Winter Park History Museum's "A Stroll Down Park Avenue"

Bob Miller's Oral History

• Winter Park History Museum • Season 1 • Episode 1

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Bob Miller speaks on growing up and living in Winter Park since the 1940s. Bob shares stories on what it was like to live above beloved local restaurant Harper's Tavern and how his family’s business, Miller's Hardware, has continued to succeed and serve the Central Florida community for over 75 years.  

Linda Kulmann:

Okay. We're gonna start now. Good morning, Robert. Good morning. It's February 12 2021. And I'm Linda Kulmann. And And, it is now about 10:05 or 10:10, and it's the other interviewer today is Rick Baldwin. And the individual who we're interviewing is our friend, Robert A. Miller, of February 12 2021. And the first thing I want to say is welcome, Miller's Hardware and long, longtime resident of Winter Park.

Bob Miller:

Correct. and we're awfully glad to, that your here today. Well I'm glad to be here.

Linda Kulmann:

In so many ways, we are to, and we have some

Bob Miller:

I'm not sure about that date but general questions and some specific questions and things that you think about while we're pitching to you, please feel free to talk about the things that are important to you. And because you're certainly have been a viewer of activities, and

Linda Kulmann:

Ok. Ok, well alright

Rick Baldwin:

Well nobody's gonna dispute it but. were a part of for decades. Just to giving a little background, your dad Robert R. Miller, Sold the Ben Franklin store on Park Avenue in 1940. And that's what I, that's what I

Linda Kulmann:

And then he started Miller's, on Fairbanks. At what point did you come on board to the organization?

Bob Miller:

Well I was in high school. And I just went to work there, you know, after school and stuff, you know,

Linda Kulmann:

Kinda been, just became organic,

Bob Miller:

He got in the hardware business because my sister had married Cliff Canada, who worked for Hill Hardware in Orlando, which Bumby's was the big hardware store they had to store in Orlando, and in Winter Park on Morse Boulevard,

Linda Kulmann:

Right.

Bob Miller:

And then Hill Hardware in colonial town was the, the other big hardware store in town. And he worked there and married my daug.. my sister. And that's when we got in the hardware business.

Linda Kulmann:

Interesting. I was going to talk to you about your wife that you always referred to as Mary Con. Con being her maiden name.

Bob Miller:

Yeah, Con Bruce, it was for her father, Con Bruce.

Linda Kulmann:

Tell me about how you met and where you met.

Bob Miller:

I had a I had a date with a. With a girl who I've been dating for years, for two years about to get married. Ken Sullivan of Warren's furniture store saw me on Park Avenue that day, and he said, I got a blind date tonight, why don't you come down to Harper's, which I never went to and help carry the conversation. And that's when I met her. And a year later we were married.

Linda Kulmann:

That's a great story.

Bob Miller:

It is a good story.

Linda Kulmann:

Yeah, and then the first place you lived after you were married. Tell us about where that was.

Bob Miller:

That was above the Beef and Bottle on Park Avenue.

Linda Kulmann:

And it was the Beef and Bottle then?

Bob Miller:

Yes, well,

Linda Kulmann:

Or Barbizon, or?

Bob Miller:

Well It was the Barbizon or the Beef and Bottle,

Linda Kulmann:

And that's on the corner of Canton and Park. yes, I'm not sure.

Bob Miller:

Yeah, $65 a month rent.

Rick Baldwin:

On the south, east corner.

Linda Kulmann:

On the southeast corner yeah

Bob Miller:

Yes, yes. Yes.

Rick Baldwin:

And you lived upstairs right?

Bob Miller:

I lived upstairs.

Linda Kulmann:

And um, the proctors owned that property.

Bob Miller:

That's right, Dick Proctor owned it. I have a copy of a check if you want to see it. Did I?

Linda Kulmann:

Yes.

Rick Baldwin:

Yes it's, it's in here. Oh, is it? 57$ and 10 cents.

Bob Miller:

Yeah, 57$ and...

Rick Baldwin:

And that was for one month's rent?

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

Ok

Linda Kulmann:

Did you eat downstairs a lot?

Bob Miller:

No, never ate done there. We only stayed there like. Dick was very unhappy because we'd signed a lease but I think we only stayed there a couple of weeks and we bought our house on Oneco. She had$2,000 saving and so did I. Which was a fair amount of money in those days.

Linda Kulmann:

It was. That's great.

Bob Miller:

Yeah. And we paid$12,000 for a house at

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. Oneco and Sunset. Stevensville on the corner Oneco and Sunset.

Bob Miller:

Yeah. The house had no. The yard was not finished. There was no appliances in it. There was no heat in it. No, no refrigerator, no stove. Anything. That's the way they sold houses back in those days.

Rick Baldwin:

well, back up a little bit. You went to Winter Park High? What, what year did your family moved here?

Bob Miller:

Yeah. 38.

Rick Baldwin:

38

Bob Miller:

I think it might have been 37 or 39 depend... I'm not sure

Rick Baldwin:

No onebody's going to dispute you.

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

And you lived on Lyman?

Bob Miller:

mhm

Rick Baldwin:

Was it? My recollection is that it was next door to the taxi stand... Well was there a taxi service there?

Bob Miller:

That's correct. Yes. Winter Park.. The, the Guy Ellis?

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. The Guy Ellis.

Bob Miller:

Oh, yeah. His brother owned the taxi service.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah, and they lived there, didn't they?

Bob Miller:

I don't know.

Rick Baldwin:

You all live east of that in the house just....

Bob Miller:

yeah, that's right.

Rick Baldwin:

Did you go to school across the street at all?

Bob Miller:

No.

Rick Baldwin:

No, ok.

Bob Miller:

I started the Seventh, Seventh grade at Winter Park High....

Rick Baldwin:

Over, over on Huntington.

Bob Miller:

What is now the junior high school.

Rick Baldwin:

Ok.

Linda Kulmann:

So this property where you lived when you were growing up is across from what is now the Gap?

Bob Miller:

Yes...

Linda Kulmann:

Was the Gap,

Bob Miller:

That's correct.

Linda Kulmann:

until it closed recently. Right, ok.

Rick Baldwin:

Yes, they were. There's an alleyway that runs and they were East in the alleyway. The second house east.

Linda Kulmann:

Ah, right.

Rick Baldwin:

And the little the little elementary school was going on there. But you started at 7:30.

Bob Miller:

Yeah, I never went to the elementary school. I missed it by one year.

Rick Baldwin:

And...

Bob Miller:

It was 45 in my high school class when I graduated.

Rick Baldwin:

And you're the oldest surviving class member?

Bob Miller:

I think so.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay.

Bob Miller:

There's one or two that moved out of town that I don't know about, but I presume that I am.

Linda Kulmann:

And, what year is that?

Bob Miller:

45.

Rick Baldwin:

And you joined the Navy

Bob Miller:

Then I was in the Navy for a year.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah,

Bob Miller:

And then I went to university to Orlando junior college for two years.

Rick Baldwin:

Yes.

Bob Miller:

Then I went to University of Florida for two years.

Rick Baldwin:

What did you study?

Bob Miller:

Economics.

Rick Baldwin:

Very good. And you came back and went to work at the store?

Bob Miller:

graduated with honors.

Linda Kulmann:

Good for you!

Rick Baldwin:

And, and Bob, you you got out you you graduated from high school in 45. You spent 46 in the Navy.

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

And when did you Mary Con marry?

Bob Miller:

52.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay, so s....

Bob Miller:

I think that's right. I'd have to think but I think that's right.

Rick Baldwin:

And you all lived on Oneco for quite a while.

Bob Miller:

Yeah,

Rick Baldwin:

Ok, ok.

Bob Miller:

Then we moved down to Lake Knowles.

Rick Baldwin:

You moved from an Oneco to Lake Knowles.

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

Where you lived the rest of your life.

Bob Miller:

Well, till I moved to the towers. Yeah. Actually, I lived there about the same amount of time that I've been at the towers. So I've been at the towers 22 years or 23 years.

Rick Baldwin:

Unbelieveable... Who was the principal at the high school?

Bob Miller:

Layman.

Rick Baldwin:

Robert Layman?

Bob Miller:

Mhm.

Rick Baldwin:

Ok, ok.

Bob Miller:

Major Nidy was my ma... My math teacher, you know, there was no, it was no, there was no men around because they're all in the service.

Rick Baldwin:

Right.

Bob Miller:

But he had been retired.

Rick Baldwin:

That was Bob Nidy's father? N-I-D-Y?

Bob Miller:

I'm not sure. I thought it was....

Rick Baldwin:

And he worked in costruction.

Bob Miller:

Yeah, yeah. They would all, the uh, shuffleboard.

Rick Baldwin:

Yes,

Bob Miller:

yes.

Rick Baldwin:

Yes. Yeah. Okay. Who else? The Proctor family, do you remember where they lived? They were your landlords.

Bob Miller:

She lived on Cherokee lane.

Rick Baldwin:

Eve did?

Bob Miller:

Eve did for a while. That's that one block. Do you know where it is?

Linda Kulmann:

I do know where it is, yeah. It connects Old England with Georgia....

Bob Miller:

Georgia, that's right. Most people don't, most people never heard of it.

Rick Baldwin:

Old England with Georgia.

Bob Miller:

Yeah,

Rick Baldwin:

Okay, that's Cherokee Lane.

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay. Okay. And the Proctors owned, the whole lot?

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

They had Proctor shops.

Bob Miller:

Yeah, I think so, Dick had a shoe shop too at one time.

Rick Baldwin:

And Eve lived to be about 100 didn't she?

Bob Miller:

think so. She remarried, What was her married name?

Rick Baldwin:

I can't remember.

Bob Miller:

She, she remarried. I think there's a little plaque up on on in the park up there. It's just about that big square and you have to really look to find it that...

Rick Baldwin:

yeah...

Bob Miller:

That says something about her. You will really have to look to find it because I found it a couple years ago.

Rick Baldwin:

okay.

Bob Miller:

I don't know why I was looking for it.

Rick Baldwin:

Would you walk to work? How did you go to work? Would you drive the truck?

Bob Miller:

You mean when I lived up there?

Rick Baldwin:

When you live, when you lived on Oneco?

Bob Miller:

Well, I only lived there such a short time. I, I don't know. I didn't walk I don't think....

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah...

Bob Miller:

I think I probably had a car.

Rick Baldwin:

The hardware store had a truck.

Bob Miller:

Yeah. Volkswagen bus. Yeah,

Rick Baldwin:

yeah,

Bob Miller:

yep.

Rick Baldwin:

And when you lived on Lake Knowles you'd drive your truck back and forth to work.

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

Ok, Ok. Did most of your customers walk in? Did you. Did they walk in and find you and you deliver things to their home.

Bob Miller:

Yeah, we did. We did free delivery back in those days.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. Yeah. And uh...

Bob Miller:

Times have changed.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah,

Linda Kulmann:

They have. I know that you've always had house accounts at Miller's.

Bob Miller:

Yes.

Linda Kulmann:

Which is, um, a real blast from the past today.

Bob Miller:

Yes, yes, it is.

Linda Kulmann:

And when I was growing up, my dad used to take me to Miller's all the time.

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Unknown:

And um. We always charged things and I assumed everybody in the world did that up and down, because that's what we did up and down Park Avenue, but today, I think it's amazing that today that still holds true. Do you? Do you have? Are there fewer accounts today?

Bob Miller:

Well I don't think he has any anymore. I think he's got it out completely.

Rick Baldwin:

I know one that he has.

Bob Miller:

Well, he has for businesses, but he doesn't have any for

Linda Kulmann:

for personal.

