Memorializing Former Representative Carl Miller

HOUSE MEMORIAL 26-1002

BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) McCluskie and Lukens, Bacon, Barron, Boesenecker, Brown, Caldwell, Camacho, Carter, Clifford, Duran, English, Espenoza, Froelich, Garcia, Gilchrist, Goldstein, Hamrick, Hartsook, Jackson, Johnson, Joseph, Keltie, Lieder, Lindsay, Mabrey, Martinez, Mauro, McCormick, Nguyen, Paschal, Phillips, Ricks, Rutinel, Sirota, Smith, Soper, Stewart K., Stewart R., Story, Suckla, Taggart, Titone, Valdez, Velasco, Weinberg, Willford, Winter T., Woodrow.

MEMORIALIZING MILLER.

FORMER

REPRESENTATIVE

CARL

WHEREAS, Our respected former colleague, Carl Eugene Miller, a past member of the Colorado House of Representatives, departed this life on August 9, 2025, at the age of 86, in Leadville, Colorado; and WHEREAS, Representative Miller was born in Leadville on October 28, 1938, to Carl and Ruth Miller; and WHEREAS, After graduating from Leadville High School with the class of 1956, Representative Miller began working in various local mines, including the Irene manganese mine, the Julia Fiske lead mine, and the Helena gold mine; and WHEREAS, Soon after, Representative Miller volunteered for the draft and joined the United States Army in 1958; after completing basic training, he served in Gelnhausen, Germany, until 1960, when he was honorably discharged; and

WHEREAS, Representative Miller then returned to Leadville, where he married his high school sweetheart, Mary Ann, and began the family that formed the "most important and cherished aspect of his life", including his 2 daughters, Cindy and Sherry; 4 grandchildren; and 4 great-grandchildren, and which additionally included his brother, his sisters, and a multitude of nieces and nephews; and WHEREAS, Representative Miller would also continue his lifelong involvement in the mining industry upon returning to Leadville; to begin, he established a career as an underground electrician, working in the Climax molybdenum mine at the top of Fremont Pass for 27 years, and served on the executive board and as the president of his local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers labor union; and WHEREAS, Additionally, Representative Miller played an integral part in the mining industry's decision to establish Leadville as the permanent home of the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, which was founded in 1987 in the very building that had once been Representative Miller's high school, and in 1989 he was appointed the first president and executive director of the museum, in which role he would go on to serve and guide the institution for an additional IO years; and WHEREAS, A dedicated advocate for Leadville and Lake County, Representative Miller also played a pivotal role in enhancing the community through his work with the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation, the nonprofit organization created to support the Leadville Trail 100 running race, a 100-mile ultramarathon through the Rocky Mountains at elevations between 10,200 and 15,600 feet; and WHEREAS, The Leadville Trail I 00 began as a means to reinvigorate Leadville when Climax Mine, the city's primary employer and where Representative Miller had worked as an underground electrician, began a decades-long shutdown in the 1980s; now, the Leadville Trail 100 brings millions of dollars to Lake County each year, and the race's Legacy Foundation helps ensure donations benefit and serve the needs of the local community; and

WHEREAS, Representative Miller was selected to be the first board member of the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation in 2002, a position he would hold for the rest of his life, but his involvement with the race already ran deep; in fact, Representative Miller had helped secure the permits for the first Leadville Trail 100 race in 1983, and due to his crucial work, he was given the honor of firing the starting shotgun at the inaugural event; and WHEREAS, Representative Miller also contributed to the community through his work as a dedicated and deeply involved public servant; for example, he served as a Lake County Commissioner for 12 years, from 1977 to 1989; he worked on the Lake County School Finance and Scholarship Committees and contributed to many other civic and county engagements, such as the Hospital Advisory Group, the Council on Aging, the Historic Preservation Commission, and the 3rd Congressional Military Academy Advisory Selection Committee; and he sat as a past chairman of Colorado's Region 13 Council of Governments; and WHEREAS, After deciding to run for state government, Representative Miller was elected to the House of Representatives in 1996, where from 1997 to 2004 he served 4 terms as the state Representative for District 61 and later District 56, representing the citizens of Chaffee, Eagle, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Lake, Mineral, Park, Pitkin, Rio Grande, Saguache, Summit, and Teller counties over the course of his time with the General Assembly; and WHEREAS, While serving as a state Representative, Representative Miller was a member of several House committees, including the Agriculture, Livestock, and Natural Resources Committee; the Local Government Committee; the Business Affairs and Labor Committee; and the Information and Technology Committee; several joint and statutory committees, including the Police Officers' and Firefighters' Pension Reform Commission; the Committee on Legal Services; the Legislative Audit Committee, as Vice-chair; the Capital Development Committee; and the Water Resources Review Committee; and also several interim committees, including the Water and Land Resources Issues Committee, the Commuter Airlines Committee, the Need to Conduct Fiscal Study of State and Local Governments Committee, and the Task Force to Evaluate Health Care Needs (Rural and Small Group); and

WHEREAS, Representative Miller believed in protecting Colorado's natural resources, especially its waters, minerals, and wildlife; advancing developments in technology; strengthening Colorado's economy; and promoting education, particularly in rural Colorado; and WHEREAS, After his tenure in the Colorado House of Representatives, Representative Miller continued on as a public servant and was appointed by Governor Bill Owens to the Public Utilities Commission, where he would serve as a Commissioner until his retirement from politics in 2008; and WHEREAS, Overall, Representative Miller lived his life unwaveringly devoted to his family and his community; he deeply loved Leadville, often reading books about local history, and enjoyed walking, biking, and prospecting in his beloved Colorado outdoors; and WHEREAS, Representative Miller was an accomplished, respected public servant who will be remembered for his hard work, dedication, and community-oriented achievements; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly of the State of Colorado: That in the death of Carl Miller, the people of the State of Colorado have lost an exemplary public servant and outstanding citizen, and that we, the members of the Colorado House of Representatives, do hereby extend our deep and heartfelt sympathy to the members of his family and pay tribute to a man who served his state well and faithfully. Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Memorial be sent to Mary Ann Miller, his wife; Cindy Koucherik, his daughter, and Donnie Koucherik, his son-in-law; Sherry McGoldrick, his daughter, and Patrick McGoldrick, his. son-in-law; Kayla Marcella, Stephanie Koucherik, Christopher Koucherik, and Nicole McGoldrick, his grandchildren; Elizabeth Savoren, Abigail Marcella, RyLee Marcella, and Emilia Koucherik, his great-grandchildren; Mary Lou Richards, his sister, and Gale Richards, his brother-in-law; Jean Ann Farlow, his sister, and Jim Farlow, his brother-in-law; Donnie Miller, his brother, and Debbie Miller, his sister-in-law; and Norma Skala, his sister-in-law.

Julie McCluskie SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Vanessa Reilly CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES