Franklin Miller, Jr.

Franklin Miller Jr. (September 8, 1912 – October 4, 2012) was an American physicist, textbook author, and professor at Kenyon College. He wrote an introductory physics textbook College Physics, created his single-concept physics demonstration films funded by the National Science Foundation, and had a long career as a teacher and scholar. Miller received the 1970 Robert A. Millikan Medal for distinguished contributions to physics education. Kenyon College later named the Franklin Miller Observatory in his honor.

Early life and education Miller was born on September 8, 1912 in St. Louis, Missouri, to Franklin Miller, a lawyer and judge, and Maude Barnes, a writer.

He graduated from Swarthmore College in 1933 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics, where he also played soccer and participated in track. During his time at Rutgers he conducted research on double-crystal spectrometer theory, radioactive tracers in biology, and discontinuities in thermal expansion coefficients.

In 1948 Miller joined the faculty of Kenyon College as professor of physics.

Service to Kenyon College and community Miller played a key role in introducing computing to Kenyon College. In 1968 he helped secure the installation of the college’s first digital computer, an IBM 1130, and became Kenyon’s first in-house computer specialist.

The Franklin Miller Award is given annually to Kenyon College students who make unusual or significant contributions to the academic environment of the college.

A memorial minute prepared by colleagues described Miller as the “backbone of the physics department” and “a rare combination of theoretical and experimental talent.”

Death Miller died on October 4, 2012, at the age of 100.

Selected works

Concepts in Physics: A High School Physics Program, by F. Miller, Thomas J. Dillon & Malcolm K. Smith. 1974. NSF-funded physics demonstration film series (1963), including the preservation of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse footage.