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The Dallas Morning News Cheryl Hall columnSep 28, 2011 (The Dallas Morning News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Bob Miller wasn't born at The Dallas Morning News. But he got here as fast as he could. On Monday, his colleagues, past and present, and his family celebrated Miller's 60th anniversary here. He has lasted longer than any other full-time employee in our 126-year history -- with the exception of our illustrious publisher George Bannerman Dealey, and he owned the place. Bob, a.k.a. Robert Miller, who turns 88 in November, came to The News three months before I was born. I'd have to work here until 2033 to one-up him -- and that's if he calls it quits tomorrow. Since making the move into business news in 1984, Miller has written 7,543 columns covering Dallas' nonprofit world. "There are few legends in the news journalism world like Bob Miller, particularly in a more mobile environment that we have today," Robert W. Decherd, chief executive of A. H. Belo Corporation, parent of The News, told the gathering. "He is a reference point for us, an anchor and a person who I hope will work for us for many more years, because every day he's doing something important for The Dallas Morning News. To be able to do that for six decades is really marvelous." Miller joined the city desk staff on Sept. 24, 1951, making $52.50 a week. In his application, Miller claimed he could type 45-plus words a minute but didn't know shorthand. For "nationality or descent," he wrote "American." He didn't own a car. His favorite hobbies were "reading, sports, driving, discussing politics." Three years after Miller's hiring, his employment file noted that he's "A finished reporter -- Definitely one to keep for the future." His salary was jacked up to $75 a week, or $3,794.40 a year. Whoever penned his evaluation couldn't possibly have envisioned that "the future" would span into the next millennium and then some. Jeanne Prejean recalled the lesson Miller taught her in 1974, when she was covering the Fortnight Gala at the Fairmont as our young society editor. She had discovered that Jack Benny wasn't going to be able to perform because his hands weren't working properly. Three physicians had escorted Benny back to his hotel room. A little while later, she ran into Miller and nonchalantly told him that the headliner comedian would be a no-show because of his ailment. "He gave me that Miller wide-eyed, open-mouth look and asked if I had called the city desk. When I said no, he marched me to a pay phone. I told him that I didn't have any money. He pulled out change, called the city desk and handed me the phone. The next morning the story was on the front page," said Prejean, who now competes with Miller in covering the philanthropic and social scene for a number of media outlets. Jim Ewell, our venerable retired police reporter, told how Miller (with the help of his wife, Shirley, who also has a journalism degree) marshaled the newspaper's coverage on that Sunday when Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald. Miller was, and still is, the consummate newshound. Rena Pederson, former editor of the editorial page, recalled how in 1976, Miller got approval to send Philip Wuntch to the Academy Awards -- the first time The News had ever sent anyone and the lifetime dream assignment of our longtime movie critic. Unfortunately, Wuntch was struck with a terrible case of the flu. Determined to go, he slowly trudged out of the newsroom, sweating profusely. After every few steps Wuntch took, Miller reminded him of another deadline. "Don't forget to call at 6:30. ... Don't forget to call at 8:30. ... Don't forget to call at 10:30. "And don't die on me, because I'll never get budget approval for this again." Bob Compton, who worked for Miller as an assistant city editor, said his former boss was quick to appreciate the journalistic talents of women. In one case, Miller nurtured the talents of a young woman from the tiny West Texas town of Matador, assigning her the Dallas Independent School District and its board, which even in those days was in turmoil. "With Miller's constant counsel, she became a top-notch reporter, and soon The News sent her to become a member of the Washington Bureau, later assigned to the White House." In 1984, Karen Elliott House won the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting for The Wall Street Journal and later became its publisher. I owe my career as a business journalist to Miller -- not because he hired me, but because he didn't -- and he owes his second career as a business columnist to me. In 1972, as a 20-year-old headed into my senior year at Southern Methodist University, I interviewed for a summer internship with Miller, a 48-year-old and fairly scary city editor. He didn't want me, so I landed an internship in business news -- the newsroom backwater at the time. The department's status rose dramatically when Burl Osborne took over as publisher and proclaimed business and sports as the newspaper's franchises that would win the newspaper war against the Dallas Times Herald. Beginning in the early 1980s, I (as business editor) and my boss, Bob Mong (now editor of the newspaper), had the happy task of building the largest business news department of any regional newspaper in the country. But in 1984, we realized we had a hole in our coverage. "We were making rapid progress covering the public and private sectors in North Texas, but were falling short in the nonprofit realm," Mong recalled. "Bob filled a great need for us. Suddenly, there was always a place for philanthropic and fundraising news, a place for the creative ideas of the best not-for-profit leaders. Bob's hard work and steadiness raised the profile of nonprofits in North Texas." Jim Moroney, chief executive and publisher, summed up the feelings with: "What he's done for this community and what he's done for this institution is remarkable. It's unequaled and unparalleled." He presented Miller with a crystal award to commemorate his 60 years of service and dedication to journalism. Heck, what do you give a guy who was given a gold watch two decades ago? When ordering the piece, The News didn't ask for a volume discount. It, like its recipient, is one of a kind. ___ (c)2011 The Dallas Morning News Visit The Dallas Morning News at www.dallasnews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |