Sightings | Alumni Profile

Jim Miller:
A Forester in the Nation's Capitol

A monthlong, cross-country camping trip with his parents and two older sisters at the age of nine was the start of a lifelong love affair with the out-of-doors for Jim Miller MF ’70. “We started in Virginia and camped to California and back,” reminisces the new president of the Nicholas School’s Alumni Council. Today, Miller crisscrosses the United States overseeing trails, caves and outdoor ethics programs for the USDA-Forest Service.

The Virginia native did his undergraduate work at William and Mary, then headed to Duke’s School of Forestry as part of the 3/2 program. His three years at William and Mary and two years at Duke resulted in a bachelor of science degree in biology and a master’s degree in forestry in five years. “I chose Duke because of the combined degree program with William and Mary. There were other colleges and universities with similar programs, but Duke offered an extraordinary education. It was value for the dollar that I couldn’t pass up.”

Asked to recall his favorite Duke memories, Miller confessed that “some aren’t printable, but anyone from my era will remember the blue bus, Professor Ralston’s cigarettes at the bottom of soil testing holes, Dr. Stambaugh’s field trips to western North Carolina and life at Cameron before Coach K.” One particularly vivid memory involves a copperhead that sat in on Dr. Fred White’s field discussion. “The session was soon regrouped back on the road,” Miller said, laughing.

Following summer stints as a research associate for Dr. Ralston and as a wilderness aide in the Sierra National Forest, Miller worked for the National Park Service at Ford’s Theatre and The House Where Lincoln Died. He then served in the U.S. Army in Germany and later became assistant post forester at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia. His work as a forester has taken him to some of the nation’s most dramatic locations including the Tongass National Forest in Alaska and the San Bernardino National Forest in California. He currently serves as a member of the Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness Resources staff at the national headquarters of the USDA-Forest Service in Washington, D.C.

“My work covers a lot of ground, and I find it interesting that as new programs with new names are developed, I keep saying ‘So what’s new? I learned that at Duke.’ I don’t mean that I learned it all, or that there are not new things to learn, but I believe that the basic concepts of considering all environmental relationships were firmly in place during my studies at Duke.”

“There is no question that the forestry program has changed at Duke. Today there is more emphasis on subjects that were not part of a traditional forestry education when I was in school. Those subjects are still important and are still available, but I am glad that Duke is responding to the times with new courses that address changes in business and society.”

Miller has served on the Alumni Council in various capacities since 1992 and became president earlier this year. His goals are to improve communication with alumni and to complete funding of the Alumni Fellowship Endowment that was launched by alumni in 1987. “The Alumni Fellowship Endowment Fund provides at least three scholarships every year, with one specifically earmarked for a minority student,” explains Miller. “I feel so strongly about the opportunities the fund provides that I contribute every year in addition to my Annual Fund gift. I’ve sat on the committee that awards these fellowships, and what I say to the recipients is: Your fellowship is a gift from former students who were once in your shoes. We care about you. When you get the chance, please respond in a similar manner if you can.”

Miller is married to Linda Miller and they have two children, Kyle, 22, and Kelley, 20. When not enjoying the great outdoors or coaching his girls’ recreational soccer team, Miller enjoys reading and collecting model trains.