Joseph Turner McMillan, Jr.
(July 19, 1944 – December 12, 2017)

 

 

Joseph Turner McMillan, Jr.

Joseph Turner McMilan, Jr. was born July 19, 1944 in Valdosta, Georgia to Rev. Joseph Turner and Olivia Cooper McMillan. Joe's father, Rev. McMillan Sr., was born June 11, 1915, and died August 23, 1992, in Winston Salem, NC. Joe's grandparents were Lazarus W. and Louise McCoggle McMillan.

Joe Jr. attended public schools throughout the South, and was graduated from New Stanton Senior High School of Jacksonville, Florida, in 1961. Following graduation, he enrolled in Howard University where his leadership was recognized by his service as a president of both his junior and senior classes. At Howard, he studied psychology and was active in a variety of religious and service organizations. He was included among "Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities." He received his BS from Howard in 1965. He continued his studies there earning a MA in student personnel administration in 1970.

In November, following Joe's graduation,the Board for Homeland Ministries of the United Church of Christ announced that Joe had been selected as their Secretary for College Relationships. In this position he directed the denomination's ministry in church-related higher education and staffed the program of the organization of the 47 colleges, academies and seminars related to the United Church of Christ. He was based at the New York City headquarters of the United Church board. In announcing Joe's appointment in The Pittsburgh Courier, the executive vice-president of the Board, Rev. Dr. Howard E. Spragg said, "Young, black and vigorous, McMillan will be helping us to find new dimensions in our commitment to higher education for the 70s."

Before accepting this appointment, Joe had been active in community affairs, serving as consultant to the Westinghouse Job Corps Center; a regional program director of the National College Business Alliance and area representative of the 5th Ward, District of Columbia Board of Elections.

Joe served on the Board for 18 years. In 1988, he was chosen as the President of Huston-Tillotson College, a position he held until his retirement in 2000.

Following his retirement, Joe served on Texas Coordinating Board committees to consider requests from four private post-secondary institutions offering programs in acupuncture and oriental medicine for certificates of authority to grant degrees in Texas. He later became vice-president of Texas Health and Science University (formerly Texas College of Traditional Chinese Medicine).

Joe died on December 12, 2017 in Austin, Texas.

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Below is from Alpha Phi Alpha magazine,The Sphinx, Fall 1988

Brother McMillan Leads Huston-Tillotson
UCC Education Administrator Succeeds Brother John King at H-T.

Brother Joseph T. McMillan Jr. has been elected as the new President of Huston-Tillotson College. He assumed the presidency on July 1, 1988.

Dr. McMillan, 43, was Secretary for Higher Education Relationships of the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries of the United Church of Christ. He succeeds Brother John Q. Taylor King, Huston-Tillotson's president since 1965. In his former position, Dr. McMillan coordinated higher education programs, institutional affiliations and funding for the United Church of Christ. He was honored by Huston-Tillotson College with a Doctor of Laws degree in I984.

Dr. King, 66, announced his intention to retire as Huston-Tillotson College's president at last fall's Board meeting. In retirement, Dr. King will carry the title of Chancellor, an office to which he was elected in the spring. He will be available to assist with development and fund-raising as requested.

Dr. McMillan's election by the Board was unanimous, as was the recommendation of the Presidential Search Committee which conducted a national search of top educators and scholars in the field.

Said Dr. King: ’'I could not be more delighted at this choice. In his current position, loe McMillan has a deep familiarity with Huston-Tillotson College and has a historic linkage with Huston-Tillotson's roots and its traditional church sponsors. His experience as an advisor to the Board uniquely equips him to understand the College to lead and plan for its future."

Dr. McMillan had served on the staff of the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries since September of 1970. He directed the denomination's ministry in church-related higher education and staffed the program of the organization of the 47 colleges, academies and seminars related to the United Church of
Christ.

Additionally, Dr. McMillan served as a consultant to the Huston-Tillotson College Board, a member of the Secretariat of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and as former chairperson of the National Black Staff of the United Church of Christ.

Before joining the Board for Homeland Ministries, Dr. McMillan was a residence hall counselor at Howard University in Washington, DC. He received his bachelor of science degree from Howard University in 1965 with a major in psychology. His master of arts degree in student personnel administration came from Howard University in 1970. His doctor of education degree in higher education administration was awarded him by Teachers College at Columbia University in 1986.

Dr. McMillan is the recipient of two honorary degrees, a Doctor of Letters degree, awarded by Yankton College in Yankton, SD, in 1976, and a Doctor of Laws from Huston-Tillotson in 1984.

He was born in Valdosta, Georgia, the son of the Reverend and Mrs. J. T. McMillan, who currently reside in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Rev. McMillan is a minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Dr. McMillan attended public schools throughout the South, and was graduated from New Stanton Senior High School of Jacksonville, Florida, in 1961. His special interests include counseling young people, the history of the 19th Century and bicycling.

Dr. McMillan was an active member of the Nazarene Congregational United Church of Christ in Brooklyn, New York where he served as chairperson of the Board of Trustees.

"I am honored by this appointment and by the faith that the Board has shown in me. I am doubly honored in having been chosen to succeed John King, an educator who has dedicated his life to this institution and to the cause of Black higher education. I look forward to working with the Huston-Tillotson College trustees, staff, faculty, and students, and with the Austin community in helping the College and the community to grow and prosper. I believe deeply in the role of historically Black colleges, and especially in the future of Huston-Tillotson College, and I hope to be an efiective advocate on its behalf .”
Acceptance Remarks by Dr. McMillan

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Below is an obituary for Joe's father. It is clear where Joe got his energy, his dedication to social justice and his religious faith.

Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1974-current, August 27, 1992

By CAROLE RAGINS Community News Editor

Distinguished political leader and minister leaves his legacy.

Dr. J.T. McMillan, Sr. was a highly respected man throughout the community.

Dr. Joseph Turner McMillan Sr., a local minister, civil rights activist, and political leader, died Sunday, August 23, 1992. He was widely known and respected in the community as a leader of hearts and minds. According to Mazie Woodruff, McMillan was "one of those people you call fearless. He was one of the biggest leaders on this side of the U.S.A."

McMillan was the first president of the NAACP chapter in Winston-Salem. He organized a day care center which became the largest childcare facility for the poor available in the state. Supporters say he opened the doors of the church to community action programs and made them available 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

For years many of the human rights action programs for black people were held in St. James A.M.E. Church. McMillan became involved with the Catherine Scott School desegregation suit which was the case that first integrated local schools. He served as president of the local and regional P.T.A. Council to demand complete integration of the officials and leaders of each P.T.A. throughout the school system. According to Woodruff, McMillan is perhaps most noted for 'his meticulous yet firm way of expressing himself." As a member of the state NAACP executive committee and serving as chairman of the committee, McMillan challenged the governor to "put up or shut up" on the question of equal employment. As a result of his persistence as well as other NAACP committee members, the number of black state patrol recruits increased by 20 percent. Much of the gains of the civil rights movement in Winston-Salem stemmed from McMillan's leader ship in the NAACP.

He was born June 11, 1918. During the Franklin D. Roosevelt years, he began an education that took him to Savannah State College, and eventually to Turner Theological Seminary, now Interdenominational Theological Center. At Savannah State College, McMillan graduated with two degrees, a BS. in Science and an AB in Liberal Arts and won the honor of "Best All-Around Student" in the four-year period.

He began his professional career as a high school teacher and administrator and received two honorary degrees: Doctor of Divinity and Doctor of Letters. In October 1988, McMillan was presented a proclamation by former mayor Wayne A. Corpening, who honored him for his dedication and leadership. Corpening proclaimed October 7, 1988 as Dr. J.T. McMillan Day.

McMillan's history as a young lay leader in the church goes as far back as his days at the seminary. Upon completion of his degrees, he was admitted and ordained in the Macon, Georgia Annual Conference of the A.M.E. Church, under Bishop W. A. Fountain. After accepting pastorates in different churches across the United States, McMillan came to Winston-Salem on the first Sunday in December 1962 to become pastor of St. James A.M.E. Church. In an unpublished autobiography, McMillan gives a grim account of the mood of the city and St. James when he first arrived to Winston-Salem. "The congregation was at low ebb. The membership was scattered. During the last two years, one pastor had died, another had left three months before annual conference; and the church was without a pastor. The Sanctuary Education Building had been bought by the city's redevelopment program. Services temporarily were to be conducted at the recreation center in an east side government low housing project. The parsonage nearby had not been sold, but it was not livable without costly repairs. The city was almost totally controlled by the structure of industry magnate choices in places of power. It was a city divided by an uncrossable racial line of East and West with the extremely poor in ghettos on the East Side, and many fabulously rich on the West.

The crime rate was high and growing. Among McMillan's accomplishments are reclaiming the scattered church members; expanding the evangelism and stewardship in the church and community; leading the congregation to economic empowerment; uniting the congregation with all social and political action and civil rights institutions in the area; and opening the communication between the NAACP and state officials in regard to the concerns of black people. In his autobiography, McMillan also states that he became president of the Conference of Churches and Ministers; organized a protest and boycott of Public Housing Community Food Store and Market which sold spoiled food items such as vegetables and meats in an unclean surrounding and kept an electrical charge counter, which shocked young people, and they kept bad dogs to frighten and threaten young children. The protest was successful and stimulated participation of a large number of youth with NAACP activities.

Family tribute to Dr. McMillan Sr. By Dr. Joseph T. McMillan Jr. Special to the Chronicle.

" Early on Sunday morning, they came looking for him. He was gone. Only a frail body remained. Cold. Still. At peace, at last. All week, he had fought. His work was not done, he thought. His business was not straight. He wasn't ready. But it was his time; and he knew it. Still he fought. But at the end, he accepted God's call; and he slipped away with a faint smile on his face, on Sunday August 23, 1992. He had always been a fighter. Bom in Brunswick, Georgia, during the era of World War I abroad and Jim Crow segregation in America, he and his widowed mother, Louise Donna McCoggle McMillan, and his five older brother and sisters (Allan, Esther, Naomi, James Emory and Ruth), settled in Valdosta, Georgia. His dad, the Rev. Lazarus Wilson McMillan, an A.M.E. pastor, died in the months before he was born, leaving the family destitute. But the family survived.

Building upon those early lessons in courage and faith, he established a career in social action and Christian ministry, with emphasis on education and empowerment of African-American people. For 50 years, he fought against racial prejudice and bigotry in society in Georgia, Arkansas, Florida and North Carolina.

He fought for inclusiveness and lay leadership development within the A.M.E. church. Throughout his career as an A.M.E. minister, he was active at all levels of the church. Although never a bishop, he was a friend, confidante, and mentor to bishops, preachers, and lay leaders through out the A.M.E. Church Connection.

Settling in Winston-Salem in 1962, he pastored St James A.M.E. Church for 17 years. During his first year, he led the congregation to purchase the current sanctuary located on Patterson Avenue and to organize the largest child care facility in the state, at that time. He was a life member of the NAACP and served as president of the Winston-Salem branch for more than 10 years. He led many of the struggles for racial justice throughout the city. He was also an employee of the State of North Carolina where he served with the Department of Human Resources for 20 years.

Throughout his life, he fought and fought hard —at home, at school, at work, at play but especially in the community in which he lived. Usually he won! The great battle during his late years was against a muscle-degenerative disease, which often slowed him down, but never stopped him. In the end, he triumphed even over illness. He leaves a proud legacy of courage and accomplishment for generations of today and for generations yet unborn. A mighty warrior has gone to his reward. Rest in Peace.