Bob Miller:

For personal. The credit card has just simplified that you know, Yeah

Linda Kulmann:

Yes. But it was a wonderful thing. And it was a wonderful service.

Bob Miller:

You know, we sent it out, my wife send out 1000, 1100 statements every month for like 50 years.

Linda Kulmann:

I mean, everybody....

Bob Miller:

Typed, written, hand done, and she paid each a quarter just to stamp the envelopes.

Linda Kulmann:

Just about everybody in town had an There wasn't alot of people, I mean 1100 residents

Bob Miller:

We had a lot of em, yeah, there wasn't a lot of account. people in Winter Park. was pretty much the town. Yeah, yeah.

Linda Kulmann:

I mean, it's pretty amazing. Because people didn't come from Orlando much to shop. Did they?

Bob Miller:

No not too much.

Linda Kulmann:

It was really a homegrown...

Bob Miller:

But we did draw. I never understood why. But we drew from out of town a lot. For some reason.

Linda Kulmann:

Interesting.

Bob Miller:

I never quite understood why.

Linda Kulmann:

Maybe you had unique merchandise...

Bob Miller:

I guess. I don't know. They wanted to come to Winter Park.

Rick Baldwin:

Bob...Going back to the, to the Navy.

Bob Miller:

To the what?

Rick Baldwin:

Going back to the Navy.

Bob Miller:

Yeah,

Rick Baldwin:

I look at my generation, your one generation ahead of me. And they say the most influential things in your generation was the Great Depression. You know, the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt. And then World War II in that that, set the frame for your youth. And then so many veterans went on to school and the GI Bill got an education and raised our generation. You're called the greatest generation.

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

What do you remember about the Great Depression about, about the, the Mr. Roosevelt came to Winter Park a time or two I think. Do you recall any of that?

Bob Miller:

I do not. I remember Truman came through this, they used to have a thing here where, at what is now the soccer field.

Rick Baldwin:

The animated magazine.

Bob Miller:

The Animated Magazine. I remember Truman came to that.

Rick Baldwin:

Who? Truman did. Okay. Okay. FDR came here in 1936. They said.

Bob Miller:

I don't th..

Rick Baldwin:

Well, you wouldn't have been here yet. Yeah, that's right.

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay. Okay. And how did how did World War II influence your life? How did his presidency? Did you all listen to the fireside chats?

Bob Miller:

Oh, I'm sure we did, many things he did for me, he paid for my college.

Rick Baldwin:

Through the GI Bill.

Bob Miller:

The GI Bill all except for my last semester. I think I hadn't paid for it.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay,

Bob Miller:

And we got $65 A month or $61 a month. Cash.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay,

Bob Miller:

Which I basically lived on.

Rick Baldwin:

Well there was a whole generation and went to the university education on the GI Bill.

Bob Miller:

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah

Bob Miller:

God yes.

Rick Baldwin:

Yes. And um, when you came home from the military, what was Winter Park like?

Bob Miller:

It was small.

Rick Baldwin:

It was sound asleep?

Bob Miller:

I think I've been trying to remember whether there was one or two stoplights in news. And I don't remember which was the first one whether it was the one on Fairbanks and Park. Or whether it was New England and Interlachen. Those were the first two stoplights that I remember.

Rick Baldwin:

And the, the growth was out Temple drive, out where Oneco where you live. That's where the growth squirted first.

Bob Miller:

Well se the, the who was it? Those bricks are all laid out there whose streets were all laid out by the the. What was the name of the work project?

Rick Baldwin:

Kale?

Linda Kulmann:

WPA? Workers Proje...

Bob Miller:

Yeah, the WPA, yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

Those were all laid by them.

Bob Miller:

That's what I understand.

Rick Baldwin:

I heard that Huntington Avenue in front of the high school is so wide because somebody shipped too many bricks to build it as a narrow street and they wanted the men to have work so they built a wide street.

Bob Miller:

I never heard that one. But it makes sense.

Rick Baldwin:

Makes sense doesn't it.

Bob Miller:

Cause there's no reason for it.

Rick Baldwin:

Yes, yes. And Ahiks Garage. When did they come along?

Bob Miller:

Well, I don't know, they were always there.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah.

Bob Miller:

Yeah. And Dallas Bowers was across the street from the hardware store.

Rick Baldwin:

Yes. Yeah,

Bob Miller:

That's where the rich kids Parked their Packards and things in the summertime when they went, you know, Rollins was a playboy school like it was...

Rick Baldwin:

Sure...

Bob Miller:

strictly a playboy school...

Rick Baldwin:

Sure, who was the mayor of the city? That you... Greene Ray Greene.

Bob Miller:

Ray Greene.

Linda Kulmann:

Ray Greene.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay, was he longtime mayor?

Bob Miller:

I don't know.

Rick Baldwin:

Who was the police chief?

Bob Miller:

Buchanan

Rick Baldwin:

Okay. He served for years and years and years. Didn't he?

Bob Miller:

Buchanan was a, I don't know, I don't know if you've heard some of the stories about him but.

Rick Baldwin:

I've seen some of..

Linda Kulmann:

I grew up with Buchanan yeah. it was hard being a teenager

Bob Miller:

Buchan, Buchanan was chief of police and he went into service. And when he came home the law said you had to give the man his job back.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay.

Bob Miller:

And, and some of the people in Winter Park as I remember this now. This is they didn't want to do it and dad held up for.

Rick Baldwin:

Yes,

Bob Miller:

And he got he got his job back. Then when dad died, we had like every police call on one report because... There was more than that but, that was all was in

Rick Baldwin:

both of them the funeral procession. I'll never forget it. And who was Ray Culifer?

Bob Miller:

He was president of the..

Rick Baldwin:

He was number two. He was his lieutenant. I think, wasn't he?

Bob Miller:

Oh your thinking of that one.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah.

Bob Miller:

The names familiar. But I don't know.

Rick Baldwin:

Do you remember Smitty that rode the motorcycle?

