When I was asked to share some of my memories of Art Miller, I thought - Where do I begin? Would you believe in 1945? I was still in high school in Oakland, CA, and softball was becoming one of my favorite sports. My parents took me to see the World Champion Men’s Softball team of 1943-44, the Hammer Field Raiders, at Washington Park, in Alameda. They were terrific and I was impressed. They were awesome. The game program had a picture of the team. One of the team members had this beautiful smile, (Captain Arthur Miller).
 

In 1961 I was assigned Dean of Girls at Fresno High School. One day Mr. Miller and I got around to discussing softball as I was still playing with the Fresno Rockets. He told me about his playing days while in the army, and he showed me the same program that I still had! Small world!

Arthur Miller was my boss, my mentor, and a friend, as was his wife Mary Lou, and they became an important part of my life. I share with you some memories of that association.

Art had been assigned to Fresno High in 1960, and quickly made his presence known with the faculty and students. He created a positive work and learning environment, and liked to seek the input of the faculty and students for the betterment of the school. In his third year as Principal, the district administration wanted to transfer him to McLane High School. The faculty would not hear of this and organized a plan to keep him at Fresno High. Their plan was successful! Mr. Miller was a fighter for his school regarding staff, how to handle bond issues, curriculum, and student activities.

Mr. Miller spent hours composing graduation speeches. He would often refer to books for ideas and stories that would be appropriate for the occasion. One of his life-long traits – he would never line out a word he did not want. He would erase, erase, and erase. There was always a pile of erasure rubble by his desk!

When Mr. Miller retired, we planned a surprise for him at the conclusion of the annual Principal’s Awards assembly. The student leaders halted the dismissal from the auditorium, and the Choraleers sang MARY LOU as she walked down the aisle from the back of the auditorium to the stage. There was not a dry eye in the auditorium. After presentations of a gift, and flowers for Mary Lou, and words of appreciation from the students, the assembly ended with the Choraleers and Pam Howard singing a rousing rendition of OH HAPPY DAY, a great Warrior send -off for a very well liked Principal.

The Millers were honored by the faculty with a surprise retirement party in the Miller’s back yard which is adjacent to the second fairway at Fort Washington Country Club. The plan included a Sunday ride for the Millers and their best friends to a ranch near Coarsegold for a visit. While this took place, the faculty was setting up tables and chairs, decorating, and preparing food for the surprise party. At the appropriate time (of course Mary Lou was involved in the secret plan), the tour in the foothills ended, and the Millers and their guests headed for home.

When they arrived home and saw the number of parked cars on their street, Art commented that one of the neighbors must be having a party, never suspecting it was in their back yard. The surprise was a success!

The faculty and friends again surprised Art on his 85th birthday with a party at Fort Washington. The theme of the party was telephones. Colored phones adorned each table. Why? Every year, Art would call his faculty and friends on their birthdays and wish them a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! He did this until his death. We all looked forward to his calls.

Of course, most people know of Art’s involvement with the “Immortal 21” who recaptured the Stanford axe from Cal while he was a student there. After that event, in order to prevent future injury of enthusiastic college students, the axe was designated as the trophy for the winner of the annual Cal-Stanford “BIG GAME”. A spin –off of this activity, the Fresno-Roosevelt annual game was called the “Little-Big Game”, and the little brown pig became the trophy for the winner.

Mr. Miller kept involved with the “BIG GAME” by meeting with the Axe Committee at Stanford each year that they hosted the game. On game day, Art would have breakfast with the freshman members of the committee and tell them the story of recapturing of the axe. They loved it, and so did he. Then there was the tail-gating and the game, and the introduction and honoring of the “Immortal 21`”. I attended that game several times with the Millers. In 2001, I drove Art to the game (Mary Lou’s health was failing) and we met son Bob, and Art was honored as the only surviving member of the “21”. In 2003 I was again to drive him, but I awakened with a bad case of vertigo. I could not drive. I encouraged him to call other people who I knew would take him there. Being the independent and determined person that he was, at 93 years of age he drove to Stanford and back by himself!

During his retirement years, Art Miller kept very busy. He and Mary Lou enjoyed many trips abroad, and he even led one tour.

His hobbies were many. He enjoyed the stock market which he charted every day, he golfed, played bridge, and enjoyed gardening. The Millers loved the mountains and visited yearly with old friends at Beaver Creek. They visited my friends’ and my cabin at Beasore Meadows in the high country where he cooked breakfast and we had his famous 7-UP pancakes. Cutting wood was also part of our trip there, and hunting for old twisted wood to use in his garden.

After losing Mary Lou in 2002, Art sold their dream home and moved to Fairwinds where he made an immediate impression on the tenants. He was always up-beat, positive, and he always had a cheery smile and hello for all of the tenants. His energy was transmitted wherever he was. Some of Art’s dinner table companions were ladies (one a former FHS teacher Muriel Sample) all in their late eighties or more, and they rotated hosting cocktails in their apartments at 4:30pm each day, and would then adjourn to dinner. This group was known as “Art’s Harem “.