The Millers of Pacific Grove: How they milled their futures at MPC Have you ever heard a kid say he wanted to be a fireman when he grew up? How about an architect, music industry execu- tive, or a sculptor? One might say those are "big dreams," but for the Miller family of Pacific Grove, they came true. And for the Millers, along the way, Monterey Pen- insula College was a family affair. Brothers Eric, Andrew and Michael, and sister Kate, attended MPC before trans- ferring to four-year institutions. They have gone on to be successful in their chosen careers and, in one fashion or another, have distinguished themselves profession- ally and as leaders in the community. Eric graduated from Pacific Grove High School in 1975 and came to MPC with the idea of playing football and exploring the prospects of becoming an engineer. The former interest was more defined than the latter. Through classes in the Physical Sci- ence Division, he started to connect the dots between math and science, and with an understanding of their application to engineering, the die was cast - academi- cally he was on his way. Eric credits in- structors such as Homer Bosserman, Ed Migliore, and Cloan Powell for turning him on scholastically and helping him shape his education. 111 111 1 1.119:lili./....11.1:1<1111:111.,13,:011,1 211... t,1 1,11,6 '** tt, 1,1 1 4.1 from left to right: The Miller Brothers, Ei With two years of study at MPC under his belt, Eric left college and picked up a job as a carpenter, with the plan of saving money to transfer to a four-year univer- sity. As a carpenter, he learned his real interest was in the design of construction projects so he enrolled in the School of Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona. At Pomona he was one class shy of the chemistry requirements for his major and /01. '4: 1 1-1 -1, 1 1 . i ic, Andrew, and Michael the department head suggested that he should start the chemistry series from the beginning, discrediting the classes and units from MPC. Au contraire, contraire. Eric ignored the counsel, enrolled in the advanced class, and aced it./ He went on to graduate with honors, cum laude, from Poly's prestigious School of Architecture. In retrospect, Eric says, "Some of the best instruction I had in college was at MPC." At MPC, he was able to complete the majority of his undergraduate studies before transferring, allowing him to con- centrate on the demands of the design and architecture classes of his major. Professionally, Eric is the principal of a highly successful architecture firm in Pa- cific Grove, focusing on residential and commercial projects. He and his firm have designed projects throughout the central coast, and have their design in- fluences on projects in Canada, Mexico and Ho Chi Minh City in Viet Nam. Eric's brother, Andrew, also attended MPC, but his entrance to the college was via a different route. Andrew went to work after graduation from high school, eventually working for the Pacific Grove Fire Department. Through the fire de- partment, he got his first exposure to the MPC fire academy and the professional growth opportunities the academy pro- vides local agencies. Eventually, Andrew decided he wanted to continue his for- mal education and MPC was the logical choice because it was local and afford- able. Plus, as a working adult, Andrew needed to juggle school and work sched- ules. "MPC instructors worked with me to make it work," Andrew recalls. Andrew transferred to Cogswell Poly Tech- nical in Silicon Valley, receiving a Bach- elors of Science degree in Fire Science Technology. Andrew is currently the City of Monterey's Assistant Fire Chief and has played an instrumental role in orchestrat- ing the consolidation of Pacific Grove and Monterey fire (and eventually Carmel's) fire departments. Andrew credits many of his classes - English, creative writing, political science and history - besides those of the Fire Academy, as giving him the background and confidence to be sue cessful at Cogswell and in his career. "1 couldn't have accomplished what I have in my career without my formal education at MPC," he says. As a local fire chief, Miller knows first- hand the quality of MPC's Fire Academy and the training programs for new recruits and in-service, professional opportunities for fire protection personnel. Again, keeping it all in the family, An- drew's wife, Carole, returned to MPC after starting their family, eventually transfer- ring to California State University at Long Beach. Currently with the Santa Clara Fire Department, Carole is the first female battalion chief for the large, multi-station, metropolitan fire district. Not to be outdone by her parents, daugh- ter Maryn enrolled at MPC after graduat- ing from PGHS in 2004. It was always her dream to attend University of Cali- fornia at Berkeley, but after graduation from high school she was just shy of the target. Keeping her sights on Berkeley - and with encouragement from Dad - she enrolled at MPC, worked hard in the classroom, enjoyed campus clubs and activities, and ultimately fulfilled her dream of transferring to Berkeley. Maryn graduated from Berkeley in May 2008 and is now working in the high-tech in- dustry in San Francisco. Sister Kate went south for high school, attending Midland