Joseph O'Beirne Milner

Milner, Joseph O'Beirne

June 18, 1937 - May 27, 2023

Joseph O'Beirne Milner died peacefully on May 27, 2023 surrounded by three generations of Milners who were singing his beloved congregational hymns and holding him close.

Born in Atlanta, Ga. on June 18, 1937, Joe was the middle of five children of Ben and Eleanor Milner. He spent his childhood wide-eyed as friends and relatives gathered in the family living room for spirited debates about theology, politics, and civil rights. As a teenager, he used his athleticism and 6'6" frame to lead his high school basketball team to a Georgia state championship. He enrolled in Davidson College on a full basketball scholarship where he excelled on the court, wrote for the alternative literary magazine, and formed deep, sometimes rambunctious, but lasting friendships. Joe met his beloved Lucy at a college dance: he was love-struck immediately. For the 59 years of their marriage, Joe would tell everyone: "I married up!" Their union bore three children: Jonathan, at 6'3" the runt of the litter, Benjamin 6'7" and Peter 6'7" who strangers often mistook for a traveling basketball team. The Milner family dinner table was the boys' finest classroom where they listened to Mozart and Verdi while they discussed ethics, politics, literature, and Joe's beloved Atlanta Braves.

After earning a PhD in English at the University of North Carolina, in 1969 Joe began his 45 year career at Wake Forest University. His curious, lively, and wide-ranging mind and dynamic enthusiasm about learning made him a natural-born teacher. In 1975 Joe completed a postdoc at Harvard (the Davidson of the North) and then chaired the Education Department at Wake Forest for 30 years where he prepared hundreds of college students to teach high school English. In that role he influenced many Wake undergraduate and graduate students with his vision of energetic, humane, creative and substantive teaching. Among many notable initiatives during those years, he created the Master Teacher Fellows program, a national model for teacher training.

Joe also served with integrity and creativity in leadership roles in various state and national educational organizations including the North Carolina English Teachers Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, the National Writing Project, and the National Faculty for the Humanities. Joe was especially gratified by his years of service first as a teacher, then as a director, and finally as the president of the Foundation of the North Carolina Governor's School, a model for gifted education programs throughout the nation. For his commitment to his adopted state of North Carolina, the Governor awarded him the prestigious Order of the Long Leaf Pine. Joe wrote and co-wrote numerous articles and six books of literary criticism and pedagogy. Most notably, Bridging English, the textbook he co-wrote with Lucy, is central to English teaching methods courses internationally.

If you ever sat next to Joe at a basketball game, academic meeting, family dinner, or church service, and you were paying attention to the stream of wry comments issuing from under his breath, you know that he was an extremely funny man. Joe loved to laugh and was happy to share his quick wit with his many friends and family. One night, as we got up to leave a restaurant our waitress asked about our leftovers, "You wanna box for that?" Without skipping a beat Joe replied, "No but I'll wrestle you for it!"

To the end, Joe Milner was funny, kind and optimistic. Students often mention his humility, kindness, open mind and warm heart. Joe considered himself lucky to have worked with outstanding colleagues, gifted administrators, and eager students. The Milner family is especially grateful for the care of Brenda Greenhill, Dr. Mark Corbett, and the dedicated staff of Trellis Hospice care. Joe was preceded in death by three of his siblings and one grandson, Errol Milner Clifford. His survivors include his son Jonathan and his wife Cary Clifford; his son Benjamin and his wife Margie Milner; his son Peter; and grandchildren Rosabelle, Owen, Cooper, Josie, and Silas; his sister Mimi Elrod, three prized brothers-in-law and two sisters-in-law, and a cherished extended family.

You can honor Joe's educational legacy by making donations to the Dr. Joseph Milner Endowed Academic Excellence Fund at Wake Forest University.

A funeral will be held in Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University on Saturday, June 3 at 11 a.m. A reception will follow in Farrell Hall.