Interview with Pam Miller, June 12, 2014

Partial Transcript: Okay, it's June 12th, 2014. I'm Arwen Donahue and I'm with Pam Miller and we're at her home in Lexington, Kentucky. This is an interview for the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence Oral History Project.

Segment Synopsis: Pam Miller talks about her early life and her parents' professional careers before she was born. She talks about her father's medical career and about her parents' intellectual and cultural interests during her childhood in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Keywords: Andrés Segovia; Planned Parenthood; Public libraries

Subjects: Education.

Partial Transcript: And how, how did these things like g, go, going with your father to visit the patients and having, having people, uh, in your house from various countries--did, did that--how did that affect your imagination of what you wanted to do with your life?

Segment Synopsis: Miller says the cosmopolitan environment her parents cultivated in their household during her childhood inspired her to ambitions for an active and purpose driven life. She says she wanted to make the world a better place. She talks about attending patient visitation with her father who was a physician. She talks about her sister who was married to Alan Jay Lerner and worked as an editor and led an adventurous life.

Keywords: 20/20; Adnan Khashoggi; Alan Jay Lerner; Fidel Castro; George McGovern; Henry Kissinger; Jacqueline Kennedy; Karen Gundersen; Lee Radziwill; Newsweek; Patrice Lumumba; Prichard Committee; Warren Beatty

Subjects: Education.

Partial Transcript: You, uh--would you say something about, uh--more about--I know that you, uh, have be, been very involved with, uh, activism, s, social justice issues.

Segment Synopsis: Miller talks about her involvement with the National Organization of Women, and Women's Political Caucus. She talks about living in Nigeria and writing for the Hanover newspaper, which exposed her to other ethnic groups for the first time. She talks about participating in the March on Washington and listening to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s mountaintop speech. She talks about her emerging views on social justice and activism.

Keywords: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Eugene Debbs; Feminism; George McGovern; John F. Kennedy; League of Women Voters; National Organization of Women (NOW); Racism; Rotary Club

Subjects: Social justice.

Partial Transcript: Had your parents, uh, talked to you specifically about what you could expect as a, as a woman going into a career, or what they hoped for you?

Segment Synopsis: Miller talks about her parents encouraging her to do anything she chose career wise. She refers to her stay in Nigeria as an example of her personal freedom. She talks about her views on balancing career and family. She talks about her early career in journalism in Washington, D.C. She talks about beginning her own family.

Keywords: Betty Friedan; Congressional Quarterly; Gloria Steinhem; Nigeria; Planned Parenthood; Smith College; Walter Reed Hospital

Subjects: Political activists.

Partial Transcript: --Lexington, you became involved with, um, with the McGovern campaign and, uh, the League of Women Voters.

Segment Synopsis: Miller talks about moving to Lexington, Kentucky and becoming involved in the League of Women Voters campaign to merge local government and study congressional reform. She talks about the relationships she formed in the League of Women Voters. She talks about the decisions her family made regarding her children's education. She talks about running for city council and working on after school programs for local students.

Keywords: After school programs; Cindy Heine; Latchkey kids; League of Women Voters; Marian Jordan; Pam Sexton; Summer Shades

Subjects: Education.; Political activists.

Partial Transcript: Can you d--tell about how you got involved with the Prichard Committee--with the Committee on Higher Education in Kentucky's Future?

Segment Synopsis: Miller recalls the process of her appointment to the Prichard Committee by the governor. She talks about the people she met and worked with on the committee. She talks about the issues the committee considered during their meetings.

Keywords: Al Smith: William McCann; Bert Combs; Bob Sexton; Edward Prichard, Jr.; Higher education; Law schools; Lois Weinberg; Nepotism; Primary education; School administration; Secondary education

Subjects: Education policy & development; Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: Did you know--did you get to know Ed Prichard very well in that process?

Segment Synopsis: Miller recalls her acquaintance with Ed Prichard, including reading to him after he became blind. She talks about socializing with other members on the committee after meetings.

Keywords: Al Smith; Bert Combs; Committee on Higher Education; Dialysis; Edward Prichard, Jr.; Thomas D. Clark

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence; Prichard Committee on Higher Education in Kentucky's Future

Partial Transcript: Do you think if Ed Prichard were alive today he could go out in, in public and say we need to not think about education in such vocational terms because that limits higher education--the scope of higher education too much...

