Awards

Honorary Degree - 1954

LL.D.

Doctor of Laws

Ernie Pyle Hall Dedication

Bloomington, Indiana

Presenter: Herman B Wells

About Frederick Alfred Miller

Frederick Albert Miller was born on January 31, 1868. Miller started his career when he was young, learning to set newspaper type as a boy and delivering papers for The Tribune at age 12 in 1880. He graduated from South Bend High School in 1887 where he was president of the class. At the age of 19, he became a member of the reportorial staff of The South Bend Tribune. He was the third generation in the newspaper business.

In 1892, with his father's death, he became the majority stockholder of The Tribune. With the death of Elmer Crockett in 1924, he became president and editor in 1924.

Miller's primary interest in the business was the editorial policies. He believed that a newspaper should be an example of correct English and that subscribers could not only benefit from its information but also its good grammar.

He became one of the charter members of the Associated Press in 1900 when it was founded. He welcomed competition, and in 1921, his newspaper became one of the first to own and operate a radio station.

He worked tirelessly for the advancement of South Bend and its sister city, Mishawaka. Although he was an influential figure in politics, he would not run for office, nor would he permit any of his editorial staff people to run, lest they be subject to influence. In 1945 he declined the offer for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator.

Despite the fact that Miller never attended college, he felt that he benefited from five years of his father's mentoring at the newspaper.

He and Flora Dunn were married in 1892. He received honorary degrees from both Notre Dame and Indiana University.

Under his leadership, The Tribune grew its circulation to 110,000 - the third largest paper in Indiana. He vehemently fought issues such as the Klu Klux Klan in 1924 with many articles that attested to his courage and independence.