Bob Miller:

No. (Ininteligible)

Rick Baldwin:

Okay. Okay. And how about the Christmas parades? Coming down Park Avenue? Were you ever in that?

Bob Miller:

Yes.

Rick Baldwin:

Were you Santa?

Bob Miller:

No. We had a we had an employee that had an old International Harvester truck.

Rick Baldwin:

Right.

Bob Miller:

Single failure, single testing. It would go put put put put.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay,

Bob Miller:

and I have a picture of me driving down, in that thing.

Rick Baldwin:

Is that where the name of putt putt came from?

Bob Miller:

I don't know, but it..

Rick Baldwin:

Must be.

Bob Miller:

That's the way it went.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah, must be. And do you remember when they started decorating Park Avenue?

Bob Miller:

Not particularly no.

Rick Baldwin:

No?

Linda Kulmann:

Now, you mean the Christmas cards?

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah.

Bob Miller:

I sort of remember the first. I Can't remember what I want to say the first show up there the art show. Yeah the art show. That was in 59. Yeah I have a couple of the rigid, not. Not the first year but I have a couple of the big things that they've made.

Linda Kulmann:

The big posters?

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Linda Kulmann:

Yeah

Rick Baldwin:

And how about Fleet Peoples?

Bob Miller:

He lived on the corner of what Palmer and Phelps?

Rick Baldwin:

Yes, yes. Yes. Yes. You made deliveries to the house, I guess.

Bob Miller:

I don't remember.

Rick Baldwin:

Did you swim the lake for fleet?

Bob Miller:

No I never did. Fleet was not my favorite person.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay, okay. All right.

Bob Miller:

What was his son there was something about his son too?

Rick Baldwin:

Mikko?

Bob Miller:

Yes, Mikko,

Rick Baldwin:

Mikko. And I, yes. And I'm, Bob, you're making me reach way back into the back here.

Bob Miller:

Well what about me?

Rick Baldwin:

yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Your generation was said to be more strategic commercially than any generation that had gone before it really has come afterward. And small business retail activity dominated the business side of the community.

Bob Miller:

Oh yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

But you had to have a better strategy. And Millers had a Do you know how many items of inventory you have,

Bob Miller:

No, I don't.

Rick Baldwin:

millions? thousands? Hundreds of thousands?

Bob Miller:

No. Well, it's not as big as it used to be. Steve could tell you. But that, that came by after all the computers.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah.

Bob Miller:

I never knew.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. You'd have to go count them would you.

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

And it was a well respected store. Yeah. Yeah. But Miller's, Miller's was a was a community institution.

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

And that wasn't an accident. And how did you sense what people wanted to buy?

Bob Miller:

I don't know. Put it out there. And if it's sold buy

Rick Baldwin:

get more of it. Was Maurice Parker, a friend of mor... yours?

Bob Miller:

Yes, he was, God I haven't thought of Maurice in a long time. What was the other one though?

Rick Baldwin:

Rylan?

Bob Miller:

Rylan Cox?

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah, yeah

Bob Miller:

Yeah, everyone, they, they used the hearse. That Winter Park hospital they didn't have an ambulance and they used the

Rick Baldwin:

Use the hearse.

Bob Miller:

The hearse as an ambulance.

Rick Baldwin:

And Maurice always. Maurice always taught us find out what people want. Give them a lot of that. Find out what they don't want. And don't give them none of that. And I always thought maybe Millers kind of had a strategy like that.

Bob Miller:

I don't know, we we just sort of grew. I never knew quite why. Well, the big thing was we owned the land. That's I.

Rick Baldwin:

I remember his name, Yeah, There was a colonel when you remember,

Bob Miller:

well, he owned what is. What was the water park laundry is a shoe shop. Have you been by it lately? They just painted it yellow and everything. It's a big shoe shop just in the last couple of months.

Rick Baldwin:

I, I cant reth...

Bob Miller:

You have to see it It's really beautiful.

Rick Baldwin:

Oh, Okay,

Bob Miller:

But uh, he owned that, and a fellow man that worked for me said Bob, you ought to buy that. Well I don't, why would I ever want it, and, he says, well you never know what unless you go and talk to criminal when you see it or sell it. So I went over talking to the Cornel Winn and see if he would sell it to you. So I went over to talk to the Cornel, and I said Cornel is the laundry for sale? coin operated laundry,

Rick Baldwin:

right.

Bob Miller:

He says no, but you want to buy it? I said well I might? I said how much you want for it? He said whatever. It's a pretty small you can have it. And that's how I bough it, it was that, it was that simple.

Rick Baldwin:

Did he finance it for you and you pay cash?

Bob Miller:

No I think I paid, no, I took a mortgage on it I think.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. Okay.

Bob Miller:

I have a few of those.

Rick Baldwin:

Who was the President, the first president of Rollins that you remember?

Bob Miller:

I don't know that I remember them. Holt?

Rick Baldwin:

Hamilton Holt.

Bob Miller:

I don't really know. I never knew him. Who was his daughter that married Colemans Becky? Rebecca?

Rick Baldwin:

Becka, yeah, Becky I think.

Bob Miller:

I knew them.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah, Yeah.

Bob Miller:

They were good customers in the store.

Rick Baldwin:

Did you know Hugh McKean?

Bob Miller:

Yeah. Okay. Any...

Linda Kulmann:

Everybody eventually came in that door.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah.

Bob Miller:

Yeah, that's mostly true, and I'm not bragging on that, yeah. Yeah, that's more or less, that's true.

Rick Baldwin:

Did you know Harold Ward 1?

Bob Miller:

No.

Rick Baldwin:

He died. 1954. I think so you must...

Bob Miller:

I don't think I ever knew him.

Rick Baldwin:

And his, and Harold Ward, Jr?

Bob Miller:

Oh yeah, I know him.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. He was in

Bob Miller:

We were on the hospital board together.

