Clifford F. Miller, one of the first professors hired to teach at Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC), has donated a gift of nearly $1 million to the college to be used for scholarships for students studying technology.

In recognition of this contribution, the Student Services Center on the Schnecksville campus will be renamed the Clifford Miller Student Services Center. A dedication and naming ceremony is to held in 2021.

Miller was hired in 1968 to teach mechanical technology at LCCC and retired on May 31, 1987. He was named professor emeritus in 1999. Miller died in April 2020 at the age of 94.

Miller, a native of Reading, graduated from Reading High School in 1940 and attended Wyomissing Polytechnical Institute. He was an Army veteran, having served during World War II.

He was a draftsman for Textile Machine Works, Reading, before retiring in 1958 as a senior designer. He taught mechanical drafting at William Allen High School from 1958 to 1968, before joining the faculty at LCCC.

Miller received a bachelor’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania in 1963 and a masters of education from Temple University in 1966.

“Cliff Miller was one of the first faculty to devote time and dedication to start the Technology Department when LCCC was just a small college housed in the Lehigh County courthouse,” said James DePietro, LCCC professor who replaced Miller after he retired.

“He was such an innovator and had a tremendous passion for teaching students. His love for cars was evident in his design classes as his former students said he always could turn a classroom discussion to car talk somehow, someway.

“He also was one of the first instructors in the Valley to introduce CAD into the classroom, as he partnered in a pilot program with the school of engineering at Lehigh University.”

“Mr. Miller was immensely dedicated to LCCC students and the community, even after his retirement,” said LCCC President Dr. Ann D. Bieber. “This gift is an example of his commitment to them. He understood the benefits of higher education and especially community colleges. He valued that students in his classes were likely to remain locally for work and were a positive impact on the economic development of our region.”

Part-time and full-time students will be eligible for the scholarship, with preference to students studying in technology fields.

Information: Silvia Vargas, executive director, LCCC Foundation, smaldonadovargas@lccc.edu.