted double rifles but wanted a nice flint pistol I had. He was generout to a fault, we made a trade. Then he says take this stuff, being a restorer, a very early English dog lock, several flint pistol barrels plus other stuff I don't recall. He wanted my double o/u perc shotgun I had built & I didn't sell but he said if you ever decide, let me know.

This is all from my fuzzy memory, basically accurate, but not sure of the chronology or sequence of events.

Some 30-40 years later, couple years ago I was trimming my collection & thought of Frank & my perc shotgun. I tracked down his address c/o a Long Island hospital and mailed him photos with some dialog relevant to back in the day. Few weeks later he phoned, my letter had made the rounds before it got to him. He wasn't collecting any more guns & we talked about half an hour & he didn't sound good. Months later at LGS I saw his collection featured in one of the big auction house catalogs. He must have passed shortly after we talked.

Gun collecting lost a good man as did the medical community & a number of individuals such as myself. Rest in peace Frank & know I remember you well.

My DIY perc shotgun ----

Through my daughter's long and extensive medical life, I've met and dealt with more doctors that any 20 people will in their lifetime. Good doctors like your friend are out there, but they are few and far between. I won't go into my daughter's personal experiences, but I will say that those few are worth seeking out and sticking with when you find them.

Before I was born, my parents had just moved back from the left coast at the end of WWII. My dad had just started working and had no insurance when my mom came down with gall stones. She went to her Dr. and explained why she couldn't afford to go the hospital. Dr. Bauer, who served in the ETO during the war as battlefield surgeon was unfazed. He removed her gall bladder in his office, and my parents paid him over time as they got the money. Needless to say, he was our family doctor until the day he retired. He was also the one who brought me into this world. Just an all around great person. He was a physician to help people, and making money wasn't even a distant second or third reason. When we lose someone like this, we lose a lot.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

Thank you rhmc24 and Tom S. for sharing your stories!