Obituary: Melton Miller, Retired Professor of Civil Engineering

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Melton M. Miller Jr., 84, of Sarasota, Florida, a retired professor of civil engineering, died May 28.

Born Nov. 15, 1933, in Burlington, Vermont, he attended Burlington High School and the University of Vermont. He did graduate study in civil engineering at Purdue University, and his Ph.D. was awarded in 1964, shortly after he joined the UMass Amherst college of engineering faculty.

He remained at the university until his retirement in 1996, primarily as a faculty member and administrator in civil engineering. From the fall of 1979 through 1982, he was acting master director of the Southwest Residential Area.

As a professor, he was highly respected for his dedication to teaching and mentoring students. He participated in programs to encourage minority students with an interest in engineering and to assist community college students to make a transition to the university. His professional fascination with bridges continued into retirement as a topic for occasional community presentations.

His lifelong love of music and theater included playing drums in a jazz band in high school and college. He sang in church choirs until nearly the end of his life and participated in the Amherst First Church’s “Merry Musical.” He is especially remembered for his and his wife Dorothy’s long involvement with Valley Light Opera, which awarded him a certificate of appreciation as “Producer, Engineer, Musician, Treasurer, and Lord High Everything Else.”

He was predeceased by his wife, the former Dorothy Wood, in 2011. He leaves four sons, with their wives and partners: David (Jane Wiley), Paul (Catherine Baker), Daniel (Sharon Britt), and Mark (Elizabeth MacDuffie); his brother, the Rev. Lyle Miller Sr. (Rachel); his sister, Patricia Annable; and his sister-in-law, Marilyn Hurlbut (Wayne).

Memorial services in Florida and Massachusetts are planned for autumn 2018.

Contributions may be made in his memory to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society or Habitat for Humanity.