Bruce K. Miller

1945 - 2024

Bruce K. Miller

Northampton, MA - Bruce Kenneth Miller passed away from cancer on July 21, 2024 in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.

Bruce was born in Evanston, Illinois on March 7, 1945 to Kenneth Benjamin Miller and Jean Elaine Miller (née Atkins). In 1951, Bruce's family relocated to Southern California where Bruce and his beloved younger sister, Shelley, were raised. In his childhood and youth, Bruce was described as forever curious and having a unique sense of humor – one that was warm and astute, but with a hint of playful mischievousness. Just as in his adulthood, young Bruce's primary interests were sports, history, and politics. His photographic mind had a knack for remembering obscure sports statistics, mostly pertaining to the San Francisco Giants, the Los Angeles Lakers, and (later) the Boston Red Sox. He spent many days of his childhood in the San Fernando Valley playing stick ball and baseball with the neighborhood kids. A graduate of Northridge High School, Bruce was always proud of and grateful for his excellent public school education.

Bruce went on to attend Stanford University, where he truly found a place for himself. He organized and played on many intramural sports teams, and was a proud member of the Delta Chi fraternity. In his junior year, Bruce studied abroad in Germany. His "Stanford in Germany Gruppe" became life-long friends, maintaining their connection through many spirited reunions over the years. Stanford, and the friends he made there, remained dear to him well into his adult life.

From Stanford, Bruce attended Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he earned his Juris Doctorate. Following a brief stint at the Federal Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in Washington, D.C., Bruce returned to the Los Angeles area, where he worked as a staff attorney for the National Senior Citizens Law Center (NSCLC).

It was at NSCLC where Bruce met Jane, his then-secretary and to-be wife. The strength of Bruce and Jane's love was undeniable, taking them on adventures along the California Coast and into the National Parks of the West, all to the soundtrack of Gram Parsons, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings. Their almost 50-year love story was the foundation of Bruce's life.

In 1980, Bruce began a more than 40-year career as faculty at Western New England University School of Law in Springfield, Massachusetts. There, Bruce taught Constitutional Law, Federal Courts, Jurisprudence, and Civil Procedure courses, to name a few. The depth and breadth of Bruce's influence as a law teacher cannot be understated. Bruce did not just teach students about the law, he reassured them that they belonged in law school, even if they were first in their family to achieve higher education, or they did not dream of a career in "Big Law," or their voice had perhaps been unheard or overlooked in the past. Bruce's students praised him for his acceptance of differing viewpoints. His unwavering commitment to social justice made him a beacon to many.

Bruce lived in service to the overlooked and underprivileged; he rejected prejudicial confines, instead seeing in all people their inherent worth. A strong believer in public service, Bruce proudly served on the Board of Directors of the Rosenberg Fund for Children (RFC) for many years. The mission of the RFC, which is to provide aid to children whose parents have been targeted due to their progressive activities, was deeply important to Bruce. Bruce also served as President of the Board of No More Guantanamos/Guantanamo Survivors Fund, an organization focused on closing the US Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp and ending state-sanctioned torture. Finally, Bruce was a member of the Committee for Public Counsel Services and an active Board member of the Hampden County Lawyers for Justice (HCLJ), both of which seek to ensure that indigent clients are provided with legal representation in all areas of law.

While cultivating generations of future lawyers, Bruce was simultaneously raising two daughters of his own alongside Jane. Their first-born, Emilie, followed in Bruce's footsteps by becoming a teacher (of Clinical Pilates). Their second-born, Lauren, followed in Bruce's footsteps by becoming a lawyer. As a father, Bruce was tender and loving, bringing his unique sense of humor to fatherhood. He was present for all the big moments of his girls' lives, along with the smaller ones that he never let go unnoticed.

The joy of Bruce's life in later years was his four grandsons. He loved shooting hoops with them, talking and watching sports, playing card games, and giving them wild tickles. It is through his grandsons that Bruce's legacy will live on in future generations.

Bruce is survived by his wife Jane Miller, his sister Shelley Smith and nephew Cameron Smith, his daughter Emilie Miller (Stephen), his daughter Lauren Hoye (Adam), and his grandsons, Whitman Adam Hoye, Benjamin Thomas Hoye, Daniel Bruce Hoye, and Everett James Hoye.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Bruce's name to the Rosenberg Fund for Children (www.rfc.org) or the Professor Bruce Miller Social Justice Fellowship at Western New England University (https://wne.edu/law/centers/center-for-social-justice/events.cfm).