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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/06/2005, COMM - HURRICANE KATRINA i \ , s , e • 4w • ■ • e • ® • o CL4 Q d' : (j) - V co /� L • - °V O LzU C:. ' CL : o � no V ® � c • ® u U -0 0 QC, 0 . � • cg • . L. ■ O .L cc ■ 3 . J fa a Um to RT ' • am® m ■ • c.v as ° • � e ■ e • W ° , � o , e • e z LL V) ®AFM 0 - - Qu Efu Y v Q O = Ln t® Q O p � � ■® y)u _ • O ® •- Q O OE' a = fu U 1 Remembering Richard Miller Ken Schwartz, City Council presentation Tuesday, September 6,2005 Being first:in anything takes a tremendous.amount of work. Sometimes being first can bring much glory and prestige such as that our nation heaped on Charles Lindberg and Amelia Erhart and Jessie Owens and Jackie Robinson and Neil Armstrong just to name a few. Sometimes being first goes virtually unrecognized and the accomplishment little understood Richard Miller was a local first who, during his time,went without much recognition. I'm not sure that Dick.Miller sought recognition for the job he did as San Luis Obis-- first City Administrative Officer. He was not a drum beater, he was a rather quiet kind of guy- As uyAs well as I thought.I knew Dick Miller through 8 years on our Planning Commission and my first.4 terms as Mayor, I didn't know that Dick played a musical instrument much less that he had a considerable musical involvement at Duke University. To tell the truth, I didn't think that Dick could hum a time much less play the coronet. But Dick was a first for us in San Luis Obispo. And he was a darned good first. He became our first CAO when the idea of a City having a professionally educated Administrator to assist the City Council was little known or much accepted At that time there were probably no more than a half dozen universities in the entire United States that offered programs designed to produce graduates trained in the field of city administration or city management. So,Bary;your dad was one of those unsung firsts. He plunged in; ploughed new ground,organized his plantings and reaped crops of both praise and criticism. But he stayed on the farm—so to speak—weathered the criticism, made adjustments and saw the results of his work prosper. He set the stage. And those of us who have followed in his footsteps have had a much easier time as a result of the template he established. All of who live in San Luis Obispo owe a.debt of gratitude to your father,Richard Miller, for his integrity and his professionalism. He shall be remembered. JOHN DUNN P.O.Boz 2479 Avila Beach,CA 93424 EMAIL:aviladunns@sbcglobal.net Telephone:&5.5952M4 August 29,2005 RED FILE MEETING AGENDA DATE/ li dSITEM # /YbW4 Mr.Ken Hampian P?-o 64-4m aT 6A City Administrative Officer City Hall 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo,Ca 93401 Dear Ken, I was extremely sorry to learn of the passing of Dick Miller,the first CAO of San Luis Obispo. I have always known Dick as a kind and gentle man,with a subtle sense of humor. I first met.Dick over 35 years ago when I was Assistant City Manager of Monterey. He used to make an annual trek to Monterey and other cities to do SLO's annual salary survey,and I was on his list. Shortly after I came to San Luis Obispo as the City's CAO in 1987,Dick came into my office to congratulate me and just to have a friendly chat. We would occasionally run into each other,have a conversation,and he would always ask,"How's it going for you?" Dick was a wonderful person. I will always remember him for his kindness, for his concern about the City and, despite some personal setbacks in his life, for his sable and good humor. Along with many others,I'll miss him and always remember his special contribution to the City as the City's first Administrator. GCUr•:CI� CDD DIF RECEIVED Sincerely, � c.=,o E =1'q D CIF r.C�.O g FIRE CHIEF 3EP 0 2 2005 F•TTOR�=Y Ft PW DIR John Dunn Fe c-=Rn.0RI� F PCUCE CHF SLO CITY CLERK DEPT =.=,DS PEC DIR Je/ nim UTIL DIR