Jack was born and grew up on a farm at Nathan’s Creek, NC in Ashe County. He was the second of four children born to William Thomas and Virginia Juanita Bledsoe Miller. He was a veteran of World War II, having enlisted in the US Navy, and he served in the radar program as an aviation electronics technician. After the war, he attended NC State University and met the love of his life, Marianna Morris, at a Methodist Youth Fellowship meeting. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin and did research on reproductive physiology at the University of Illinois. He was the first to develop a practical procedure for freezing bull semen, an important development that was of great benefit to the dairy industry.
In 1953, Jack joined the UGA Dairy Science Department as an assistant professor to teach, to do research, and to advise graduate students. During his time at the university, he won numerous national and international awards and published nearly 500 articles and papers, including 3 books, many book chapters, and review articles.
When Jack advised graduate students, he included them as part of his research team. He made sure that all of them got their degrees on time, and many of his students had research papers published in prestigious journals by the time they graduated. In 1973 Jack was given the title of Alumni Foundation Distinguished Professor with Lifetime Tenure, based on accomplishments already made, in all areas of science at UGA.
Jack was an active member of the First United Methodist Church of Athens, Georgia. He is preceded in death by his wife, Marianna Morris Miller. He is survived by his four children Virginia McGuffey (Wade), Nancy Jones (Randall), Barbara Goetz (Victor), and Bill Miller (Kim), 10 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 10:00 am on October 14, 2023, at Talmadge Terrace (Wesley Woods), 801 Riverhill Drive.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to either the First United Methodist Church of Athens, 327 N. Lumpkin St., Athens, GA 30601, Nathan’s Creek United Methodist Church, 422 Nathans Creek School Rd., Crumpler, NC 28617, or Senter Primitive Baptist Church, 578 Nathans Creek School Rd., Crumpler, NC 28617.
Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of funeral arrangements.
