Philanthropist played key role in establishing
the Miller Center for Vocation, Ethics & Calling
CONWAY,
Arkansas (July 11, 2023) — Hendrix College is saddened by the June 29 passing of Nadine Strang
Hardin Miller, a United Methodist laywoman who, with her husband, Bob Miller, organized
the Miller Foundation, which provided the 2008 gift establishing the
College’s Miller Center for Vocation, Ethics & Calling.
The
Miller Center was founded to
continue and enhance the traditions of the College’s Hendrix-Lilly Initiative,
a program focused on vocation and calling that was sustained through a
five-year implementation grant and a subsequent three-year sustainability grant
from the Lilly Foundation. The Miller Center officially succeeded the Hendrix-Lilly
Initiative in 2009.
“Nadine
was one of a kind. Her zest for life, grand smile and laughter, passion for
justice, and love for all were just some of the many aspects that made her a
beautiful soul,” said the Rev. Wayne Clark, president and CEO of the Methodist
Foundation for Arkansas, who served as chaplain of the College when the Miller
Center was formed.
“Many
times when I was with Nadine, we were discussing the church or the latest acts
of justice in which she was involved,” said Clark, who counts Miller among his
mentors and teachers. “She loved hearing about how the students at Hendrix were
learning how to incorporate service and passion for others in their everyday
lives, careers, and for some their calling into ordained ministry.”
Since
its founding, the Miller Center has continued to provide service-learning and leadership opportunities to Hendrix students with United Methodist or other Christian
backgrounds, and also to students of other faith traditions or no particular faith tradition. It
supports several Miller Center Service Scholars each year as they find ways to
serve the community and engage in vocational reflection alongside their Hendrix
educational experiences.
“The
love and support [Nadine] and Bob shared, especially with Hendrix, planted
countless seeds of love and justice that will continue to grow in untold and
unknown ways,” Clark said.