Prep School in the Santa Ynez Valley on scholarship. After prep school she enrolled at UC Santa Cruz, but soon found that the casual- ness of the redwoods setting was simi- lar to what she had experienced in high school, and wanted a more formal ivy league experience from her university of choice. Kate returned to MPC for one se- mester - she recalls creative writing and anthropology as two outstanding classes while at MPC - and transferred to UC Berkeley, the university she wanted to attend in the first place, not unlike her niece would, decades later. The initial plan was to study pre-law, but she also followed her interest in film and video production at Berkeley. In what she calls "a crazy series of events and in a roundabout way," she ended up in New York City working with Andy Warhol, pioneering the evolution of video and music in the precursor of today's popu- lar music videos. Energized from the ex- perience, and riding the progression of the two mediums, she entered the mu- sic industry. After a highly successful ca- reer, she recently retired as Senior Vice President of Film and Video for Capitol Records. Kate has recently returned to lans We want to hear from you. For more than 60 years, several generations of Peninsul have attended MPC. What is your family MPC story? Drop us a note to the Public Information Office or e-mail mpcpio@mpc.edu. the Peninsula with plans to use her ex- perience and contacts in the industry to produce documentaries and videos deal- ing with some of social issues we face in our world community today. Michael also attended MPC out of PGHS, and transferred and graduated from UC Santa Cruz. He is the proprietor of Art- istry in Concrete, the local firm that pro- duces concrete structures, counter tops, sinks - anything that can be crafted, formed, or sculptured in concrete - on the Monterey Peninsula. Education was always an important part of their household. Their father was a UC-Berkeley graduate (Ph.D. in philoso- phy), and taught humanities at the Art Institute in San Francisco. He encour- aged his sons and daughter to live their lives and pursue worldly experiences and follow their varied of interests, which, for each, eventually led them back to the academic world, ultimately creating the foundations for their careers. Diverse in their interests and profession- al pursuits, the Millers have proven to be an industrial bunch, hard working in their fields, and successful in their cho- sen career path - paths that have also found their ways through MPC. 5 4 'r.' 1 4 , OCR Text: The Millers of Pacific Grove: How they milled their futures at MPC Have you ever heard a kid say he wanted to be a fireman when he grew up? How about an architect, music industry execu- tive, or a sculptor? One might say those are "big dreams," but for the Miller family of Pacific Grove, they came true. And for the Millers, along the way, Monterey Pen- insula College was a family affair. Brothers Eric, Andrew and Michael, and sister Kate, attended MPC before trans- ferring to four-year institutions. They have gone on to be successful in their chosen careers and, in one fashion or another, have distinguished themselves profession- ally and as leaders in the community. Eric graduated from Pacific Grove High School in 1975 and came to MPC with the idea of playing football and exploring the prospects of becoming an engineer. The former interest was more defined than the latter. Through classes in the Physical Sci- ence Division, he started to connect the dots between math and science, and with an understanding of their application to engineering, the die was cast - academi- cally he was on his way. Eric credits in- structors such as Homer Bosserman, Ed Migliore, and Cloan Powell for turning him on scholastically and helping him shape his education. 111 111 1 1.119:lili./....11.1:1<1111:111.,13,:011,1 211... t,1 1,11,6 '** tt, 1,1 1 4.1 from left to right: The Miller Brothers, Ei With two years of study at MPC under his belt, Eric left college and picked up a job as a carpenter, with the plan of saving money to transfer to a four-year univer- sity. As a carpenter, he learned his real interest was in the design of construction projects so he enrolled in the School of Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona. At Pomona he was one class shy of the chemistry requirements for his major and /01. '4: 1 1-1 -1, 1 1 . i ic, Andrew, and Michael the department head suggested that he should start the chemistry series from the beginning, discrediting the classes and units from MPC. Au contraire, contraire. Eric ignored the counsel, enrolled in the advanced class, and aced it./ He went on to graduate with honors, cum laude, from Poly's prestigious School of Architecture. In retrospect, Eric says, "Some of the best instruction I had in college was at MPC." At MPC, he was able to complete the majority of his undergraduate studies before transferring, allowing him to con- centrate on the demands of the design and architecture classes of his major. Professionally, Eric is the principal of a highly successful architecture firm in Pa- cific Grove, focusing on residential and commercial projects. He and his firm have designed projects throughout the central coast, and have their design in- fluences on projects