He is survived by a proud family and an enormous number of friends and extended family. These include the following: Mrs. Olivia Cooper McMillan, his wife of 50 years; three children, Dr. Joseph T. McMillan Jr. president of Huston-Tillotson College, Austin, Texas; Aliyah Sadiqa McMillan of Winston-Salem and Pamela McMillan Maynard of Plainfield, New Jersey. Four grandchildren, Tabia Milele Ellis, a freshman at Florida A&M University, Jamaal McMillan Maynard, age 10, Akora Maynard, age 8, and Kaia Maynard, age 6. Two nieces, Louise Gordon of Tallahassee, Florida and Marlene McMillan of New York City, and a host of cousins, in-laws and friends. In lieu of flowers, the McMillan family requests that memorial gifts in the name of the late Ret. J.T. McMillan will be sent to the noble causes for which the Rev. McMillan worked tirelessly during his ministry in Winston-Salem: St James A.M.E. Church located at 1501 North Patterson Ave. 27105 and for the Winston-Salem Chapter of the NAACP, P.O. Box 4176, Winston Salem, NC 27115-4176. Both St. James A.M.E. Church and the NAACP will use these gifts to further the important work in the community and establish a living memory of the life, service, and commitments of Dr. J.T. McMillan Sr. A celebration of Life and Ministry in memory of Dr. McMillan will be held at St. James AME Church on Friday August 28 at 11 a.m. The body will lie in state at the church from 10 to 11 a.m. on Friday. The family will receive friends at the Russell Funeral Home, 822 Carl Russell Ave., Winston-Salem, NC on Thursday evening August 27 from 7 to 8 p.m. at which time the body may be viewed. Dr. Joseph Turner McMillan Sr. 

Pictured at right: Dr. J.T. McMillan Sr.(seated) and his wife, Olivia C. McMillan (left) and son, Dr. J.T. McMillan Jr. (right).

Below is a proclamation by the City of Austin declaring January 13, 2018, as Dr. Joseph Turner McMillan Jr. Day.

 

Following the album below there is an article on Joe that appeared in the Austin American-Statesman, January 5, 2018.

 

Article below from the AMERICAN-STATESMAN

JOSEPH T. MCMILLAN JR. 1944-2017

Joseph T. McMillan Jr., led Huston-Tillotson

President’s tenure saw new majors and stronger admissions.

By Ralph K. M. Haurwitz rhaurwitz@statesman.com

McMillan served as president and CEO of the historically black college from July 1, 1988, to June 30, 2000, a 12-year run that saw the development of new majors with a workforce flavor, strengthening of admission and retention standards, implementation of campuswide technology, building and maintenance enhancements, and increased financial stability. He was named president emeritus after he retired.

“Dr. McMillan’s strong passion for the university and its students was remarkable.” said Colette Pierce Burnette, the current president and CEO. “As president emeritus of a 142-year old institution, he was consistently advocating for young people.”

McMillan was born in Valdosta, Ga., on July 19, 1944, the son of a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and a former teacher. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Howard University, a master’s in student personnel administration at Howard and a doctorate in higher education administration from Columbia University’s Teachers College. His special interests included counseling young people and studying the education of African-Americans in the 19th century.

He directed the United Church of Christ’s ministry in higher education for 18 years before coming to Huston-Tillotson. The university is affiliated with the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church and the United Negro College Fund.

McMillan was long active in civic and cultural organizations, serving as a trustee of the United Church of Christ’s pension boards and on the boards of the College Fund/ UNCF, the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas and the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. He served stints as secretary of the Council of Presidents of the United Methodist Church and as chairman of the Council for Higher Education of the United Church of Christ. He was a member of the Congregational Church of Austin.

McMillan is survived by a sister, Aliyah McMillan of Burton, Mich., and an adopted son, Willie Lee Hall of Austin.

Donations may be made to the Joseph T. McMillan Jr. Scholarship Fund, Huston-Tillotson University, Institutional Advancement, 900 Chicon St., Austin, TX 78702.

Contact Ralph K. M. Haurwitz at 512-445-3604.

 

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Program from A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of
Dr. Joseph T. McMillan, Jr.

 

 

 

Banner at Celebration of life of Dr. Joseph T. McMillan Jr at Huston-Tilotson Univesity, King-Fears Chapel.

Banner and Celebration of life of Dr. Joseph T. McMillan

Alpha Phi Alpha, Delta Chapter, honoring Dr. Joe T. McMillan, a member.

Rev. Tom Vandestad giving eulogy for Dr. Joe McMillan, Huston-Tilotson choir in background. Rev. Frank Dietz at right.