Posted by Mary Wimberley on 1999-10-22

Samford University will honor an award-winning mystery writer and two prominent businessmen as Alumni of the Year during Homecoming activities Saturday, Oct. 30.

Anne George, Carl E. Miller, Jr., and Carl Edwin Miller, III, will share the spotlight during halftime at the Samford Homecoming football game Saturday afternoon. All are from Birmingham.

George, a 1948 graduate, is the author of a series of popular whodunit books. Her first published novel, Murder on a Girls' Night Out, won the 1996 Malice Domestic Award for best mystery novel, an honor known as an "Agatha."

Her most recent book, This One and Magic Life, a murder mystery set on the Gulf Coast, is a departure from the wacky sisters who figure in her earlier books.

George is a former Alabama State Poet and regular contributor to literary and poetry publications. She was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for a book of verse, Some of It Is True.

"It is no mystery that Anne George is one of the great names associated with this University," said Samford President Thomas E. Corts. "Her success is a matter of pride for all."

Carl E. Miller, Jr., a 1950 Samford graduate, bought Bodine, Bryson & Rohling, Inc., in 1972 and ran the office furniture company until his retirement in 1990.

Carl E. "Eddie" Miller, III, a 1974 Samford graduate, went to work at the company upon graduation and took over as president for his father in 1990.

The Millers are both active in the Birmingham Rotary Club and have been active in United Way campaigns and other community causes. They were recognized as 1998 Volunteers in Philanthropy by the Alabama chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives.

The two businessmen took the lead in a fund-raising project to upgrade Samford's baseball facility and rename it Joe Lee Griffin Field in memory of the late Birmingham business leader. Formal groundbreaking ceremonies were held last May.

"Carl and Eddie Miller have demonstrated uncommon interest and enthusiasm in behalf of Samford for many years," said President Corts. "From my first days here, they have been eager encouragers of Samford's progress. Their devotion to the memory of Joe Lee Griffin and their hard work for their Alma Mater are tributes that will stand for generations."

Other Homecoming events include a concert by the swing group Atomic Fireballs on Friday evening, and reunions and the planting of the Sherman Oak seedling on campus Saturday morning. Alumni honoree George will lead a discussion of her books during a "Live at the Library" program at 10 a.m.

In addition to alumni recognitions, the student Homecoming court will be introduced at football game halftime Saturday afternoon in Seibert Stadium.

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.