John C Miller

This page was created to celebrate the remarkable life of Dr. John C. Miller. By collecting your stories and remembrances of John here, those offerings will bring us comfort, warmth, laughter & peace. Thank you for contributing to this lasting tribute for our father, husband, brother, friend, mentor, uncle,...  see moreThis page was created to celebrate the remarkable life of Dr. John C. Miller. By collecting your stories and remembrances of John here, those offerings will bring us comfort, warmth, laughter & peace. Thank you for contributing to this lasting tribute for our father, husband, brother, friend, mentor, uncle, cousin, teacher, dreamer John. John C Miller, age 82, passed away on the 1st of April, 2020 at his home in Cape Coral, Florida. He was born on September 11, 1937 in Camden, New Jersey. He is survived by his husband of 38 years, Robert Bixler, and his daughters, Marialisa Miller, Amanda Miller, and Rachel Wang. He is also survived by eight of his nine siblings: Louis Miller, Patricia Harris, Charles Miller, Mike Miller, Mary Mikulski, Theresa Miller, Richard Miller, and David Miller and numerous nieces and nephews. His younger brother, Eddie Miller, predeceased him. Higher education was a core value throughout John’s life. He received his B.A. in Humanities from Rutgers-Camden in 1959. He earned his MSed from Southern Illinois University in 1961. That year, he received the first of his 5 Fulbright awards, taking him to Universidad Central in Venezuela. He said this trip was influential when he, as Rutgers undergrad, traveled on a study abroad trip to Argentina in the Summer of 1959. He pursued a M.A. in Spanish and French at the University of Maryland. After completing his M.A. in 1965, he began a doctorate in Modern Languages at Middlebury Language School. In 1968, a second Fulbright allowed him to study in Spain. He completed his doctorate in 1970. Subsequent academic appointments included Richard Stockton State University, Gettysburg College, New Jersey City University and New York University. He relocated to the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, where he served as the department chair. He retired from the University in 2005, as Professor Emeritus of Languages and Cultures. He was a university professor for over 50 years teaching both nationally and internationally. As the first of 10 children in a devout Catholic family with lower socioeconomic status, his experience wove the fabric of social justice into his life as he attempted to understand the interplay of religion, social class, and sexuality. His teaching reflected his concern for promoting the visibility and rights of those perceived as different, whether they be shunned based on their ethnicity, gender, economic status, or sexual orientation. Throughout his career he maintained a strong commitment to first generation college students through long term mentoring. His commitment to social action grew steadily; in outreach education to migrants, in street protests, in the introduction of university policy change in support of Gay rights and in representing the Colorado Gay community as one of the plaintiffs in the Amendment 2 civil rights suit before the US Supreme Court. His legacy lives on with his art collection donations to the Rutgers-Camden Art Collection and the John C. Miller Scholarship for first generation college students. Subsequent to his retirement, he began a second career as a Senior English Language Fellow, first in India at the Ahmedabad Management Institute and then at Selcuk University in Turkey, teaching English language and Literatures and cultures of the U.S. He later returned to Gaziantep University where he spent 2 additional years teaching. He returned to India to Aligarh Muslim University as a Fulbright Senior Specialist to work with graduate students in English Language pedagogy. This commitment to educating the first-generation learners extended to students throughout the world where he and Robert supported over 60 students from remote areas of Colombia, India, Tibet, Laos, Cambodia, and Turkey. He inspired so many throughout his life and left a legacy of confident graduates who were able to achieve success and happiness beyond their dreams. A private virtual memorial service will be held on May 17, 2020 for family and friends. Those who wish to make a donation in John's memory may do so by clicking on the Give Now button then Scholarship and Student Support and following the drop down instructions: https://support.rutgers.edu/support-rutgers/cash-stocks-matching-gifts/.