Miller, Hal Maurice, 2006 April 24

This is a Living History interview with Hal Miller, class of 1954, conducted by Marilyn Somers on April 24, 2006 at his home in Kingsport, Tennessee. The subject is the interviewee’s life, and experiences at Georgia Tech.

Mr. Miller was born in Kingsport, Tennessee on February 4, 1930. His family has been in Kingsport since the 1800s and his grandfather was one of the first doctors in the town. Mr. Miller attended Sullivan County Elementary School and Dobyns-Bennett High School. He began playing sports in high school; he played football, basketball, and baseball. Mr. Miller remembers how his town was affected by World War II and all the men coming back from overseas when he was graduating from high school. Mr. Miller was not set on going to college. His high school coach brought him and some other players to Georgia Tech to visit the campus. Mr. Miller was awarded an athletic scholarship and began attending Tech in January, 1949. He had to take remedial courses to catch up with the rest of the student body. Mr. Miller felt he was fairly prepared for Tech in high school, but D.M. Smith and George Manning tutored him in math. He lived in Cloudman Dormitory his first year. Mr. Miller knew Dean George Griffin and Dean Fred Ajax while he attended Tech. When Mr. Miller played on the freshman football team, their win/loss record was not too impressive. They lost the Georgia Tech-University of Georgia game that year and had to continue to wear their RAT Caps. Colonel Van Leer was the president and William Carmichael was the Registrar when Mr. Miller went to Tech. He pledged a fraternity, but decided that it was not for him. He went to some campus dances and ate at the Varsity, Junior’s, and the Yellow Jacket. Mr. Miller remembers seeing Shirttail Parades and Wreck Parades, but athletes were not allowed to participate in them. Coach William Alexander was the athletic director when Mr. Miller started at Tech. He took an interest in Mr. Miller, which he appreciated. Coach Bobby Dodd was more concerned about his players graduating and earning their degree than playing well. Mr. Miller played in the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl. He was in ROTC for four years. Mr. Miller was drafted into the San Francisco 49ers before he graduated. He played for a year and then went back to Tech to earn his last six hours and his degree. After graduation, Mr. Miller was called for military work in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He was the Sports Officer and stayed in the service for two years. After Mr. Miller left the military, he worked for Tennessee Eastman, located in Kingsport, for about fifty years. Mr. Miller has three children who all live in Kingsport. He also has seven granddaughters. Mr. Miller has been inducted into the Tennessee Hall of Fame, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Northeast Tennessee Hall of Fame, and the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame.