Porter Miller, Class of 1965

Porter Miller ’65 died Nov. 10, 2020. Porter was born on June 22, 1942 in Lancaster, Ohio, to the late Lloyd and Dorothy Kauffman Miller. He was a graduate of Lancaster High School and went on to study at Otterbein College where he participated in football, baseball, and track & field. Porter graduated with his bachelor’s degree in education in 1965 and was part of the Pi Kappa Phi (Country Club) fraternity, Christian Fellowship, and ‘O’ Club.

At Otterbein, Porter was the head track coach for 9 years and assistant football coach for 14 years. While continuing to coach and mentor, he earned his master’s degree from Xavier University. He then went on to work on his PhD at The Ohio State University. Porter was a former Trustee at Otterbein and served on the 50th reunion committee for the class of 1965. He also belonged to the Leather Helmet Gang, a group of Otterbein football alumni.

Porter had a host of careers, from sales to education. He spent the bulk of his life as a teacher, coach, mentor, and administrator. Porter spent a total of 31 years in collegiate athletics, the last 17 of those spent as Director of Athletics at Earlham College, Richmond, IN, until his retirement in 2002. In his role, he served on a number of committees within the college, in the conference, and in the NCAA. Porter was inducted into the Earlham College, Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 19, 2007.

Post-retirement, Porter held a variety of jobs that included working at the Wayne County Health Department as a bioterrorism agent, Ivy Tech, and most recently as a realtor with Better Homes and Gardens.

Porter is survived by his wife, Priscilla Suman Miller; children, Tracy ’89 (Steve ’89) Thayer, Amy (Brent) Haynes, and Joshua (Katie) Miller; grandchildren, Lexi (Blake) Clowes, Janie, Zachary, and Gabby Thayer, Jackson, Jacob, and Jordyn Haynes, and Theodore and Porter Miller; great-grandson, Everett Clowes; sister, Sue Ann (Dave) Dykes; nephew, Joe (Lilis) Dykes and their daughter, Sophia; many cousins; and countless friends.