N. Edd Miller

A memorial service for N. Edd Miller, 84, a Reno resident and former president of the University of Nevada, Reno, will be at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at UNR.

Dr. Miller died Nov. 13, 2004, of colon cancer. He was born March 13, 1920, in Houston to Newton E. and Anastasia Johnston Miller.

He attended Houston public schools.

He began working at the age of 10 as a water boy with road-building crews and as a delivery boy for the Saturday Evening Post and the Houston Press.

He worked his way through the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with a bachelor's degree at the age of 19 in 1939 and then immediately began his university teaching career.

During World War II, the U.S. Navy selected him as one of only two instructors qualified to teach all of its training programs on the University of Texas campus.

He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1952 and was a member of the faculty there from 1947-65.

In 1965, Dr. Miller became president of the University of Nevada, Reno, and later served as president of the University of Maine at Portland-Gorham. He was nationally prominent in the field of communication and debate and authored a widely used textbook on the subject.

He was considered an expert on higher education accreditation and recently assisted in creating national standards for naturopathic education. At the end of his career, he returned to Reno and was an active supporter of the arts, receiving the Governor's Award for distinguished service to the arts and humanities.

Among his survivors are his wife of 62 years, Nena; daughter and son-in-law Cathy Berkley and Robert Barnes of Santa Fe, N.M.; son and daughter-in-law Kenn and Hwei-Li Miller of San Gabriel, Calif.; grandchildren David and Lynn Berkley, Michael and Evelyn Berkley, William Miller and Su-Ling Miller and great-grandchildren Tom and Maggie Berkley.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Edd and Nena Miller Associated Student Union fund at the University of Nevada, Reno; the Miller-Rousse Debate Fund at the University of Texas at Austin; the Lear Theater in Reno; or a charity of choice.

FitzHenry's Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.