Margaret E. Threlkeld Miller

(October 31, 1904 – November 7, 2003)

Residence Hall matron; Hostess and Food Service Employee

Margaret E. Threlkeld was born and raised in the farming community of Edwardsport, Indiana. She grew up within a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) household.

On June 20, 1923, she married Raymond Miller in Edwardsport. A graduate of Bethany College (WV), Raymond completed graduate studies at Butler University and Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. He became an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and served several different churches in Indiana during the era of the Great Depression.

Raymond Miller served as an Army Chaplain from 1942 to 1946 during the years of the Second World War. During this time, Margaret Miller held the family together on the home front raising a son (John) and a daughter (Vivian).

The Millers moved to Eureka, Illinois, in 1955. Raymond served as a professor of Education from 1958 until his retirement in 1966. Margaret was hired as the dorm mother of Jones Hall, a residence hall that had just been completed in 1953. She eventually transitioned from this position and became a food service employee at the Dickinson Commons once it was established in 1962.

Affectionately known as "Ma" and "Pa" Miller, the couple quickly became beloved members of the campus community as "Ma" Miller was the official hostess of the Commons, and "Pa" Miller, while a college professor by day, was the Commons' own Mr. Fix-it handyman by night. Many alumni of Eureka College have memories of "Ma" Miller announcing their birthdays during a meal and leading the entire campus in a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday." "Ma" Miller also established her own code of Commons justice and etiquette. She imposed $5 fines on anyone who threw food or misbehaved in any sort during a meal. It was also her policy that in order to be served an evening meal on Wednesdays and Sundays one had to "dress up" for the occasion - coat and tie for young men and dressy dresses for young women.

As a minister’s wife who had lived through the Great Depression and known the uncertainty of the Second World War era, “Ma” Miller was truly a surrogate parent for many college students who were away from home and family for the first time in their lives. She didn’t just dish out food—she listened, she shared advice, and she demonstrated that people caring about people is an essential art of our shared humanity.

When the couple retired in 1966 a painting of them—done in the style of Grant Wood’s “American Gothic”—was presented to them. That painting hangs to this day in Dickinson Commons where “Ma” Miller’s presence is still felt.

On April 28, 1958, the Millers deeded their family home to Eureka College with the understanding that they could remain living there until they sought other living arrangements. The College received the home in 1978. For a time, the Miller House served as the official guest house of Eureka College.

“Pa” Miller died on January 23, 1983. “Ma” Miller lived to the age of ninety-nine.