Rick Baldwin:

Yes. Were you? How many years? Were you on the hospital board?

Bob Miller:

While you were when you got one you were on for nine years. Okay.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay. And Mr. Bush financed the construction of the hospital. And did you know him? Well, down he went.

Bob Miller:

I remember when he came to town...

Rick Baldwin:

what year about, about would that have been?

Bob Miller:

It must h

Rick Baldwin:

The hospital was started in 1955.

Bob Miller:

Yeah, I have some pictures of the hospital in here. Smile on a picture of Steve. My wife in the hospital?

Rick Baldwin:

Yes. Was Steve born there?

Bob Miller:

Yeah. He was about 30... 30 or 40th baby born?

Rick Baldwin:

Yes. They say Dr. Price did the first surgery there. Did you know Dr. Price?

Bob Miller:

Very well.

Rick Baldwin:

Yes. What do you remember about him?

Bob Miller:

Very, very nice man. Very nice. And he was and I never understood him and dad with a fever. Two of the most opposite people I've ever dealt with very, very good.

Rick Baldwin:

They were good friends for their whole lives or their whole lives. What do you remember about Dan? Dangerous Dan?

Bob Miller:

What can you say? He was in my high school class?

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. Was he really? Yeah. Okay.

Bob Miller:

Well, we were sort of mixed up there because people leave in the class already to go into war to be drafted or just see. I enlisted in the Navy. I didn't want to be drafted. Right.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay. Okay. Who was the Worshipful Master the Masonic Lodge?

Bob Miller:

I have no idea. Where you remember that I was a DeMolay at one time, but

Rick Baldwin:

DeMolay. Yeah,

Bob Miller:

But I don't really remember anything about it.

Rick Baldwin:

What were the big social clubs around with the Rotary was there a Rotary? or Kiwanis, the Winter Park Kiwanis was...

Bob Miller:

Honestly zero because I was a member of Kiwanis. I don't, I don't know what Rotary was here that far back, but it wasn't long after that. And they were.

Rick Baldwin:

Where did the Kiwanis Club be? Was a lunch meeting wasn't it?

Bob Miller:

Yeah. It was up here on Horace Boulevard. The that they just tore down.

Rick Baldwin:

Where the lot new Libary is?

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

And there was a little restaurant along there.

Bob Miller:

No, there was a city owned building there. Okay.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Yeah, yes. Yes. They tore that down. Yeah, Kenneth Murah. Rachel Murah

Bob Miller:

was trying to think of his name the other night, I could not think of Ken Murah's name.

Rick Baldwin:

Dr. Yarda Atkins was the nurse and anethicist that assisted Dr. Price with that, with that first surgery, do you remember Yarda? And her name was Yarda. She had a brother here. He was World War II vet. He was a general. You know, was it Atkins? Do you remember name like that? Well, my memory is failing.

Linda Kulmann:

Bob, I have some questions. Just a couple of questions about Miller's itself.

Bob Miller:

Okay.

Linda Kulmann:

It's expanded a number of times,

Bob Miller:

eight or nine times

Linda Kulmann:

About eight times have been added on what is the most unusual thing that ever happened to you while you were attending the store

Bob Miller:

I got a call one day saying some woman said somebody was driving your truck out on a low my average speed. And she said I thought you ought to know about it. I sure appreciate you calling me and I'll talk to the person... which was me.

Linda Kulmann:

that'd be you.

Bob Miller:

Funny Little things you remember?

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. Yeah.

Linda Kulmann:

You have no eye view anywhere in that store. So if somebody wants to pick something up and take it, it's sort of easy to do that with the entrance and exit.

Bob Miller:

It is now... originally we had there was no counter that was over 4 ft tall so we could see the whole store.

Linda Kulmann:

I see.

Bob Miller:

That came from my dad. My dad, because I worked in the five and 10, We had the Ben Franklin 5 and 10 store. The original hardware store was more or less laid out like the five and 10

Linda Kulmann:

so you can see everything. Yeah,

Bob Miller:

And It wasn't near as big as it is now.

Linda Kulmann:

Right?

Bob Miller:

See when we the original building there were where the offices were destroyed. Turn left, a lot of people dont really know thats there. That was the original building.

Linda Kulmann:

Right?

Bob Miller:

and that building is a hundred and some years old. And then we rented this edge. rented this one. I didn't bring that picture with me. I of the store. I have a picture of the store back in 19... What would have been 1945? 1946... Anyway, we, we enlargeing we kept enlarging

Linda Kulmann:

Right.

Bob Miller:

That building was was originally three different stores. There were 16, 3 16 foot stores and Gillespie's big, big market. Do you remember them?

Rick Baldwin:

Which one?

Bob Miller:

Gillespie's

Rick Baldwin:

Yes,

Bob Miller:

they have the parking at their grocery store?

Rick Baldwin:

Yes,

Bob Miller:

that's where he Bush bought all these foods.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay. Okay.

Bob Miller:

And then we eventually took over that. The second one that they built, what is now the main port of Millers Hardware just halfway back just Half as deep as it is now we took half of that.

Rick Baldwin:

right Then we went you took the other half of that. And then eventually we enlarge it all the way back towards where it is now. Okay. Okay.

Linda Kulmann:

Bob, Was there a difference in the trade in the wintertime versus the summertime? Or was it

Bob Miller:

I don't remember there being much difference

Linda Kulmann:

because so many stores

Bob Miller:

They closed Wednesday afternoon, do you remember that?

Rick Baldwin:

Yes

Bob Miller:

the dress shops, all closed for winter maybe the fancy dress shops on Park Avenue.

Linda Kulmann:

They sure did. Yeah. Yeah. And the antique stores and some of the gift shops closed.

Bob Miller:

Yes. Yeah. Yeah,

Linda Kulmann:

I do remember that. But your store didn't. I mean, it just kind of ran along

Bob Miller:

Oh Yeah, we never closed

Linda Kulmann:

Yeah, yeah. Then also you said the business was study as well.

Bob Miller:

Oh Yes. Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

Did you buy drugs from O'Brien's pharmacy? Or Taylor's to

Bob Miller:

Taylor's is the only place I ever worked.

Rick Baldwin:

Yep.

Bob Miller:

Except For myself in my dad.

Rick Baldwin:

Yes.

Bob Miller:

I worked there. They had the drugstore there's it was a Rexall drugstore but it was Taylor Edward's.

Rick Baldwin:

yeah, Bill Edwards

Bob Miller:

Bill Edwards

Rick Baldwin:

And Bill Taylor

Bob Miller:

and I worked there as a soda jerky and delivery boy.

Rick Baldwin:

How long did you work for him?

Bob Miller:

I think just that one summer,

Rick Baldwin:

okay. Okay.

Bob Miller:

Bill Edwards(uninteligible)

Rick Baldwin:

Hold on just a minute. Bill Taylor was the finest guy you ever met?

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. And his wife was named Elizabeth Taylor.

Bob Miller:

He had a daughter.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. And she was beautiful.

Bob Miller:

I just remember picking her up and sending her off to school with soda pop.

Rick Baldwin:

And what was her name?

Bob Miller:

I have no idea.

Rick Baldwin:

I'll think of it in a minute. And Bill Edwards was married to Margaret.

Bob Miller:

Yeah.(Uninteligible)

Rick Baldwin:

Did he? Yeah. Okay.

Bob Miller:

He's had a few friends throughout childhood.

Linda Kulmann:

Is there a story behind that?

Bob Miller:

No, I just... I just know he did or or I've always thought he did.

Linda Kulmann:

Just get that out there.

Bob Miller:

Well, I think one up was a gal to work for him.

Rick Baldwin:

He was just trying to help her out.

Bob Miller:

I did, I just wanted to help.

Linda Kulmann:

When you were growing up, The colony of course was here.

Bob Miller:

It just opened when I moved to town.

Linda Kulmann:

Right? It had been the other theater that was down down the street

Bob Miller:

Yeah, what was it.. it reopened

Linda Kulmann:

Baby Grand

Bob Miller:

it reopened it once or twice.

Rick Baldwin:

The Baby Grand did?

Bob Miller:

Yeah, it kinda didn't last long

Linda Kulmann:

It didn't last Yeah. So it entertainment for a young couple young married couple living over the Barbizon. What you're young Harper's apparently is open.

Bob Miller:

My my friend built the umm... high school friend going to Fairbanks. Fairbanks it was a bar. That was my watering hole.

Rick Baldwin:

That was way out of town

Bob Miller:

that was sort of out of town.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. The FBI.

Bob Miller:

The FBI.

Linda Kulmann:

So movies and

Bob Miller:

movies was a colony where you when I was a kid, we went to the you went to the movie on Saturday morning for a nickel and saw a double feature.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. Watch topics. So yeah, yes. Yeah. Who are your favorite movie stars? Yeah. Yeah.

Bob Miller:

Gene Autry

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah.

Linda Kulmann:

And it was air cooled in the summertime.

Bob Miller:

I don't remember that being warm. It was either cooler.

Linda Kulmann:

It was yeah, that was their big opening feature.

Rick Baldwin:

Air Sure. Yeah.

Bob Miller:

Was it? I don't remember that.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. Air cooled.

Linda Kulmann:

Air cooled.

Bob Miller:

And Barton's was next door.

Linda Kulmann:

It was electric.

Bob Miller:

Electric sold appliances and things like that. And then they left in the sea scouts met in that building for a while.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah.

Bob Miller:

(uninteligible) Park Avenue wasn't the thriving... it is now...

Rick Baldwin:

did you play golf up at the country club?

Bob Miller:

No.

Rick Baldwin:

Never did never got into that.

Bob Miller:

Never really played golf unitl I joined the Orlando country club.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay. Okay. Did you know Red Winderweedle?

Bob Miller:

Oh, yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

Did he do your legal work? was that?

Bob Miller:

Jimmy Campbell? Was he still around?

Rick Baldwin:

Not that I know of.

Bob Miller:

Do you know him? Well, he was married to. He was married to a

Rick Baldwin:

I don't. Winderweedle. And he'd had you know, the two French houses on Park Avenue North Park and I think they've torn em both down now those Chateau like houses. Yes.

Bob Miller:

He lived in one of those.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay.

Bob Miller:

His dad was a colonel in the army and he moved around a lot. They called him Pete, I called him Pina he was

Rick Baldwin:

Okay. in the high school band. Okay,

Bob Miller:

I was in the high school band.

Rick Baldwin:

Who was the bandleader

Bob Miller:

Prasek. He was a retired military.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay. Did you play at football games? Did they have mighty Wildcats football team? Did you play any sports?

Bob Miller:

No, not at all.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay. Who was your favorite teacher?

Bob Miller:

I had an English teacher and I can't remember her name. thought she was the best teacher I ever had. And I remember the worst teacher I ever had, Mrs. Parks.

Rick Baldwin:

Mrs. Parks

Bob Miller:

for two years in English, and that's the reason my English is still there.

Rick Baldwin:

Her name was Alice Park.

Bob Miller:

That could be, that sounds familiar?

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. Yes. Did you ever have Catherine Baldwin at Winter Park High?

Bob Miller:

I don't believe

Rick Baldwin:

she taught English at Winter Park High School.

Bob Miller:

No, that is who I had I can't think of that I thought was the best teacher I ever.

Rick Baldwin:

You were born in Pennsylvania. Do you have a birth certificate?

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

My dad was.

Bob Miller:

I think I do.

Rick Baldwin:

My dad was born in 1912. And for him to go in the army. He had to get a statement from Rodman Layman principal at the high school, attesting to his age.

