Deep roots in the heart of northern Michigan’s forests and fond memories of summers spent “up north” were the foundational building blocks for the legacy of Herman L. Miller and his wife Dorothy. Their generosity is now lifting up the local history and community that held their hearts.

As a child, Mr. Miller grew up among the woods and lumbering culture in Lewiston (Montmorency County) and in the Pigeon River Forest of neighboring Otsego County. Miller’s grandfather, Herman Lunden Miller, owned a home in Lewiston where he worked as a lumberman and was one of northern Michigan’s earlier forestry advocates and conservationists during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Though his grandfather died when Mr. Miller was just four years old, the home in Lewiston remained in the family and was a favorite place to spend the summer months, keeping him connected to his northern Michigan roots throughout his life.

After being drafted into the Army Air Corps and serving from 1943-1946, Mr. Miller retired from military service as First Lieutenant. He then received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan, where he met Dorothy. Mr. Miller launched his career as a physicist, which included work in the Apollo Space Program and nuclear power engineering. Dorothy enjoyed a career as an elementary school teacher who enjoyed tutoring children and had an artistic side.

After their retirement, the Millers spent their summers in Lewiston – time that strengthened Dorothy’s love of the region as well. With free time and an inspiring setting, Mr. Miller began to write, authoring books about his time in the military, a book about twentieth century lumbering, and a biography of his grandfather.

After sifting through papers and journals of his grandfather’s writings, Mr. Miller shared with others how his grandfather was an instrumental figure in the regrowth of forest on lands that had been previously cleared, and in dedicating large swaths of land as permanent preserves of the forest. Mr. Miller’s research helped the Otsego County Historical Society to create an exhibit about Herman Lunden Miller at the Pigeon River Country Historical Interpretive Center (pictured below, Mr. Miller attends the ribbon cutting for the exhibit), and created records and archives within the Lewiston Area Historical Society and Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan.

When Mr. Miller passed away in June 2021 (Dorothy preceded him in 2018), he left a portion of their estate to the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan to create the Herman and Dorothy Miller Endowment Fund to support their beloved communities in perpetuity. Through their $2.3 million bequest, the Millers are supporting the Lewiston Area Historical Society, Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan, the Otsego County Historical Society, and Lewiston Congregational United Church of Christ. Additionally, the Millers left an unrestricted gift – a gift immeasurably important and beneficial to our communities – to be used in support of charitable projects for any purpose in Montmorency and Otsego Counties, with distributions led by CFNEM and the Otsego Community Foundation.