N. Richard Miller

1922 - 2023

N. Richard Miller

March 7, 1922 - October 25, 2023

Durham, North Carolina - N. Richard Miller, beloved husband and proud father and grandfather, passed away on October 25, 2023, at The Forest at Duke. N. Richard, aka Dick or Richard (but never Norman), was a pioneering telecommunications executive, an early supporter and advocate of contemporary art and modern dance, and also a passionate Baltimore Orioles fan.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1922, Richard lived an extraordinary 101 years. He had an insatiable curiosity and was an avid reader and traveler; his stories of hunting wild boar in Italy, escaping a white rhino in South Africa, and visiting a downed spy plane in Moscow are legendary. He truly lived his life to the fullest, exemplifying what it means to be a "supercentenarian".

Richard's undergraduate education in aeronautical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology was interrupted by the events of World War II, in which he served in the US Army. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1947 and continued his education on the GI Bill at Harvard Business School, where he received a master's degree in business administration. In the early 1950s, a management consulting assignment took him to Italy where he helped to rebuild the telecommunications infrastructure there. This led to an invitation to be the founder of the Italian Graduate School of Business (IPSOA), modeled after Harvard's business school. IPSOA was an immediate success and is now a part of the University of Torino. After returning to the United States, Richard was named a director and then vice president of business planning for RCA Corporation. Later in his career, he developed entrepreneurial ventures in cellular communications, independent television start-ups, and fuel cell technology. Always interested in learning and meeting new people, Richard gathered many friends along the way and served as a longtime mentor to younger associates.

While living in Italy, Richard developed his passion for the arts, becoming an avid collector, advocate, and supporter of contemporary artists. He served on numerous boards wherever he resided: In Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where he was the founding chair of their Committee for Contemporary Art, and the Institute of Contemporary Art (UPenn), and in New York City at the American Federation of Arts and the Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation. In Colorado, he was active on the boards of the Boulder County Cultural Committee, the University of Colorado-Boulder Art Advisory Committee, and the Clyfford Still Museum (Denver).

In 1967, Richard wed Nancy Lee (Rosenthal), his partner for life after only three dates. In addition to his wife, Richard is survived by his devoted daughters, Hilary (Holder) and Dana (Miller Whitney); his adoring grandchildren, Wyatt and Sydney Holder and Oliver and Samantha Whitney; and two wonderful sons-in-law, Clint Holder and Griffin Whitney.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to these not-for-profit organizations: the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Myelodysplastic Syndrome Foundation, or The Forest at Duke Henry Rogers Art Program. Donations to the art program may be made by check to The Forest at Duke, indicating on the memo line Henry Rogers Art Program in memory of Richard Miller.