[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 27, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE LIFE OF E. WILLIAM MILLER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 27, 2013

  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the life of Mr. E. 
William Miller, who passed away last Friday, February 22nd, 2013 at the 
age of 86. A family man and veteran who served many years as the 
chairman of the Town of Tonawanda's Youth, Parks and Recreation 
Department, Bill dedicated his career to bringing quality public 
facilities and activities to the people of Tonawanda.
   Bill was born in Buffalo, New York, on May 4th, 1926, and lived most 
of his childhood in Kenmore. Upon graduating in 1944 from the newly 
built Kenmore High School, he was drafted to serve our country in World 
War II.
   While in the Army, Bill fought in Belgium, France, and Germany, 
rising to the rank of staff sergeant before his discharge in 1946. 
During his first summer home from battle, he met his future wife, 
Barbara Frost, at Crystal Beach, a popular summer retreat for Western 
New Yorkers in Ontario, Canada. Bill and Barbara married in 1950.
   After graduating from Hobart College in 1951, Bill accepted a job 
installing telephone poles for the New York Telephone Company, and the 
couple moved to Dunkirk. Five years later, they returned to the Buffalo 
area, and built their first and only home in 1958. There, on Abbington 
Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda, they raised three children, and lived 
together until Barbara passed away in 2006.
   In 1973, Bill began his tenure on the Tonawanda Town Board, serving 
as chairman of the Youth, Parks, and Recreation Department. As a 
councilman, he was innovative both in vision and method, working 
tirelessly to bring progressive, utilitarian recreational facilities 
and programs to Tonawanda. Inspired by his family summers at Crystal 
Beach, Bill believed that all people, not just country-club members, 
should have access to high-quality recreational facilities. He 
understood that spaces for public recreation form the fabric of close-
knit communities by giving neighbors opportunities to come together.
   Bill was instrumental in countless projects, including adding roofs 
to the Lincoln and Brighton ice arenas, replacing a deteriorating pool 
with the new Aquatic and Fitness Center, the Senior Citizens Center on 
Ensminger Road, the construction of a boat launch and docks on the 
Niagara River, the Paddock Golf Dome, a driving range, and lighted 
baseball fields. Over his years of service, he earned the nickname 
``Mr. Recreation'' from his colleagues for his inimitable work. By the 
time he retired in 2002, Bill was deputy town supervisor.
   In addition to his time on the town board, Bill worked in the credit 
department at National Gypsum and as an administrator at many area 
hospitals. His devotion to good works extended to his personal life. He 
was a founding member and strong supporter of the Ken-Ton YMCA, and a 
lifelong member of the Deerhurst Presbyterian Church. Politically, he 
was a long-time member of the Ken-Ton Republican Party.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me in expressing our deepest 
condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Mr. Bill Miller, 
especially his daughter, Lynda Vandermeer, and son, Gary. Like so many 
of his neighbors and friends, I am grateful for his many years of 
service to the Town of Tonawanda and Western New York.

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