Jerry Miller Tribute

It’s a bright new day…

For the second time in less than a year, I’ve celebrated the loss of a valued friend and mentor. First, Dean Robertson and now Jerry Miller. Both, along with Paul Taylor and Suzi Seale, were incredibly formative to my professional life. Each had his or her unique place. Paul had master skills in clinical teaching, Suzi had her breadth of knowledge and research, Dean brought humanity and dignity, and Jerry — well, Jerry was most definitely NOT your ordinary dentist. But what he taught me, and many of us, was that the simple act of dignified service is really what defines who we are and the legacy we leave. 

Jerry wasn’t content to just sit inside a solo-office and provide care to children. And yet he did that for over 40 years, and in the process had what I believe to be one of the busiest practices anywhere in the nation. He was a preceptor for many students through the years, me being one. Like it was yesterday, I vividly recall looking at his daily schedule and seeing over 70 patients scheduled. Four of the five days were like this, with the fifth being in the operating room. He played his office schedule like a maestro conducts an orchestra. His office was a masterful exercise in precision organization. Everybody on his staff, and I mean everybody, knew their role exactly. I think that, along with his zeal for professionalism, is really what gave him the time to accomplish all the other activities in which he was engaged. Whether it was the Academy, the Southwest Society, the American College of Dentists — its difficult to me to fathom how an “ordinary” person would have been able to handle everything and make it all work. 

Amazingly, I never saw him in a bad mood or even remotely close to what I would call being tired. He viewed each day as a challenge and an adventure, and I truly believe he lived his life in that light. Whether it was his practice, his organizational duties, hunting, fishing, skiing, or traveling, he couldn’t wait to get up and get the day going. After he retired, it was not uncommon for me to call and if Kay answered be told “he’s in the deer blind” or “he’s out hunting turkey”, or he was away on organization business. He never stopped going.

Jerry always tried to make things better. During his eulogy, each speaker talked about Jerry’s giving. The comment was repeatedly made, that if you were talking with him, he closed every conversation with “what can I do for you.” I remember the first time he said that to me, and it caught me so off guard that I didn’t know what to say. I’d never had anyone say that to me before, at least not with the sincerity that Jerry offered in that simple statement. Through the years, what Jerry did for the OU College of Dentistry was nothing short of extraordinary, and in fact we have renamed our pediatric dental clinic in his honor. Personally, what he did for me was transformative — to be a living example of what I should always be: professional, ethical, engaged, knowing, seeking, and giving. Because of his mentorship, I’m a far better person than I would have been without him.

Those of us who knew Jerry well all have tales that we could tell. Whether it was fundraising, or “fun” raising, racing down a mountainside, thereafter only to discuss the daily politics of the profession, or simply sitting back enjoying a good glass of wine with his lovely wife Kay and the friends at Miller Farms, he really knew how to live life. He made it better for all of us. More importantly, and though I don’t think he would have ever said it himself; he’s made tomorrow’s profession of dentistry so much more achievable for us all. And he did it not because he could, but because he knew that he should, so he did. 

Thank you, Jerry, for all you did yesterday, today, and what your legacy will continue doing tomorrow. Tomorrow is a bright new day with challenges to solve, and it’s time for us to get busy solving them.

Rest in peace, “dad.”

Submitted by Kevin L. Haney, DDS, MS