Windham – Windham Brick by Brick Scholarship Program will hold their annual dinner on August 18, 2012. The doors will open at 5 pm with folks having the opportunity to view the new fourth wall and share stories. A fabulous chicken dinner, including homemade pies, will be served at 6pm by the Windham Congregational United Church of Christ with the program following dinner at 7pm. This year the honoree is Don Miller who has served the community as a volunteer firefighter for 54 years.
Don Miller was born November 20, 1937 in West Virginia. He moved to Windham in 1951 and graduated from Windham High School in 1956. He is married to Janet Priddy Miller and they have two children Jeffery and Amy Sue Miller Olson.
Miller joined the fire department in 1958 and later served as a captain and an assistant chief under Cy Smith. Cy Smith went on to become mayor and Phil Enoch was appointed chief. In 1972, when Miller was only 35 years old he was appointed chief after Enoch resigned. In 2002 he retired from the chief position and continues to serve on the department to this day.
Besides serving on the fire department Miller has also served on the Windham Village Council and the Windham School Board.
Miller saw many changes in the fire department during his lifetime. He remembers when they had an old fire truck that they had to push to get it started, the old Game-Well System which was basically a pull box on poles that one would pull to summon the department and the make-shift ambulance made from a 1966 Chevrolet station wagon.
He saw the introduction of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s) and later paramedics to the fire department when funeral homes started phasing out ambulance services.
Miller was there in the humble beginning and continues to serve his community as the department has made great advances in services and equipment.
Join them for dinner, hear about how the scholarship fund has grown and hear more about Miller’s service to the community. Tickets are $18/ person or $50 maximum for immediate family members for the dinner. They are available at the Windham Board of Education office 330 326-2711. Proceed go toward the scholarship fund.
The scholarship is open to any seniors who are enrolled in an accredited post high school educational program, carried a 2.0 average and applies for it. The scholarships are drawn at the last school board meeting prior to graduation. Last year they awarded thirteen $1,000 scholarships.
