A father’s legacy: Oklahoma son receives WWII dog tags, separately learns of dad’s connection to Frank Lloyd Wright

A WWII veteran's dog tags were returned to his son, decades after they went missing.

Jack Danner passed away in 2018 after living a full life: 67 years of marriage, an exciting career, 11 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

Years later, Jack's son is discovering untold stories his dad left behind.

Inside Russell Danner's home in Arcadia, family history is proudly on display. Treasures, like his dad's military flag, Navy "Dixie Cup" hat, and old pictures.

Jack Danner was just 17 when he served in Guam during WWII.

"This was his actual headphones. This is his Morse keypad. And this was his call letters, W5UFB. And he talked to people all over the world, using Morse code," Russell said.

Now, Jack's dog tags are part of his son's collection.

"At first I thought, this has gotta be a hoax," Russell said.

"I was on a mission," Woody Foreman said.

Two hours away in Nowata, Woody said, with just a few clicks, he found answers to a decades-long question.

"I've seen that name for 60 years," he said.

After reading Russell's name in Jack's obituary, Woody tracked down Russell's email address and included a picture of the tags Woody played with as a kid.

"I recently found them again and wondered, as I had years before, who was this Mr. Danner who served our country? … If these indeed belong to your dad, I would certainly like to return them to you," Woody read from his sent email.

"I said, 'Can you put them in the mail?'" Russell said. "And he said, 'No. I want to meet you.' He said, 'I read all about your dad, and I just want to meet you.'"

The two decided the QuikTrip at I-44 and Peoria in Tulsa was a good spot to meet, just a few weeks ago.

It's still a mystery how the tags ended up with Woody in the first place, but the two of them have pieced together that Russell's aunt and uncle lived in Claremore at the same time Woody did.

They say, regardless, the dog tags are now where they should be.

"It kind of brought a tear to my eye," Woody said.

"It was pretty amazing, yeah,” Russell said. “My dad was amazing."

Russell told Woody that during the war, Jack helped build one of the longest runways in the world at the time to bring in the B-29s.

He went on to become an electrical engineer and owned a business that still runs today under a different name.

"There's been a couple of things that have happened since dad passed away, and it's like, wow, you know, that we didn't know," Russell said. "And this is one of them."

About a year ago, Russell made another discovery about his dad. He learned about a project his dad worked on in the 60s, when Russell stopped by an engineering firm in OKC, and talked to someone who used to work for his dad.

"He said I've got something in my office that I've been wanting to give you for 20 years," Russell recalled.

Russell knew his dad helped pioneer digital airport lighting systems and designed lighting for schools, banks, libraries and churches.

But he did not know this.

"It's a pencil drawing of the Price building in Bartlesville," Russell said. "And he said, ‘Well, that's Frank Lloyd Wright. He was the architect. Your dad did the electrical on this.’ And I was like, 'What?!'"

Russell said he learned this about a year ago, after his wife, Melinda, insisted he go inside the firm to see if anyone still worked there who knew his dad.

“After all these years. And that's how humble dad was," Russell said. "He, I don't know why he didn't tell us."

"He lived such a full life, and that he applied his talents to help other people," Woody said.

Call it serendipitous, a sign, or meant to be, but pieces of Jack's life are coming back to his son, as treasures that help tell Jack's story.

"I feel like dad's with me all the time,” Russell said.

AMY: "Well, I wonder what else you'll learn about him."

RUSSELL: "I know. I know."

RUSSELL: "Anything can happen."

To read Jack’s obituary, click here.

A closer look at Jack Danner's dog tag:

How Russell learned about his dad's work on the Price Tower: