Donald A. Miller

Farewell To The Dean Don Miller, retired KMOX radio talk show host passed away quietly at his home in O'Fallon, Missouri Monday afternoon at the age of 84. Miller's life was anything but anything but quiet and ordinary. Miller pioneered the field of traffic broadcasting in St. Louis, launching his career with KSDK radio on November 17, 1965 and then for 19 years, Miller guided busy motorist to work and home. Miller attributed his success to hard work, decency and a sense of humor. In addition to his quick wit and off-beat humor, Miller offered traffic hints and safety tips to accompany his broadcasts each day. Some of Miller's IDIOT awards included, Entering a Freeway improperly, Blocking Intersections, Changing Lanes Unnecessarily, Driving Too Slowly on Freeways and Last Minute Exits. Miller visited local schools, community groups, landing his copter and offering adults the same message of safe driving, while sharing pedestrian and bicycle safety. Ross Markwardt from Scene Magazine, "Averaging 260 speeches a year, Miller would address over 50, 000 students at a hundred schools during the year. A typical day went like this; Up at 5:30, traffic reports till 9:00, then a talk at a school, then a luncheon address to a church or civic group, then more traffic reports and another address in the evening." Reprinted from Scene Magazine, 1968. It is not only the length of his career that distinguishes Miller, but the contributions Miller made to the community he lived, loved and served. Like many others of the Greatest Generation, Miller joined the Marines at age 17 and served his country with courage and honor in World War II and later Korea earning two purple hearts. While storming an island in the Pacific, Miller was injured when a bullet skimmed his skull, lodging itself in this helmet. After the war, Miller briefly attended Westminister Academy where he studied English Literature and Psychology. When the Korean war broke out in 1950 Miller gladly enlisted. A mortar shell blew up wounding him in the wrist. After four months healing in a Japanese hospital, Miller came home to St. Louis and decided to become a Policeman. Miller recalled, "After fighting wars for 10 years, I couldn't just sit at a desk and push pencils." That he did not. He married Doris Johnston in 1954 and raised two girls, Kim and Casey. He served the St. Louis Police force until 1965 when he auditioned for a job at KSDK radio as part of a Police Relations program. In 1972 Kmox radio recruited him away from KSDK, where he served until his retirement in 1991. While the world and St. Louis community says farewell to the man who made them laugh, think about their role as drivers on the road, he played a different role for those of us who knew him best. Off the air, Miller led a quiet life, sometimes even reclusive. He approached his roles of husband and father much like his service in the Marines, with duty, honor and courage. While his wife, Doris, was stricken with cancer, he refused help from outside well-wishers, as it was "his responsibility". In his words, "I signed on 42 years ago and I intend to uphold that responsibility". In his words, "I signed on 42 years ago and I intend to uphold that responsibility." He did. He cared for his ailing wife to the end. He put his children through college, came to the rescue more than once, kept an eye on his grand children and called often to ask of their whereabouts of details of their latest adventures. Growing up, my sister and I sat around the dinner table and shard his colorful tales, war stories and even chance meetings with Presidents, local dignitaries and politicians...But those wonderful accounts won't be what we miss when we thing of Don Miller. We will miss his trademark two minute phone call to check on our day, his calm cool and collective presence in the face of crisis and most of all... we will miss the little moments we shared with him day in and out these many years. I will miss the guy who taught me not to jump in a pile of burning leaves, the man who loved to sit on the back porch with me and watch the storm roll in and the dad who taught me the value of hard work. His greatest legacy to me, my sister and our family is the character he quietly displayed for us all to see. He wasn't perfect, but we all knew we were loved. We knew we mattered. By the sheer character of his hard work, dedication and commitment to his family, he showed us that others is a worth calling. Casey Salminen Daughter #2, As Dad Used to Call Me)