in Canada, Mexico and Ho Chi Minh City in Viet Nam. Eric's brother, Andrew, also attended MPC, but his entrance to the college was via a different route. Andrew went to work after graduation from high school, eventually working for the Pacific Grove Fire Department. Through the fire de- partment, he got his first exposure to the MPC fire academy and the professional growth opportunities the academy pro- vides local agencies. Eventually, Andrew decided he wanted to continue his for- mal education and MPC was the logical choice because it was local and afford- able. Plus, as a working adult, Andrew needed to juggle school and work sched- ules. "MPC instructors worked with me to make it work," Andrew recalls. Andrew transferred to Cogswell Poly Tech- nical in Silicon Valley, receiving a Bach- elors of Science degree in Fire Science Technology. Andrew is currently the City of Monterey's Assistant Fire Chief and has played an instrumental role in orchestrat- ing the consolidation of Pacific Grove and Monterey fire (and eventually Carmel's) fire departments. Andrew credits many of his classes - English, creative writing, political science and history - besides those of the Fire Academy, as giving him the background and confidence to be sue cessful at Cogswell and in his career. "1 couldn't have accomplished what I have in my career without my formal education at MPC," he says. As a local fire chief, Miller knows first- hand the quality of MPC's Fire Academy and the training programs for new recruits and in-service, professional opportunities for fire protection personnel. Again, keeping it all in the family, An- drew's wife, Carole, returned to MPC after starting their family, eventually transfer- ring to California State University at Long Beach. Currently with the Santa Clara Fire Department, Carole is the first female battalion chief for the large, multi-station, metropolitan fire district. Not to be outdone by her parents, daugh- ter Maryn enrolled at MPC after graduat- ing from PGHS in 2004. It was always her dream to attend University of Cali- fornia at Berkeley, but after graduation from high school she was just shy of the target. Keeping her sights on Berkeley - and with encouragement from Dad - she enrolled at MPC, worked hard in the classroom, enjoyed campus clubs and activities, and ultimately fulfilled her dream of transferring to Berkeley. Maryn graduated from Berkeley in May 2008 and is now working in the high-tech in- dustry in San Francisco. Sister Kate went south for high school, attending Midland Prep School in the Santa Ynez Valley on scholarship. After prep school she enrolled at UC Santa Cruz, but soon found that the casual- ness of the redwoods setting was simi- lar to what she had experienced in high school, and wanted a more formal ivy league experience from her university of choice. Kate returned to MPC for one se- mester - she recalls creative writing and anthropology as two outstanding classes while at MPC - and transferred to UC Berkeley, the university she wanted to attend in the first place, not unlike her niece would, decades later. The initial plan was to study pre-law, but she also followed her interest in film and video production at Berkeley. In what she calls "a crazy series of events and in a roundabout way," she ended up in New York City working with Andy Warhol, pioneering the evolution of video and music in the precursor of today's popu- lar music videos. Energized from the ex- perience, and riding the progression of the two mediums, she entered the mu- sic industry. After a highly successful ca- reer, she recently retired as Senior Vice President of Film and Video for Capitol Records. Kate has recently returned to lans We want to hear from you. For more than 60 years, several generations of Peninsul have attended MPC. What is your family MPC story? Drop us a note to the Public Information Office or e-mail mpcpio@mpc.edu. the Peninsula with plans to use her ex- perience and contacts in the industry to produce documentaries and videos deal- ing with some of social issues we face in our world community today. Michael also attended MPC out of PGHS, and transferred and graduated from UC Santa Cruz. He is the proprietor of Art- istry in Concrete, the local firm that pro- duces concrete structures, counter tops, sinks - anything that can be crafted, formed, or sculptured in concrete - on the Monterey Peninsula. Education was always an important part of their household. Their father was a UC-Berkeley graduate (Ph.D. in philoso- phy), and taught humanities at the Art Institute in San Francisco. He encour- aged his sons and daughter to live their lives and pursue worldly experiences and follow their varied of interests, which, for each, eventually led them back to the academic world, ultimately creating the foundations for their careers. Diverse in their interests and profession- al pursuits, the Millers have proven to be an industrial bunch, hard working in their fields, and successful in their cho- sen career path - paths that have also found their ways through MPC. 5 4 'r.' 1 4 , Heritage Society of Pacific Grove,Historical Collections,Names of People about town,L through M File Names,Miller,MILLER_001.pdf,MILLER_001.pdf 1 Page 1, Tags: MILLER_001.PDF, MILLER_001.pdf 1 Page 1