Segment Synopsis: Miller discusses the purposes of education versus vocational training. She expresses concern in the declining interest in liberal arts education.

Keywords: History; Liberal arts education; Vocation

Subjects: Education.

Partial Transcript: Okay well then, uh, stepping back into the time line, and, and back into, uh, your work with the Prichard Committee, did you, did you stay--y, y, you--after you returned from your time in Switzerland you got back involved in the, in the council.

Segment Synopsis: Miller talks about her work with the Prichard Committee and on city council at the same time. She says city council was her primary focus and she talks about various projects she worked on while on council. She talks about her work establishing the Farmers' Market.

Keywords: Bluegrass Organic Consumers Association (BOCA); Harry Marsh; Kentucky Theater; Lexington Farmers' Market; Phil Wyler; Triangle Park; Urban Renewal Board

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: Can you tell me something about your awaren, awareness and interest in environmental issues?

Segment Synopsis: Miller talks about the development of her interest in environmental issues after reading Rachel Carson's book, "The Sea Around Us." She discusses a variety of environmental issues. She talks about the impact of tobacco production on Kentucky agriculture.

Keywords: Climate change; Environmental science; Green space; Rachel Carson; Sanitary sewers; Storm sewers; The Sea Around Us

Subjects: Environmentalism.

Partial Transcript: I, uh, also--interested in hearing more as a mayor of Lexington how you--some of the education initiatives that you started.

Segment Synopsis: Miller talks about her work on educational projects while she was mayor of Lexington, Kentucky. She talks about a crisis that nearly caused a riot in Lexington when a police officer shot and killed a young African American man. She talks about the development of Partners for Youth in the aftermath of that crisis.

Keywords: Latchkey kids; Partners for Youth; Sex education; Sports programs; Toyota

Subjects: Education policy & development

Partial Transcript: And you mentioned earlier your, your awareness of race issues and, uh, the disadvantages that African Americans have in this country by virtue of their, their legacy of slavery. Um, how did that play out in your later work?

Segment Synopsis: Miller talks about her personal remorse over the shooting death of Tony Sullivan by the Lexington Police. She talks about working to improve community conditions on the poorer north end of Lexington.

Keywords: Tony Sullivan; Walmart

Subjects: Elections.

Partial Transcript: All right, so, uh, will you talk a little bit about, about the--your perception of the Prichard Committee and its work over the years? When, when you were mayor did you, did you work with the Prichard Committee formally in any--on any projects?

Segment Synopsis: Miller talks about working with the Prichard Committee in its early days, before she became mayor of Lexington, and again after her retirement as mayor. She talks about her working relationship with Bob Sexton. She talks about the philosophy of working with the public to achieve reform. She talks about the work of the Prichard Committee during her tenure as chair.

Keywords: Accountability; Education standards; Family Resource Centers; Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA)

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: I read that, uh, you were, you were interested in, uh, the issue of principals in the Fayette County School, um, after kind of learning about how, uh, how poverty was affecting children's performance.

Segment Synopsis: Miller talks about the ability of kids to learn regardless of economic status if given good teachers and quality educational opportunities. She talks about the importance of teacher training and professionalism.

Keywords: Education Trust; Gates Foundation; Kati Haycock; Teacher training

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: One thing that we were working on very much in the early 2000s is, is, uh, preschool care for children. And let me say it differently, really it's early childhood education.

Segment Synopsis: Miller talks about early childhood education and studies that demonstrate its importance. She says children who do not receive preschool education will be behind by kindergarten. She says she was surprised by the appointment by Steve Brashear to the Council on Postsecondary Education. She laments poor pay and training causing teachers not to be well prepared to teach.

Keywords: Council for Post-secondary Education; Mark Tucker; Teacher training

Subjects: Preschool children.; Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: Are you, uh--do you coordinate with other states, or other state--programs in other states doing something like what you'd like to see happen here?

Segment Synopsis: Miller talks about coordinating efforts with groups outside of Kentucky to implement experimental educational programs in Kentucky.

Keywords: Council for Post-secondary Education; Council on Postsecondary Education; Mark Tucker; Professional Standards Board; Robert King; Terry Holiday

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence