This story was originally published in the 2021 Midland Magazine.

Hannah Dosch has preserved the memory of her great-grandfather through a book. Amy Dosch will help carry on his legacy when she attends Midland University.

Hannah’s book, “Thirteen Missing Letters” profiles the short, but impactful life of her great-grandfather, Vernon Meierhenry, who attended Midland for three years in the early 1940s and was killed when his plane crashed while he was serving in World War II.

Hannah’s younger sister, Amy, will be attending Midland University this fall. She becomes the first family member since Vernon to attend Midland. “I may have never considered Midland if it were not for my great grandfather,” Amy said. “I am extremely proud to be one of his few descendants and am excited to study in some of the same buildings he may have. I think he and my grandfather (Mark Meierhenry) would be proud to know I will be a Warrior!”

Mark Meierhenry was the only child of Vernon and his young wife, Mary Casey. Mark was born two weeks after his father’s plane went down and he spent many years wanting to learn more about the father he never met.

In the summer of 2018, Mark approached Hannah, an aspiring writer, to gauge her interest in researching and writing a book about Vernon. “He knew I was going to be studying English in college, so he asked me about working on this project,” Hannah said. “I didn’t know much about Vernon, or his family.” Hannah’s research began by sorting through a box of newspaper clippings, photos, and other miscellaneous items.

It eventually led her to the Midland University campus. “I brought my grandparents (Mark and Judy) with me and it was great to see the campus in person, rather than just reading about it,” Hannah said. “It might have been the first time my grandfather was on campus, so we really took time to take everything in. I think visiting campus made Vernon’s story more real for all of us.”

Vernon started his freshman year at Midland in the fall of 1940. As he excelled in the classroom, he also became a star on the football field as quarterback for the famed “Little Giants” football team. That team finished the 1941 season with a 10-0 record and was prepared to face Pacific Lutheran in a bowl game in Eugene, Oregon in December. But that appearance never happened as the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th halted any further activities. It was the first unbeaten season in Midland football history and the “Little Giants” were enshrined in the Midland Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991. Vernon was inducted into the “M” club for his efforts on the gridiron.

It was during his time at Midland that Vernon met Mary Casey. She worked at a local restaurant that Vernon would often visit while he was working at a nearby gas station. Vernon and Mary began dating in October of 1942 and were married on August 11th of 1943. Earlier that year, Vernon was one of 12 Midland students who were called into active duty, and he was stationed in Carbondale, Illinois. Four days after their wedding, Vernon started flying lessons at the Army Air Corps Pre-flight school in Ellington Field, Texas. Vernon would eventually graduate from the Army Air Force Bombardier School in April of 1944 and was later stationed at Drew Field in Tampa, Florida.

On September 26th, Vernon was deployed to Sudbury, England and over the next 19 days, he would take part in eight missions to Germany. On the morning of October 15th, Vernon and his crew were set to fly to Koln, Germany. But the plane encountered problems shortly after takeoff when an engine went out and the plane lacked sufficient power to gain altitude. Despite best efforts by the crew, the plane crashed into a nearby farmhouse, killing all eight crew members aboard.

Mary Casey gave birth to her son two weeks later. The next day, she received a telegram informing her of the death of her husband. It’s a story that has a tragic ending, but it’s a story that Hannah is glad she had the chance to share with others. “My great-grandmother eventually remarried, so none of us knew much about Vernon,” Hannah said. “He was such a prominent person in my grandfather’s life. I think this book gave me, and our whole family, an opportunity to learn more about him as a person.”

Hannah recently finished her junior year at Bethany College in Mankato, Minnesota. She spent the better part of three summers writing the book, finishing in May of 2020. Her grandfather would pass away two months later. “He never wanted to see the book until it was finished,” Hannah said. “It was a blessing he was able to see the book finished. My grandmother is very proud of the work I did and she even painted the cover for me.”

Writing a book has always been an aspiration for Hannah, but putting Vernon’s story on paper went much deeper. “It gave me a chance to spend summers with my grandparents as we learned more about Vernon,” she said. “I was able to give my grandfather his father back and have his story be known.” Her book also sparked interest in Midland for her younger sister.

“I knew my sister wanted to be at a smaller college, so after visiting campus, I put a bug in her ear about Midland,” Hannah said.

Amy Dosch has a love for music and will be able to continue that passion at Midland as part of the music program. “After meeting with Rex Barker (Director of Instrumental Music) and seeing his enthusiasm for college musicians, I knew that the music piece would be a good fit for me,” Amy said. “Another factor was the campus size and community. I like that Midland is involved in community service and that is very important to me. My initial on-campus visit was a big factor in my decision because the admissions team did such a great job of making me feel welcomed on campus.”

Amy is also grateful for the opportunity to carry on the legacy set by her great-grandfather more than 80 years ago. “As Hannah worked on the biography of Vernon, I realized how important he was as a leader on campus. The story of Vernon and the other Gold Star Men is not only part of Midland University’s history but also its culture of service,” she said.

The opportunity to share the story of her great-grandfather is one Hannah cherishes. She’s hopeful that his story might have an impact on others. “Everyone has a story, and that story can impact so many people,” she said. “Everyone knows who Vern is now, and they couldn’t have said that before. I hope people are able to read and appreciate Vernon’s story and maybe they will want to learn more about their own family.”

“Thirteen Missing Letters” is available for purchase.