Obituary of Timothy C. Miller

RENSSELAERVILLE - Timothy Charles Miller, a retired Town Justice, longtime history teacher and beloved husband, father and grandfather, died Tuesday January 17, 2017 at Albany Medical Center after a stroke. He was 69. Dr. Miller was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Mich., where he attended the Lab School at Western Michigan University. He earned a B.A. at City College of New York, a M.A. in history at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a PhD in 16th century French history at the University of Rochester. At 19, he married Linda Sonia (Mullin) of Upper Nyack, N.Y., and over the next 10 years became father to three beloved children, Jennifer, David and Carrie, bringing his young family with him as he studied, taught and engaged in activism. In the early1970's, Dr. Miller joined Teacher Corps and worked with the Winnebagos in Black River Falls, Wisc. His first act was to work with other Teacher Corps members to successfully battle the local school district to remove and replace public school textbooks that were filled with false and bigoted representations of Native Americans. From 1973 to 1976, Dr. Miller taught in a two-room bilingual schoolhouse in Norton, Vt., where he worked with the children of loggers and farmers, and took special pride in helping specially challenged students achieve their potential. In 1977, Dr. Miller began his doctoral studies at the University of Rochester. He went on to complete his dissertation research in Paris, and to earn his doctorate with distinction. His dissertation was titled "Censorship and Policy Under Francis I, 1515-1547 : An Episode in the History of Thought Control." The freedom and responsibility of the press remained a lifelong passion. In 1979, Dr. Miller began teaching at Fox Lane High School in Bedford, N.Y., where he taught Advanced Placement U.S. history and Economics, among other courses. He graded and helped write the Advanced Placement U.S. History test for many years. A bold and gifted teacher who used the Socratic method with students and championed critical thinking, he was instrumental in the school reform movement at Fox Lane, where he founded a "school within a school" as well as interdisciplinary courses including "Society, Literature and Truth." He was a member of the Coalition of Essential Schools National Faculty based at Brown University, and worked as a consultant on school reform in districts across the country. In 1998, he became chairman of the History Department. Dr. Miller also coached basketball, a Youth in Action student group and the World Hunger Group. The recipient of numerous teaching awards, Dr. Miller was known as a mentor to new teachers, and a dynamic inspiration to veteran colleagues. His energy, humor and gentle brilliance made him much loved by students who were academically gifted as well as those who struggled. Dr. Miller also taught for many years at SUNY Purchase, Fordham University and Teacher College at Columbia University. He was twice a National Endowment of the Humanities fellow, studying literature of the Holocaust as well as the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. He often quoted Thoreau's "Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes" and "Simplify, simplify, simplify." He remained an activist throughout his life, campaigning for civil rights, peace, and a clean Hudson River, among many other causes. Days after the 2016 presidential election, he and his wife attended an Amnesty International Conference. After retirement, Dr. Miller moved with his wife to Rensselaerville, where they found great happiness in the woods and waterfall and lake of the beautiful village, and new friends and purpose in the warm community. He served as a member of the Water and Sewer Committee, a board member of the Historical Society, and as treasurer of Conkling Hall. He was very proud to serve for five years as Town Justice, where he brought to the bench a deep respect for the American Constitution as well as compassion, wisdom and impartiality. In an address to students many years ago, Dr. Miller reflected on a play by the German playwright Bertholt Brecht in which a character says, "Unhappy is the country that has no heroes," and another character responds, "Unhappy is the country that has need of heroes." Dr. Miller told his young students, "Perhaps our moral dilemma lies not in lacking leaders to help us find the way, but in declining the challenge to chart the way ourselves. Ultimately, good societies are made good by the people in them, not by their leaders." Dr. Miller was married for nearly 50 years to Linda, the great love of his life. They met as teenage peace and civil rights activists and continued to stand side by side against injustice their entire lives together. He shared with his wife a great love of reading, writing, art, music and travel. They roamed together throughout the United States and Europe - including a three-month trip on $5 a day in 1968. Dr. Miller is survived by Linda, as well as by his children, Jennifer of Boston, David of Rensselaerville and Carrie Dunn of Niskayuna; a daughter-in-law, Linda Druker, a son-in-law, George Dunn; seven grandchildren, Isaiah Vines, Max Dunn, Roxie Dunn, Stella Mae Miller, Eamon Miller, Zoe Miller Druker and Kaida Dunn; his brother, Peter Miller of Cleveland; his mother-in-law, Estelle Mullin; and many much-loved inlaws, nieces, nephews and friends. He also leaves his beloved dog, K. A memorial service will be held at Conkling Hall, 8 Methodist Hill Rd, Rensselaerville on Sunday January 22nd from 2 to 4pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Rensselaerville Library, PO Box 188, Rensselaerville, NY 12147, to add to the library's collection of history books. Condolences can be posted at ajcunninghamfh.com.