Alathena Smith Kasten Miller

1920 - 2019

April 3, 1920 - April 23, 2019
Alathena Smith Kasten Miller, 99, of Pacific Palisades, CA, passed away peacefully on April 23, 2019. She was born in Philadelphia, PA, on April 3, 1920 to the late William Bush Smith and Dr. Alathena Johnson Smith. She attended Wellesley College, where she studied psychology and was crowned May Day Queen her senior year. After graduating in 1942, she married the late Fredrick Charles Kasten, Jr. of Milwaukee, WI. At age 24, she contracted polio and spent three years in the hospital. She was paralyzed from the waist down, but that didn't stop her from exploring the world in a wheelchair. After moving from Wisconsin to Los Angeles in 1947, Alathena became a travel agent for Kerr Travel of Beverly Hills, specializing in exotic, luxury travel – often joining her clients on trips. She traveled around the world five times, twice alone.
In 1963, she married the late Dr. Hyman Miller of Beverly Hills. In addition to her love of exploration, Alathena was a patron of the arts. She was a longtime supporter of LACMA, KCET, Wellesley College and a member of the Junior League of Los Angeles.
She was preceded in death by her son Fredrick Charles Kasten III and her son-in-law Thomas Burke Byrne, Jr. She is survived by her daughter Alathena Kasten Byrne, her granddaughter Alathena Byrne Johnson and her husband Benjamin Johnson, and her sister Patricia Smith Davies and her husband Stanley Davies.
A memorial will be held Saturday, August 3, 2019 at 10 a.m. at St. Matthew's Church in Pacific Palisades. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wellesley College.