The "Mr. Miller - Teacher and Friend" Story

It was an ordinary day. Working at the Gallery in Neffsville, PA. I like to start early in the morning, so my boss and former high school student of mine, Keith, leaves me a list of customers jobs to work on when I get there. Today, after finishing a few of the framing jobs, I picked up these two ancient pieces of 1/4" plywood that had oil paintings on them and looked at my directions for this job. Remove the one from the frame and when the delivery comes, put the two new frames together and place the two oil painting in them. Easy enough, I thought. Then I look at the oil paintings. One is titled "Sunrise Magic" and the other is titled "Mill in the Moonlight." OK, then I study them some more and check the signatures on the paintings. Oh my gosh! Were these painted by Mr. Miller? Mr. Miller was one of my favorite high school teachers. I had him for art class for a few years. Just loved him. And, I believe he liked me, also. How would I know that? Well, one morning before school, another teacher asked if I could go to the art room and cut some paper on Mr. Miller's paper cutter. Sure, so off I went. Mr. Miller was not in the classroom, but the door was open so I went in, turned on the lights, and started cutting the paper ..... as well as part of my finger! Luckily, the school nurse's office was right next door to the art room so I ran to the nurse to show her what I had done on Mr. Miller's paper cutter. A trip to the hospital for a few stitches and a bandage fixed it right back up for me. When I returned I was taken down to the art room by the Principal to talk to Mr. Miller about the accident. Mr. Miller told the Principal that it was an accident and won't happen again. After the Principal left the room, Mr. Miller looked me in the eye and told me not to use anything in the room again unless he is in the room. Didn't talk nasty or yell, like he should have. But, I think I got him in trouble with the principal. See why he was one of my favorites. Seven years later I returned to the same High School as a teacher and my classroom eventually was next to Mr. Miller's classroom. For years and years we talked about the times I had him as a teacher. One day his wife, a high school secretary, died. Mr. Miller was heart-broken and never the same after that. He died within a couple of years. As I worked on the paintings today I talked to Mr. Miller again, reminding him again about me cutting my finger as well as all the good times we spent teaching next to each other. Now, you're probably wondering how I knew these two paintings were from the same Richard "Dick" Miller that I had as a teacher. Well, on the rear of each painting was a printed form from the Scholastic Arts and Photograph Contest. Dick had entered these two paintings in the contest when he was 16 years old and in 11th grade at East Lampeter High School. Way back then the contest had been sponsored by Gimbel Brothers in Philadelphia. I 'Googled' the contest and Gimbel Brothers and found that Scholastics' were started in 1923 and were sponsored by the Philadelphia department store for many years. The same time that Dick would have been in high school in Lancaster. But the real give-away was his printing and signature. Hey, I worked next to him for at least 15 years and can tell his writing as if it is my own. So today, I got to reminisce a little with my old teacher as I worked on hispaintings. Hey, thanks again Mr. Miller for not ratting on me to the Principal when I cut my finger in you room in 1959. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - photos from the top are: preparing to frame the two oil paintings, rear of one of the oils with the Scholastic form still intact, my teacher and friend Mr. Miller. You know, even when I taught with Mr. Miller, I never called him Dick; too much respect for him, I guess.