H.R. No. 2907
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A rich and purposeful life has drawn to a close with
the death of veteran newspaperman Joseph James Miller of White Deer
on April 27, 2015, at the age of 89; and
WHEREAS, Joe Miller was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, to
Charles and Era Miller on January 26, 1926; he started in the
newspaper business at the age of eight as a newsboy hawking the
Oklahoma News, and when he turned 14, he went to work for the
Chickasha Daily Express, delivering newspapers and working as a
"printer's devil," melting lead for type and learning to operate
the Linotype machines; after passing the Typographical Union test,
he became a journeyman printer; and
WHEREAS, Answering his nation's call to duty during World War
II, Mr. Miller entered the U.S. Army in April 1944 as a member of
Company G, 63rd Division, 6th Infantry Division, known as the Red
Star Doughboys; with the 6th Division, he took part in the battle
with the retreating Japanese near Kiangan in the Philippines in
June 1945, which resulted in the surrender of General Yamashita,
the supreme Japanese commander in the Philippines; this action
earned Mr. Miller's division a Presidential Citation, and his other
decorations included the Good Conduct Medal, the American Theatre
Ribbon, the Victory Ribbon, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon, the
Combat Infantry Badge, and the Rifle Sharp Shooter Badge; after the
surrender of the Japanese, he served for a time in Korea; and
WHEREAS, Returning to civilian life in Chickasha, Mr. Miller
resumed his newspaper career, working as a production foreman and a
composing room foreman for the Daily Express; in 1951, he was joined
in matrimony to Melva Jean Howard, and they shared their lives for
64 years, until his death; together they were the parents of 3
children, Phillip, Teri, and Rodney, and later in life, they were
blessed with 5 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, In 1961, Mr. Miller fulfilled his dream of owning
and operating his own newspaper when he and his wife purchased the
White Deer News and moved their family to Texas; he purchased the
Panhandle Herald in 1971 and converted both papers from linotype to
the compugraphic system, eventually shifting to computer desktop
publishing; in an effort to lower printing costs, he later joined
with other area publishers to become a shareholder in the Palo Duro
Offset Printing Press, which served as the printer for a number of
papers; he was inducted into the Panhandle Press Hall of Fame in
1999, and in 2009 he sold his newspapers to new owners and retired;
and
WHEREAS, For more than half a century, Joe Miller took a
leading role in helping the residents of the Panhandle stay
informed about their region and the world around them, and he leaves
behind a legacy of service to his community and his nation that will
continue to inspire all those who knew and loved him; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Joseph James Miller
and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his
wife, Jean Miller; to his children, Phillip Miller and his wife,
Ruthie, Teri Stewart and her husband, Dalton, and Rodney Miller and
Debra Duffy; to his grandchildren, Matt Miller, Marc Miller, Ryan
Stewart, Tosya Stewart, and Holly Miller; to his
great-grandchildren, Cheyenne and Riley Miller, Peyton McCarthy,
Addie and Mason Miller, Landon and Grant Stewart, and Koulter,
Sutton, and Bowen Kidd; and to his other relatives and friends; and,
be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Joseph
James Miller.
Price
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2907 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 30, 2015.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House