Senior of the Month - May 2010

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Arvada Sunrise Rotary and Apex- Honor a Senior

Senior Nomination: Tuesday, May 10th, 2010, 7 am

Meet Melbourne “Skip” Miller……….

Skip was born in West Liberty Iowa on 8-3-1924 to Mr. and Mrs. Miller. His Father was in the theatre business and At the age of three he moved to Brighton Colorado his father had an opportunity to purchase a theatre. Skips bedroom was the balcony of the Realto Theatre. Skip remembers holding his head up while in bed to watch the silent movies.

Skip is a huge history buff and gathered history not from books but from real life adventures. His father was involved as a stock holder in the Santiago Mine and that led the family to Georgetown Colorado in 1936… Shortly after this move, another opportunity opened up for the Miller family that landed them in / @ Raton Pass.

The family lived on some property and operated a business with cabins, gas station, a dance hall and small café. Skip saw the changing of trains from steam coal fired to oil fired then to diesel during this time period and lights up when he talks about it, obviously some great memories. His freshman and sophomore years were completed in Trinidad Colorado, and in 1941 he graduated from South Denver South High School.

Skip wanted and dreamed of being a Mining Engineer since the young age of 12 and in September of his graduation year he enrolled and was accepted to the Colorado School of Mines. He had to put his education on hold from 1943-1946 as he was drafted into the Army, where he proudly served under Mc Arthur. He was stationed in Japan and worked in “Army Occupation” his group was not allowed to carry ANY firearms. He was stationed in Yokahoma for a time and was responsible for the Harbor freight, both what came in and what was being shipped out.

He remembers trucks and jeeps being dumped into the ocean and thinking what a waste. Memories of the numbers of casualties and of the Japanese complete Surrender. After his return to the states when his enlistment was complete he returned to school at The Colorado School of Mines on GI bill this time. Skip graduated in 1949. 2 years prior to graduation, Skip worked his summers @ the Granby Dam driving Euclid heavy machinery trucks.

This experience, the knowledge of the equipment and his thesus “Calculating the cost of moving cubic yards of Dirt on the Granby Dam” which was air mailed to Euclid, landed him a job at Euclid 2 months prior to Graduating college. He once again relocated, this time to Ohio, Working for Euclid Road Machine Company in Cleveland. It was at his place of employment or Euclid that he met his wife. After 6 years with Euclid, he moved back to Colorado started a new job- sales- working for New York Life selling life and health ins. Skip and his wife of 29 years lived in Lakewood and raised two healthy, beautiful kids, one of each, His son Mark and his wife Sherrie live in Westminster they have 1 child and his daughter Laurie lives in Idaho with his three his grand children.

Skip now resides at the Sterling House of Arvada. He is loved by both residents and staff. He heads up our Bridge group, actually HIS bridge group, he is one of the infamous R.O.M.E.O.`s , retired old men eating out- a men only group that get together monthly for food and tall tales. Skip is a great navigator for our country cruises thanks to his historic knowledge of Colorado we learn something new on each trip. He enjoys fishing when he gets a chance and is a huge major league baseball fan. Thank you all here at the Sunrise Rotary club for including us.