Miller, Thomas (1925 - 2001)
MILLER, HAUBER, NEIL, JOHANNSEN, HANKENS, JONES, BOS
Posted By: County Coordinator (email)
Date: 5/10/2024 at 12:36:58
Thomas H. Miller, 76, lifelong journalist and former state legislator, died Friday, May 25, 2001, after a lengthy illness.
Services were held Tuesday at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Cherokee. Burial was in Mount Calvary Cemetery.
Mr. Miller was born April 11, 1925, in Park Rapids, Minn., the son of Col. Earnest B. and Anna (Hauber) Miller. He graduated from Washington High School in Brainerd, Minn., in 1943, and served in the U.S. Navy for three years during World War II. Following his time in the service, he entered the newspaper business.
He married Jean Neil on June 25, 1947.
A distinguished journalist, he earned a host of national, regional and state awards for his writing. As owner, editor and publisher of the Cherokee Daily Times (1969 - 1982), the paper was twice named Newspaper of the Year by the Iowa Press Association and selected to receive national recognition with the prestigious Missouri University School of Journalism Award, the smallest newspaper ever to be so honored. He was also named Master Editor-Publisher by the Iowa Press Association.
As a strong believer in supporting the community, his contributions included 10 years as a board member of the Cherokee Industrial Corporation, two of those years as president; president of the Cherokee Rotary Club; and a member of the Sanford Museum Association board, Cherokee Adult Education program board, Chamber of Commerce board and Cherokee County Fund board.
He was awarded the Silver Beaver, the highest honor accorded by the Boy Scouts of America for more than 25 years of volunteer work. He was also the recipient of the Annual Merit Award by the Iowa Association for Public Continuing and Adult Education and received the Contribution to Education Award from the Cherokee Education Association. After retiring from the newspaper business in 1984, he was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives. He served five terms until voluntarily stepping aside in 1994.
Survivors include his wife; four daughters and their husbands, Kathleen and Craig Johannsen of Winfred, S.D., Deborah and Steve Hankens of Cherokee, Michele and Russ Jones of Waterloo, and Mary and Harlan Bos of Stillwater, Minn.; seven sons, Mark of Sioux Falls, S.D., Vince and his wife, Rhonda of Bonney Lake, Wash., James of Madison, Wis., Steve and his wife, Debra of Lake Zurich, Ill., Scott and his wife, Teri of Kingwood, Texas, Paul and his wife, Jill of Westminster, Md., and John and his wife, Susan of Madison, Wis.; a brother and his wife, Richard and Doris Miller of Port Royal, Pa., and 14 grandchildren.
(Source: Former Cherokee County Historical Society Scrapbook clipping dated Thurs. May 31, 2001)
Link to Photograph
Cherokee Obituaries maintained by Cindy Booth Maher.
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