George T. Miller Collection

Collection

Identifier: 10-1-C-3

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection consists mostly of World War II realia and memorabilia donated to former Slippery Rock State Teacher's College (SRSTC) art faculty member George T. Miller from WWII soldiers who attended SRSTC. Items include military pins and metals, a fragment of a bombed Burmese Temple, a welding rod stub used to construct the U.S.S. Shangri-La, Southwest Pacific native war clubs, soldiers Christmas cards, a variety international WWII era paper currency, and a piece of the keel from Captain Perry's flagship, the Lawrence, destroyed during the Battle of Erie in 1813.

Dates

1813 - 1945
Majority of material found within 1940 - 1945

Creator

Miller, George T. (1891-1963) (Person)

Conditions Governing Use

"The items in this collection are protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use these items in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the rights-holder(s) for educational uses. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

See In Copyright-Educational Use Permitted on RightsStatements.org for more infomation.

The Slippery Rock University Archives assumes no responsibility for copyright infringement by users. Contact the Archives at rockarchives@sru.edu for more information."

Biographical / Historical

George Tasker Miller (May 10, 1891 – July 5, 1963) was born in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, to John C. Miller and Margaret Miller (Goodfellow).

Miller graduated from Slippery Rock Normal School in 1911. He received his bachelor of art degree from Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, and his master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Miller served in the Navy during World War I. His experiences during the war inspired him to start The Victory Bell, a newsletter created during his tenure at Slippery Rock Teachers College, where he served on the faculty from 1931 to 1947. He wrote The Victory Bell for students serving in World War II. The newsletter was mailed all over the world, reaching approximately 700 recipients. After WWII, many of the returning students showed their appreciation to Miller by presenting him with war memorabilia they had collected during their deployment. Many of these items are included in his collection in the Slippery Rock University Archives.

Prior to being the head of the Slippery Rock Art Department, Miller taught at Aliquippa High School and Peabody High School in Pittsburgh. After leaving Slippery Rock he went on to work for the Department of Education in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was in charge of art education at public schools and state colleges.

Throughout his career, Miller traveled the world visiting art collections throughout Europe, Canada, and America. In 1950, Miller was sent to Cuba by the Department of Education in Washington, D.C. to survey their educational institutions.