Richards Marion "Doc" Miller is a dentist and one of the founders of the

Venturing Venturing is a core program of the Boy Scouts of America for young men and women ages 14 (or 13 and graduated the eighth grade) through 20. It is one of the Boy Scouts' three programs for older youth, which also include Sea Scouts and Exploring ...

program of the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth partici ...

. Miller is the recipient of the

Distinguished Eagle Scout Award The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA) is a distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It is awarded to an Eagle Scout for distinguished service in his profession and to his community for a period of at least 25 years aft ...

and

Silver Buffalo Award The Silver Buffalo Award is the national-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. It is presented for noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth on a national basis, either as part of, or independent of the Scouting pro ...

Early life

Miller attended

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

. While there, he was a cheerleader from 1967 to 1969; becoming the head cheerleader in 1969.

Career

Miller founded a dental practice in Waynesboro, Virginia in 1974. From 1986–1997, Miller was the junior varsity volleyball coach at

Wilson Memorial High School Wilson Memorial High School is a public school located in Fishersville, Virginia. The school is named after the 28th President of the United States, Thomas Woodrow Wilson, who was born in nearby Staunton, Virginia. WMHS, home of the Green Horne ...

Fishersville, Virginia Fishersville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Augusta County, Virginia, United States. The population was 7,462 at the 2010 census, an increase of nearly fifty percent from the 4,998 reported in 2000. It is part of the Staunton– Wayne ...

Scouting

Miller joined the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) when he was fourteen years old and became an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

with two

Eagle Palms Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sco ...

in 1959. Miller was the Eagle Scout chosen to escort President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

for his inauguration and Inaugural Ball in 1960. He joined the Eagle Scout honor society,

Knights of Dunamis A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

, and helped to found a local chapter of its successor, the

National Eagle Scout Association National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, serving as its chairman. Active in the BSA

Order of the Arrow The Order of the Arrow (OA) is the honor society of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), composed of Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives as elected by their peers. The society was created by E. Urner ...

honor since 1957, he served as a lodge adviser. Miller was a Scoutmaster for seven years, was president of the

Virginia Headwaters Council The Virginia Headwaters Council (VAHC) is the local council of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) that serves Scouts in areas of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia and West Virginia and areas of central Virginia. History The first council in the area ...

, and the council commissioner. He was the National Outdoor Venturing Chairman from 1998 to 2004, overseeing 250,000 scouts. From 2000 to 2003, he served on the National BSA Field Book Task Force, writing the ''Fieldbook: The BSA's Manual of Advanced Skills for Outdoor Travel, Adventure, and Caring for the Land, 4th edition'' (2004). He also helped authored the ''

Wood Badge Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership programme and the related award for adult leaders in the programmes of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skills, ...

in the 21st Century'' scout leader training course. In 1985, he received the

, Scouting’s highest commendation for adult volunteers. On May 25, 1996, he was awarded the

Silver Antelope Award The Silver Antelope Award is a distinguished service award presented by the Boy Scouts of America for outstanding service to young people. From 1942 to 2021 it recognized service within one of the geographical regions of the BSA. Beginning in 2022 ...

at the national BSA convention in Hawaii.

Awards and honors

with two

, 1959 *

, 1996 * Distinguished Service Award of the

, 1998 *

Venturing Leadership Award The Venturing Leadership Award is presented by councils, areas, regions, and the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America to Venturers and Venturing Advisors who have made exceptional contributions to Venturing Venturing is a core program ...

, 2000 *

, 2001 *

, 2005

Personal and family life

Miller lives in

Waynesboro, Virginia Waynesboro (formerly Flack) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a principal city of the Staunton-Waynesboro Metropolitan Statistical Area. Waynesboro is located in the Shenandoah Valley and is surrounded by Augusta C ...

with his wife Georgiana Hardesty Miller. He is the father of four daughters and one son who is also an Eagle Scout. He is a member of The Church of the Latter-Day Saints.

References