On his 29th birthday, Don lived in the thick of Archdale’s history — from the city’s incorporation to implementation of the Archdale-Trinity Supplemental School Tax.
Leadership, some say, is Don’s shining talent. His wife Ruth agrees, but adds that he has several other talents — husband, father, Sunday school teacher, youth advocate, civic leader, Boy Scout leader, church council member, Archdale-Trinity Lions Club’s 1969 Citizen of the Year and so much more.
Don’s impact on this community began when he and Ruth moved to Archdale in 1965. He grew up in Davidson and Forsyth counties and graduated in 1964 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served for a year as a researcher for Justice Carlisle W. Higgins of the N.C. Supreme Court.
As a new lawyer in Archdale, he worked in a satellite office of the High Point law firm of Haworth, Riggs, Kuhn and Haworth.
In a scrapbook compiled by Ruth, she writes, “Don did not let moss grow under his feet. He became an active member of the Archdale and Trinity communities.”
Don and Ruth joined Archdale United Methodist Church, where they still attend. He joined the Young Randolph Democrat Club and the Archdale-Trinity Lions Club. The civic involvement put the needs of the community in focus — like the need for the community to incorporate.
Doris Spencer, who served on Archdale’s first council, remembers well that historic day of July 11, 1968.
Poor water quality and failing wells and septic tanks had prompted the gathering of 400. Don was called from the audience to guide the meeting because he was familiar with parliamentary procedure. He was named to the steering committee to incorporate Archdale.
“We explored the options,” Don recalled. “Do we join High Point? Do we incorporate as a city, or just make a sanitary district? A fourth option was to do nothing.”
The vote also reached out to Trinity.
Archdale could incorporate alone, Trinity alone, or both together. In a close vote held July 8, 1969, Archdale voters favored incorporation, while the Trinity folks opted out. Don was a key player in the next step — a city charter. Don made multiple road trips to Raleigh with Lloyd Taylor, a member of the steering committee who would become mayor of Archdale.
The newly-incorporated city began with a zero budget. Don juggled a position as Archdale’s first city attorney with a full partnership in the law firm. He devoted his time at nights and on the weekends to research city easements, forgoing the usual rate a city attorney would be paid.
After incorporation, he was employed as the city attorney and held that position until 1987.
But it was another major accomplishment that landed Don the Citizen of the Year award, and Roland Albertson believes it’s Don’s greatest gift to the community — the Archdale-Trinity Supplemental School Tax.
“At that time education was a problem,” said Don.
Ruth was a teacher at Archdale Elementary School. “We bought our supplies or the parents bought the supplies,” she recalled.
In the mid-1960s, Don served as a leader for Citizens for a Better Education. Off-the-clock hours established the legal procedures and guidelines for the tax itself as well as bylaws for the advisory council who would oversee the expenditures. Don’s guidance was vital in this area. He also was elected as a member of the Supplemental School Tax Advisory Council.
“We had to create boundaries, bylaws ... the guts of the thing,” added Roland, who also played a major role in the establishment of the tax. “He helped us set up how the tax money would be spent. He helped us with legal terms and he just had lots of good ideas.”
Those good ideas were spurred by a practical intelligence. His decision to become a lawyer came during his first year at UNC Chapel Hill. His guidance counselor told him that he had the smarts and the grades to become a doctor or lawyer.
He flourished in college. He was selected to be a part of the Carolina Honors program. The do-or-die group referred to themselves as the “Suicide 50.” These freshmen received extra credit for honors courses.
“I earned enough credits that I could have graduated following my junior year if I wanted to,” said Don.
While Don was at UNC, he met on a blind date his future wife, Ruth Watson, a Meredith College student who hailed from Siler City. They were married in 1961, during the summer of Don’s junior year.
By 1966, the couple had two children, Angela and Scott. They would later have another girl, Carla. With three children, the couple continued their community involvement.
At Archdale United Methodist Church, Don sometimes led worship or delivered a sermon. He held church positions such as teacher and lay leader, and headed communities for finance and pastor/parish relations. He served on the church council and as Sunday school teacher for teenagers and young adults.
The Millers involved themselves in other community activities.
The scrapbook includes this passage: “Don along with Ruth, Doris Spencer and John Lowe helped to form the Honeytree Players, a summer theatre. This group formed the little theatre to keep the young people off the streets. Don played Mr. Brownlow in ‘Oliver’ and was in ‘The Odd Couple.’ Angela and Scott played in ‘Oliver.’”
Ruth designed and made the costumes. Carla helped with the entire production.
While some folks may revel in the kudos and awards, the Millers did not. An entry in the scrapbook reveals their sense of humor about the limelight.
They had received an invitation to join the National Social Directory. The price? $25. Ruth’s scrapbook entry reads, “Don and Ruth received this invitation in 1973. They decided not to respond.”
Even without the social directory status, Don’s name was prominent in the law community.
“He is a good lawyer who is honest and trustworthy. He has a good sense of humor and he is an avid reader,” said John Riggs, senior partner of Haworth, Riggs, Kuhn and Haworth.
That honesty was tested when an older man came into the Archdale office and plopped down $50,000 in cash on Don’s desk. The man left without identifying himself. Don placed the money in the trunk of his car and drove around with it for a month before the man reappeared.
The man turned out to be Charlie Beck, who had once worked for Don’s grandfather.
“He told me he had to see if he could trust me or not,” said Don.
Archdale lawyer and former partner James Tennant praised Don for his legal thoroughness.
“He is very old-school in making sure that everything is done right,” said James. “I never saw him lose his cool.”
Don retired in 2005, after selling his practice at Southern Centre to James Williams.
“[Don] is well-liked by clients and colleagues,” said the young lawyer, who serves on the board of Community Outreach of Archdale-Trinity, a nonprofit food pantry ministry for which Don had written the articles of incorporation.
Sherri Stout, Don’s former secretary, now works with James Williams. She praised Don’s kindness to his clients.
“Don was a real good person, easy to work with and easy to work for,” Sherri said. “I fussed at him all the time because he didn’t charge enough. He would do some work for a client, something that took half a day to do, and charge them $20.”
Sherri recalls a particular act of kindness.
“There was an older man who came in,” she said. “The man didn’t have an appointment but Mr. Miller saw him anyway. What the man really needed to do was borrow some money, so Mr. Miller gave it to him knowing that he would probably never see it again.”
Don’s retirement allows him to cultivate a special hobby — flower and vegetable gardens at his Hillsville home. He is especially proud of his Mock Orange and Trillium.
He is still an avid reader and a family man. He and Ruth occasionally visit their family, which now includes five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
“After 40 years, I still love and am still in love with that man — the man of my life,” Ruth said. “He is the most loving and patient man.”
The scrapbook reflects that.
In the final entry, Ruth writes, “Don did wonders for his community. As he said one time to a friend, ‘This is my town.’”
Ruth stands out in community service
Behind the Meet Your Neighbor focus, Don Miller, stands his wife, Ruth.
According to family and friends, Ruth’s support enabled Don to place such a strong emphasis on community service.
“She is about the most sacrificing individual for her family that I have ever seen,” said the Millers’ daughter, Angela Dyson. “Everything she does revolves around her family.”
And she does it quietly, Angela added.
Marian Tillman agrees.Ruth, like Marian, was a member of the steering committee which founded the Archdale Public Library. Even during this formative stage, Ruth continued her volunteer work with the PTA. Ruth’s leadership was selfless, said Marian.
While she did not seek the limelight, she was a force in creativity, said Marian.
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