Tribute To My Father

On Apirl 3, 2009, the Maine Health Care Association awarded its seventh annual Remember ME awards in the Hall of Flags in the State House in Augusta, ME to residents of assisted living homes in Maine, who have shown a lifetime of achievement. My father, William K. Millar, was one of this year's recipients. We drove him to Augusta for the ceremony, where he met, and shook hands with Governor Baldacci, and remarked that he "Was probably one of the only ones who could stand up to receive the award."
My father, a quiet man, usually the straight man for all our humor, has always reminded me of George Bailey in "It's A Wonderful Life." The opportunities he desired always seemed to be preempted by things beyond his control or his unwillingness to give up a principle. For that he is one of the richest men in town.
Below is the biography I was asked to write for his nomination. It is the biography of a person so typical of what Tom Brokaw calls, "the greatest generation."
"After graduating as president of his high school class, Mr. Millar had to pass up full tuition scholarships to both Bates and Middlebury Colleges to work to help his father support his mother and three younger siblings. After working for a year, he attended the University of New Hampshire.
In 1942, two weeks shy of his graduation, he was drafted, sent to Ft. Devens, MA and given a 24 pass to come back and graduate with his class where he had been a member of the track and cross country teams, Senior Skull, Inter-fraternity Council and President of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
He applied for and was accepted into one of the first Officer Candidate School “90 day wonder classes” and was commissioned as a 2LT in the infantry. He was sent to Ft. Leonard Wood, MO where he acted as a cadre member in training the 97th Infantry Division. In 1944 he was sent to the European Theater and was assigned as a platoon leader in the 104th “Timberwolf” Division.
He was wounded in action on December 11, 1944 and evacuated for emergency surgery to a MASH. For this action he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Valor and the Purple Heart. From the MASH he was returned to England for therapy, and was able to meet aunts and cousins, whom he had never seen before.
On his birthday, April 27, 1945, he rejoined his division for the liberation of Nordhausen Concentration Camp. It was this experience, which brought him to be one of the early members of the Maine Holocaust Commission. In working with this group, he traveled throughout the state speaking to high schools, colleges and universities.
In 1951, he was again called to active duty for the Korean conflict and was sent to Army Headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany.
After release from Active Duty, he became employed as an accountant at Bath Iron works, a position he held until he retired.
As a community member he was active in the First Parish Church, serving as a Sunday School teacher, superintendent of the Sunday School, deacon, treasurer and many other committees. When the vestry needed painting, he formed a group called the “Michaelangelo Society,” and urged prospective members to show up with paint brushes. Not a few were surprised to find out they had volunteered to paint the church, not join and art club.
On the state level he was the director of the UCC family camp at Pilgrim Lodge in Litchfield for three years.
He served the Town of Brunswick on the Property Tax Review Committee and taught bookkeeping for adult education.
He also served as the President of the Longfellow School PTA in Brunswick, broke tradition by being a “den mother” for his son’s Cub Scout Pack and was a referee for the Pee Wee Hockey program when it started.
He also served as a fundraiser during the building and development of Parkview Hospital.
In addition to all of these activities, he built his own summer home in Harpswell. At that time, there was no electricity, so he carried all the sand, cement and water for the foundation in 5 gallon pails and cut all the framing and paneling by hand.
He is currently a charter member of American Legion Post 171 in Harpswell along with his son and granddaughter, a captain serving in the Air Force. He was recently awarded a Silver Star by the state of Maine for his service and a second Bronze Star by the US Army for his Meritorious Service in WW II and during the Korean Conflict.
On April 27, 2009, William Millar will turn 90 years old."