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Note: Vinnie Hunter Miller A Brief Biographical Sketch Hunter Miller was born June 1, 1913 in Cisco Eastland County, Texas. His father, Homer Raby Miller until retirement was a traveling salesman with wide contacts among wholesale grocers throughout the state; his mother Rose Hunter Miller, managed the home, reared two children, and took an active part in club work, being a member of the board of directors of The Texas Federation of Women's Clubs. Hunter has one sister, Zona Alford who was married to Colonel David Gaston Alford. From their father the children learned patience and tolerance and kindness and consideration for others; from their mother they learned that to these qualities must be added drive, initiative, the meaning of perfection, and especially the will to win. The public schools of Cisco, Texas provided an opportunity for elementary learning. History, English, Civics, Economics, Spanish, and Latin were the subjects of greatest interest in high school. After graduation in 1930, a semester in Marion Military Institute, a prep school in Alabama for The Naval Academy followed. There it was determined by the Ishihara test that colorblindness (as opposed to color ignorance) was present and would render further study toward gaining admission to The Naval Academy useless. Immediate return to Cisco was the result. A junior college and various odd jobs at common labor for Humble Pipe Line Company, Lone Star Gas Company, and local contractors occupied the next two years. In June of 1933 the move to Austin was made, the first job there being that of waiting on tables and washing dishes at a boarding house. Various other part-time jobs - from that of clerk for a State senator to that of warehouse laborer for a wholesale beer distributorship - made it possible eventually to graduate from the University of Texas with a major in government and a minor in economics in 1937 at which time work was obtained with the Texas State Employment Service. Two years were spent in that work at Houston, where a couple of promotions were obtained under conditions both pleasant and rewarding but not financially renumerative. Offer of employment in Austin at better pay and with greater hope for faster promotion was therefore accepted in August of 1939. Return to the beer business led to rapid advancement from bookkeepers to sales manager to general manager. War came. Military service followed. The time from March 20, 1942 until March 31, 1946 was spent as a private, corporal, sergeant, 2nd lieutenant, and 1st lieutenant in intelligence work for The Air Force. At the conclusion of hostilities, Hunter returned to his former employment in Austin where he remained until January 1, 1948. He then moved to Boerne, Texas to take over a distributorship which he had been offered. There he stayed, self employed, until September of 1957 when work as manager of the Beaumont organization was accepted. In early 1965 a group of Austin businessmen asked for help in getting a Galveston "marineworld" venture under way and this exciting offer was accepted. By November of that year, the project was off the ground with satisfaction to all concerned. Meanwhile, a Galveston brewery had extended an invitation to return to Beaumont as their distributor. After due notice to the Austin group, this move was made and it proved to be an error. Thanks to the help of many friends, this unproductive enterprise was sold for a profit in August of 1968. A period of unemployment followed. Then, although begun too late, an effort was made from 1970 to 1973 to save two failing Austin beer distributorships. Both companies, regrettably, are out of business, as the trend to the two major national brands gathers momentum with increasing velocity. Jobs working in the field of life insurance and real estate sales followed. Poor health forced early retirement and during this time school studies at Austin Community College and the University of Texas at Austin were undertaken. Outside activities included trade association work for The Sabine District Wholesale Beer Distributors Association, of which Hunter was president, committee work in The Kiwanis Club, membership in the Masonic Lodge, and attendance at Saint Mark's Episcopal Church in downtown Beaumont. Married in Tampa, Florida on May 16, 1944, Hunter has a wife, Martha, whom he met at the University of Texas, and three sons, Stephen Paul, Benjamin Raby, and Hunter Scott. From the Austin American-Statesman dated September 29, 1987 Page D19 Vinnie Hunter Miller Vinnie Hunter Miller, age 74, a long time resident of Austin, passed away Sunday. Mr. Miller was a graduate of the University of Texas, and for 35 years had a career in the wholesale beer distributorship. After retirement, he returned to school, taking many math courses at the University of Texas and Austin Community College to keep his mind sharp. Mr. Miller was a veteran of World War II, a Shriner, and a member of St. David's Episcopal Church. He was preceded in death by his son, Stephen Paul Miller, on June 17, 1987. Survivors include his wife, Martha Miller; sons, Benjamin Raby Miller of El Paso, and Hunter Scott Miller of Austin; sister, Zona Alford of Shawnee, Oklahoma; and four grandchildren. Funeral services are 3:30 PM, Tuesday at St. David's Episcopal Church, with Reverend Dutch Stolz officiating. Interment will be in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, near Denver, where Mr. Miller will be laid to rest next to his first born son, Stephen Paul Miller. Those desiring may make memorial contributions to Carl Farley's Boys Ranch, 600 W. 11th St., Amarillo, Texas. Services under the direction of Wilke-Amey-Clay Funeral Home. From the Cisco Lobo, student paper of Cisco High School, Cisco, TX Volume IX, Number 20, dated March 16, 1928 In a program for the Latin Club, Hunter Miller played Neptune. Volume IX, Number 22, dated March 29, 1928 Hunter Miller, Band '27, '28, Latin Club, '26, '27 In a story called "My Ideal Junior Boy", Hair and Humor of Hunter Miller, Ambition of J. Hollis Clark. Photo appeared on the front page of "The Austin American" newspaper dated Monday, May 19, 1941. There was a story about the Falstaff distributorship where he was manager.
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