James C. Miller, Ph.D. Obituary for Cecil R. Miller, A.B., B.D., M.A., Ph.D. (1912-2002), 2002, 1965-1957, 1952-1950
"Dr. Cecil R. Miller was born in Waterloo IA in 1912 and graduated from East HS in 1930. He received his A.B. in Philosophy, Education and Psychology from Cornell College (Mt Vernon IA) in 1937 and his B.D. in Religious Education and Counseling from Drew University (Madison NJ) in 1940. From 1940 to 1941, he pursued graduate studies at Drew in Mental Hygiene Counseling and trained at the NJ State Hospital, Greystone Park. From 1937 to 1941 he ministered to Methodist congregations at Summit NJ, Round Top and Acra NY, Madison NJ, and Olin IA. He served from 1941 to 1945 as a Navy chaplain at Great Lakes IL and Pearl Harbor, and then as an Army psychologist at San Francisco, Ephrata WA, and March Field CA.
"In 1946, he worked as a Senior Clinical Psychologist at the California Vocational Institute, Lancaster CA, and then until 1950 as a Senior Vocational Counselor and Assistant Center Director at UCLA's VA Vocational Guidance Center while he pursued graduate studies in Clinical Psychology at UCLA. He interned in 1950-52 at the Psychology Clinics at UCLA and Kabat-Kaiser, Santa Monica CA. From 1953 to 1954 he was a Research Assistant with the Los Angeles Board of Education, from 1954 to 1955 a Vocational Advisor for the United Cerebral Palsy Association in Los Angeles, from 1955 to 1956 a Personnel Consultant with the California Test Bureau in Los Angeles, and from 1956 to 1957 the Director of Staff Development, Nutrilite Products, Buena Park CA.
"From 1957 until 1965, he was a Human Factors Scientist at the Systems Development Division of RAND Corporation and then the Systems Development Corporation, Santa Monica CA. At SDC, he worked in the Field Operations Department under the USAF System Training Program (STP) checking out, installing and training trainers and programmers to use the Weapons Evaluation and Subsystem Training (WEST) in the North American Air Defense (NORAD) and Air Defense Command SAGE computer networks. He helped design Desk Top exercises: computer-simulated attacks on the entire North American air defense system. In conjunction with this work, Dr. Miller invented the Quadractor, a protractor with all 360 degrees represented in one quadrant that was used as a manual aid in the development of simulation problems (SDC Disclosure File Number 58, 1963).
"He completed his M.A. and his doctoral studies (ABD) in Clinical Psychology at UCLA in 1954; he received his doctorate in 1964. His doctoral dissertation was titled, "Psychological Characteristics of Young Adult Cerebral Palsied Industrial Workshop Trainees" (Diss Abstr, v. 25, no. 9, 1965). Dr. Miller was licensed by the State of California (PL 233, M 5258) and was a member of the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. He conducted a clinical practice in San Pedro CA from 1965 until recent years and was on staff at San Pedro Peninsula Hospital and Little Company of Mary Health Services of Torrance CA.
"Dr. Miller held memberships in the American (1949 through 2003; #1250-9054), Western, California and Los Angeles County (former Secretary) Psychological Associations; the National Vocational Guidance Association; the Projective Techniques Society; the Human Factors Society; the Simulation Council in and after 1965; and before 1965 in the American Management Association, the Personnel Directors Association, the Los Angeles Personnel Testing Council (which he re-joined in later years), and the National Management Association.
"Dr. Miller passed away on 28 July 2002 at the age of 89. He leaves his wife of 59 years, Wilhelmina (Billie) of Rancho Palos Verdes CA, where they had resided since 1965; son Dr. James C. (Jay) Miller and daughter-in-law Joye Miller; two granddaughters, Stacey and Ju-Young Miller; and two sisters, Merle Melrose and Veramae DeBonis; he was pre-deceased by three other sisters, Lucille and Kathryn Miller, and Loy Bauman. He participated with his son in Cub Scouts as a den leader and pack master, and subsequently as a Junior/Senior Hi-Y club sponsor and as a director of the West Los Angeles YMCA, and camped with his son with those groups. He and his son shared an appreciation for physiological psychology, enjoying discussions on that subject for many decades. They also shared a love of puns and groaners. Dr. Miller's ashes were scattered by his family in the sea near his adopted town of San Pedro. Donations in his memory may be made to the Bridges Fund of Little Company of Mary Community Health Foundation, 1300 W. 7th Street, San Pedro CA 90732.
Submitted by James C. Miller, Ph.D., CPE (jcmiller@brooks.af.mil, tel. 210-536-3596); 13 Aug 2002