Science Lab Director Ted Miller, affectionately known as “Mr. T” by his students, works and plays more than most.
He is on his second career, having taught at Hillsdale for ten years after a 30-year career at the Dow Chemical Company, where he developed more than 20 patents. Along the way, he developed a passion for cars, music, and teaching.
Miller grew up in Detroit, where his parents ensured he got a good education.
“I grew up relatively poor, but I was able to go to private school, because my parents scraped together the money to send me,” Miller said. “After that, I went to the University of Detroit.”
Once he completed his master’s program in physics, Miller applied for a job at Dow Chemical, where he ran into a few problems.
“Dow refused to even interview me in the first place because I had a degree in physics and they only wanted people with biochemistry degrees,” he said. “The guy didn’t want to talk to me, and I got really mad and told him that it was ridiculous that he wouldn’t see past my degree. He said, ‘All right, let’s sit down and talk.’ When I got home, I told my wife, ‘Well, if ever I blew an interview, it was that one.’ But they hired me.”
Dow placed Miller in the engineering department of the company, because working in research and development required a Ph.D, but he didn’t stay long.
“I developed a few patents in engineering, so they said, ‘You belong in research and development,’” Miller said. “So, here I am with a master’s competing with Ph.D.s. But I got a reputation for being creative, and I succeeded.”
His creativity led to the creation of more than 20 patented devices through Dow Chemical.
It was during his career that Miller indulged in his passion for cars, a passion that had developed early in his life.
“My family came to Detroit to work in the auto industry,” he said. “When I was five, that’s all anyone ever talked about. My uncle rebuilt a 1954 Triumph TR3 that I bought it for $500. Altogether, the family had 12 cars. It was the culture when we were growing up.”
Before long, Miller began flipping cars for a profit.
“I bought a 1955 Ford Thunderbird for $500, worked on it, and sold it for $3,000,” he said. “It was a lot of fun, but once the kids came, my wife said, ‘Well, it’s time to be an adult now.” So, I stopped playing with cars.”
Once he established himself on the career path at Dow Chemical, Miller couldn’t help but get back into the hobby of car collecting.
“When I worked at Dow, all these bonuses are coming in, so I said, ‘I gotta get into cars.’ I learned that Mercedes SLs were cool, so I got into Mercedes.” One of them was a 190 SL. They made them from 1955 to 1961. I sold it for $40,000. Now, you can’t find one for less than $100,000. Makes me wish I was a little more patient,” he said, laughing.
He later moved from Mercedes to his current car, a 1954 MGTF.
“I broke the rules of flipping,” Miller said. “I traded my 1962 250 SL. It was rare, because it had a fuel injection system, but it was a nightmare, because the engine was so complicated. I traded it for the MG, which was in a museum. It runs perfectly, which annoys me, because I like it when my cars need me.”
Miller retired from Dow Chemical in 2004, but still wanted to teach.
“While I was at Dow, I loved teaching,” he said. “I taught physics at Delta College because I wanted to teach. I didn’t make very much money as an adjunct professor, but it was enough to buy a ’75 Corvette.”
Because of his conservative nature, Miller applied for jobs at small private schools like Adrian, Albion, and eventually Hillsdale.
“I wrote a blind letter to Frank Steiner here at Hillsdale,” he said. “He and Mark Nussbaum picked me up, and it turned into 10 years of teaching. I love it.”
Professor of Chemistry Mark Nussbaum said Miller is an asset to the college.
Ted is friendly, down-to-earth, and tremendously helpful,” Nussbaum said in an email. “He brings real-world experience from Dow Chemical Company that our chemistry and biochemistry majors appreciate, and he has become our go-to person with regard to chemical safety.”
Miller developed a passion for Hillsdale and its principles, a passion which convinced his nephew, sophomore Frank Beranek, to attend.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my uncle,” Beranek said. “One summer a few years ago when I told him I wanted to go back to school, he asked me to visit Hillsdale before deciding where to attend. When I first visited campus, I was immediately convinced I had found where I belong.”
