Our Story
Building a Legacy
The Elinor and T.W. Miller Jr. Foundation began as a way for Elinor and Bill to use their resources to support and enhance their communities. Today, the foundation continues to honor their vision and legacy through a commitment to community engagement.
Elinor and T.W. Miller Jr.
Elinor Miller was born in Orlando, Florida, in 1912. From an early age, the value of serving her community was instilled in her, as her father, Dr. Verner Estes, was the mayor of Orlando from 1935-1937. She attended Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, where she met T.W. (Bill) Miller Jr. who also graduated from Rollins College. They were married in 1935, and they had one son, Thomas W. Miller III. Throughout her life, Elinor took an active role in civic organizations such as the American Red Cross, Girl Scouts, and the American Cancer Society.
Bill Miller was born in 1910 to Helen and T.W. Miller Sr. in Ashland, Ohio. Bill’s father was the founder of Faultless Rubber, Co., which had flourished in the booming rubber industry of the time. After gaining early work experience in the banking business, Bill joined the family business in 1938, and in 1949, he was named president of the company. He held that role until the Faultless Rubber was acquired by Abbott Laboratories in 1970. Throughout his life, Bill was passionate about people. He loved getting to know them and would do his best to find ways to help them, often anonymously.
Serving their Communities
The Millers were passionate about the communities in which they lived. They created the Elinor and T.W. Miller Jr. Foundation to ensure that their resources would continue to enhance Winter Park, Florida, Ashland, Ohio and their surrounding areas. The foundation is dedicated to the causes Bill and Elinor loved most: education, health care, athleticism, spiritual health, and community engagement.
Elinor and Bill were both accomplished athletes, and they loved athletic competition and rivalry. They wanted the educational institutions in their communities to prosper and serve their constituencies well. They wanted health care facilities to provide excellent and sensitive care to their patients, and they wanted the churches of the community to tend to the spiritual well-being of their congregants. For those who knew them, they redefined the meaning of community engagement.
The foundation commenced operation in 2004 after Bill passed away, and today, the board continues to follow the Miller’s leadership, honoring their vision and legacy through a commitment to serving the people and institutions of Winter Park and Ashland.