Bob Miller:

Well, I remember you fought back remember there I had a terrible time getting a birth cirtificate. It took me two months to get one

Rick Baldwin:

Rodman Layman had a second job certifying people's date of birth as a high school principal. Because there weren't documents of course then.

Linda Kulmann:

Bob, Are there any thoughts that you have about the changes over the decades in Winter Park?

Bob Miller:

No, I think we're, of course, just a great place to live and always has been.

Rick Baldwin:

And still is isn't it?

Bob Miller:

And it's still is

Rick Baldwin:

it still is. Yeah,

Bob Miller:

I think I think I was. My generation had the best of all of it.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah.

Bob Miller:

When we were kids, we didn't do it. We didn't worry about drugs or going out. We went out rode our bicycles all night. Yeah.

Linda Kulmann:

Yeah.

Bob Miller:

Nobody worried about this.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. Yeah.

Bob Miller:

or gave a damn

Rick Baldwin:

they'd already gone to bed

Linda Kulmann:

See in the morning. Well, do you have anything you'd like to comment on that We didn't ask?

Bob Miller:

Well, I'll think about it tonight.

Rick Baldwin:

What do we need to do round two?

Bob Miller:

Two o'clock in the morning?

Linda Kulmann:

Yeah, seriously?

Bob Miller:

No, I don't think so. I think my dad almost moved to when he moved to Florida. He was either going to go into hardcore fitness or the five and 10 minutes because he thought neither one of them would go broke keep going broke during the Depression.

Linda Kulmann:

Interesting.

Bob Miller:

And...

Linda Kulmann:

in Pennsylvania,

Bob Miller:

in Pennsylvania. The butler brothers you want to do Ben Franklin, fiber gym franchisee with behind it? They offer true talents Coco. Coco or Coco Beach, I'm not sure which when you're parking in College Park, and I've always been thankful that he didn't pick Coco Beach

Rick Baldwin:

Bob where did you take your family on vacation?

Bob Miller:

Well, North Carolina and my wife and I did a lot of cruising. We'd love to cruise we took 60 sub Cruise's.

Linda Kulmann:

fabulous.

Bob Miller:

Yeah. I just I just love being on the water.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah.

Bob Miller:

Although I never was in the Navy, I just punched a typewriter for..

Rick Baldwin:

Where did where did the cruisers leave from?

Bob Miller:

Well, the most fantastic one was to Antartica.

Rick Baldwin:

Wow,

Bob Miller:

to the Drake Passage,

Rick Baldwin:

right.

Bob Miller:

And To the RTT Research Center by the police.

Rick Baldwin:

Did you see some penguins?

Bob Miller:

Oh God. Yes,

Rick Baldwin:

yes. Yes.

Bob Miller:

I'm a birdwatcher that I've seen that. I've seen the 667 species of birds in my life. I've traveled all over the United States, just in United States looking for birds.

Linda Kulmann:

Fabulous. Yeah. That's one thing I didn't know about. It

Bob Miller:

took you to places you would never you never heard

Rick Baldwin:

what doctor did you go to?

Bob Miller:

Muser

Rick Baldwin:

Doctor Muser? And what dentist did you go to?

Bob Miller:

Wilkins, The old man.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah, he had Don and John. They were both

Bob Miller:

Yeah. and I went to Don too.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah, okay.

Bob Miller:

He's still alive. I think

Rick Baldwin:

Is he?

Bob Miller:

I saw the other day boys wife died was this was a year or so ago. So I don't know whether he's still alive or not.

Rick Baldwin:

He would be at 76

Bob Miller:

I have no idea, I don't know about that.

Rick Baldwin:

where was Dr. Musers office?

Bob Miller:

On the corner of Knowles Avenue and what's the other street? It goes down to there? one block north of New England.

Rick Baldwin:

One block north of New England? Welborn.

Bob Miller:

Welborn Yeah. I think it was

Rick Baldwin:

right in there. Okay. What was the big man? Where'd you buy your clothes? Toggery, Al Beasley.

Bob Miller:

Toggery. Al Beassley.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. And Nancy was his wife.

Bob Miller:

Yeah, Nancy was his wife. Good old Al.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah, yeah. Yes. Yeah. That's an important piece of Winter Park history.

Bob Miller:

He had a black tailor, which was very unusual in those days at least, you remember?

Rick Baldwin:

I Don't!

Bob Miller:

He did all your clothes and everything and that was very unusual.

Rick Baldwin:

What do you remember about Hannibal square?

Bob Miller:

Police? Police Chief told me never to go their day or night.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah.

Bob Miller:

He said Don't you ever drive through there day or night.

Rick Baldwin:

Right. Basically, you stayed on this side. They stayed on. Yeah. It was a very segregated town.

Bob Miller:

always very segregated.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah.

Bob Miller:

I don't know if it was right.

Rick Baldwin:

Do you remember any of our governors?

Bob Miller:

If you told them even their name, I will.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. Yeah.

Linda Kulmann:

Did you know Bob Langford?

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Linda Kulmann:

Lots of luncheons over at the Langford. I bet

Bob Miller:

No, I never did. I was never a member of that club he had. What did he have a club over there..

Rick Baldwin:

He had a swimming club?

Bob Miller:

The one Yeah, but he had another one too

Rick Baldwin:

The dinner club.

Linda Kulmann:

Yeah. It was called the town club.

Bob Miller:

Like my business partner who was an alcoholic spent half of his life over there.

Linda Kulmann:

so there was...

Bob Miller:

That was interesting. He was my business partner and he had been.. divorced my sister, but we still were business partners.

Rick Baldwin:

Thats good enough

Bob Miller:

such is life

Linda Kulmann:

such as life.

Bob Miller:

I paid him. I paid him a million dollars. We were partners if you wanted out, and I paid him a million dollars. And a year later he was broke.

Rick Baldwin:

I hope it was a good year.

Linda Kulmann:

This was Mr. Canada. What was his first name?

Bob Miller:

Good.

Linda Kulmann:

Good Canada.

