Family Legacy Buds Garden of Honor
In less than a year, alumni will have an opportunity to walk through the Miller Family Garden—a beautiful area adorning the landscape outside the new U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation Center. This garden will honor the Miller family’s multi-generational history and connection to the Naval Academy.
Rear Admiral William C. Miller ’62, USN (Ret.), is a 2014 Distinguished Graduate Awardee and former Academic Dean and Provost for the Academy. He and his wife, Barbara, are the parents, grandparents, and parents-in-law of Naval Academy graduates. Beloved patriarch of the family, Miller served as the Executive Assistant to Admiral McKee when he was the Superintendent and then, as the Dean, Miller helped lead the Academy’s recognition as one of the nation’s leading undergraduate engineering schools. More than 10,000 junior officers graduated from the Naval Academy on his watch.
Their son, William “Bill” Miller Jr. ’88, made a Foundation gift to name the new facility’s garden in honor of his father, the other Miller family graduates, and the significance of his family’s many years on the Yard.
“As a child, I lived on the Yard,” said Miller. “I was the Academy’s The Evening Capital newspaper boy for three years.”
For his parents, his siblings, and his children, living on, visiting, or supporting the Academy has always been “a bit of a theme for our family,” said Miller. “We have even held three generations of weddings at the chapel.”
Miller’s daughter, Grace Miller, is a 2018 graduate and is currently serving as the DCA on the USS Sampson (DDG-102). His daughter, brother-in-law, Doug Schaus ’76, and nephew, Lieutenant Commander Brian Schaus ’08, USN (now a senior instructor for the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department) are also contributing and being recognized at the Miller Family Garden. “My nephew actually received his diploma from his grandfather—my father and the Dean—which was quite unique. My daughter graduated 10 years after my nephew and 30 years to the day after me … what a special legacy our family shares.”
As Dean, Miller’s father partnered with the Foundation to raise more than $50 million in philanthropic support for academic programs and worked closely with the director of athletics to significantly improve varsity athlete graduation rates.
“During his career, my father only worked four years outside the service of the Navy and was the first graduate to serve as Dean,” said Miller. “His impact as both a naval officer and the Dean is why he was recoginized as a DGA in 2014.”
Miller, who was recently selected by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as a 2022 Most Admired CEO, said the Naval Academy makes you the kind of person you are in the Fleet and in the professional world. “It still influences how I lead.”
“The buildings can change, the policies even, but the Academy traditions are the ones that all of us latch onto for life. Sharing these traditions with classmates and family graduates tightens our bond and makesthe shared experiences even more meaningful.” In the end, Miller says he’s thrilled that he made the decision to permanently intertwine his family legacy with the Academy.
“It’s extremely satisfying to know the benefit to others as I write the check this year. The garden is not for outside recognition, it’s for my family, their kids, and others who may see it and be inspired to be part of the Academy too. If you want to invest in something in the lives of future graduates and ultimately the nation, I highly recommend considering the Academy and the Foundation.”
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