Former Fighter Pilot Demonstrated the 'Right Stuff' In Business and Devotion To Family and Community
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| Vance C. Miller, the chairman and CEO of The Henry S. Miller Co., passed away unexpectedly at 79. |
Vance C. Miller, the chairman and CEO of The Henry S. Miller Co., died last weekend in Dallas. He was 79.
Miller and his father, Henry S. Miller, Jr., took the real estate business his grandfather launched in 1914 and expanded it from a small one-man real estate company into one of the largest and most successful real estate operations in Texas.
During his more than 50-year career in real estate, the Henry S. Miller Co. became synonymous with the growth and success of Miller's adopted hometown of Dallas. The firm grew from $81 million in volume in 1971 to more than $2 billion by 1981, when the company became the largest real estate brokerage firm in Texas and the seventh largest in the nation.
Born in 1933 in Oklahoma, Miller graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas with a business degree in 1954. He served as a jet fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force and briefly considered pursuing a career in the military before deciding to join his father and grandfather in the family business in 1959.
In addition to brokerage and property management services, his firm developed several million square feet of real estate projects throughout north Texas. Miller also served on the boards of numerous public companies and financial institutions, and he mentored a number of developers and brokers in the Dallas real estate community. The firm remains one of the largest independent full service
commercial real estate firms with five offices in Texas, and will mark its 100th anniversary in January 2014.
The company said the leadership currently in place will continue with business as usual. Additional details on its leadership structure will be announced next week. Two of Miller's sons have leadership roles at the firm. Gregory L. Miller is president of Henry S. Miller Equity Partners, and Vaughn Miller is president of the retail division of Henry S. Miller Brokerage.
In addition to his numerous business accomplishments, Miller and his wife, Geraldine 'Tincy' Miller, contributed their time and support to numerous cultural, charitable and political causes throughout the region.
In addition to his two sons and his wife of 56 years, Miller is survived by a daughter, Cynthia Vance-Abrams, and eight grandchildren. Other relatives include his brother, Henry S. Miller III; and two sisters, Patsy Miller Donosky and Jacqueline Miller Stewart.