Bob Miller:

He didn't have an enemy in the world. Everybody loved him. He was a great person.

Rick Baldwin:

Sounds like he bought too many drinks for people.

Linda Kulmann:

That's a lot of drinks.

Bob Miller:

He lost it on the stock market too I think I'm very good friends of his daughter. Relative I have we have lunch together every Sunday.

Linda Kulmann:

Oh, you do? How wonderful. Bob, What year did you sell? I mean, did he sell to you his his portion of the partnership? Or what decade was it?

Bob Miller:

oh it was way back. I don't know I would say probably the fifties.

Linda Kulmann:

So it was it was quite a while.

Bob Miller:

Oh, yes. Well, he's been dead a long time.

Linda Kulmann:

While he drank 1,000,000 dollars worth of liquor in one year! 1950's million! Well, Bob, if if for some reason you think of things that we didn't cover today, we can certainly do part two and

Bob Miller:

Well, I think you've done a pretty good job

Rick Baldwin:

make a list of any things you think of.

Ivan Lys-Dobradin:

I've got a question about the prom you had or was it homecoming at the was a It's the golf course now.

Bob Miller:

Yeah, we had. Well, our original problem was at the Women's Club. And that shows you how small the class was you know.

Linda Kulmann:

Yeah.

Bob Miller:

And then we used to have dances down at the that the golf course there were walkers but that building was half the size it is today. That was before they added all those back rooms.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah, yeah, just the front room

Bob Miller:

was just that front room was all that was there.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah.

Ivan Lys-Dobradin:

And the whole high school class would fit in there right?

Bob Miller:

Yeah. Well, we did

Linda Kulmann:

you said there were 45 in your class?

Rick Baldwin:

What was your golf pros name here.

Bob Miller:

I remember when they said what was during World War One. Did they put sheep on?

Linda Kulmann:

Yes.

Bob Miller:

On the grass now.

Rick Baldwin:

Did you know The Winter Park telephone company the Galloway's?

Bob Miller:

Yeah Jo Al Co.

Rick Baldwin:

Jo Al Co

Bob Miller:

You know the history of that. Joe, Al, and Carl.

Rick Baldwin:

Joe Al and Carl. Yeah, yeah.

Bob Miller:

I remember. Westinghouse right after the war with appliances first came up. They came in and bought a double oven. Westinghouse range from us. The old man. The next day she bought she bought everybody in the store a great big angel who could keep the cheap beat

Rick Baldwin:

How about Ray and Pearl Trovillion?

Bob Miller:

I just remember her as being the caterer around town but I never really was OC with re

Rick Baldwin:

he did that map of the city that

Bob Miller:

yes

Rick Baldwin:

still around.

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

How about RC Baker? Was he the big banker?

Bob Miller:

You know? He had to he had the Men's store then Winter Park federal was..

Rick Baldwin:

Winter Park Federal

Bob Miller:

was on the second floor.

Rick Baldwin:

Oh, is that where it started?

Bob Miller:

That's when it started.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay he had Baker's and then the SNL upstairs.

Bob Miller:

Yeah.

Rick Baldwin:

I didn't know that. Right there at Welborn, where Dr. musters office was right.

Bob Miller:

Yeah. And there was a table supply store on Park Avenue, which was a grocery chain...

Rick Baldwin:

Okay,

Bob Miller:

At one time and the post office was on Park Avenue at one time.

Rick Baldwin:

Yes. Up where... just right over here.

Bob Miller:

Yeah. When I was driving the there was a packing house where the post office is today.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah.

Linda Kulmann:

Winter Park Citrus

Rick Baldwin:

Was that Gentiles'?

Bob Miller:

Yes. Yeah. I dated the Gentile girl one time. They were the rich people.

Rick Baldwin:

Yeah. They were from Orlando. Yeah. Yeah, I think so too.

Bob Miller:

They did there. Was that like sort of the way that the country club currently?

Linda Kulmann:

Yeah. Yeah.

Bob Miller:

And I wish I should bring up because I can't remember the girl's name very, very recently. She lived on they live on Palmer. Her dad was convicted of fraud or something?

Rick Baldwin:

I don't remember that.

Linda Kulmann:

thinking the Hunters?

Bob Miller:

No, no, no. Oh, he worked for me.

Linda Kulmann:

Oh, did he?

Bob Miller:

had his first job with me. The first job I gave him was cleaning the bathroom. He never forgets it every time I see him.

Rick Baldwin:

Every time you see him he remembers that?

Bob Miller:

He remindes me you had me cleaning your bathroom.

Rick Baldwin:

Probably the best thing ever happened to him.

Bob Miller:

I just went through his son's yesterday for my dental work.

Rick Baldwin:

did you know Herman J Heidrich?

Bob Miller:

No. They had the big place out on the 441.

Rick Baldwin:

the dog at the horse track out there.

Bob Miller:

Yeah at the horse track.

Rick Baldwin:

Do you remember when Colonel McCoy crashed his airplane?

Bob Miller:

Not Really. Yeah. But you know,

Rick Baldwin:

right there at the track, Ben White raceway.

Bob Miller:

Supposedly That was a big scandal about that came up later wasn't there?

Rick Baldwin:

I didn't know I don't remember.

Bob Miller:

He supposedly the engine failed or something. But actually he was he was doing the things he shouldn't be doing with that airplane when he crashed.

Rick Baldwin:

Okay, hit the Ben White raceway.

Bob Miller:

Ben White Raceway Yeah, yeah. And I remember when they did that what they call the Silkies Yeah, you know the horses I remember when they used to race them around and there was a restaurant out there that was you Sulkies but there was a restaurant right there

Rick Baldwin:

Sulkies! that was real famous. Well known too, I think they had one in DeLand? It was here.

Linda Kulmann:

It was a high end cafeteria.

Rick Baldwin:

It was a high end cafeteria.

Bob Miller:

Cafeteria Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.