PANAMA CITY — One man has spent decades making sure his voice is heard. Tuesday, students across the region honored him with a lifetime achievement award.
Leon Miller, former educator and Lynn Haven’s first African-American city commissioner, was honored by black student unions at Florida State University Panama City campus and Gulf Coast State College with a Black Student Union Lifetime Achievement Award during a Black History Month celebration Tuesday evening at the university’s campus.
Miller was a counselor and coordinator of minority students and recruitment at GCSC from 1966-2009. He holds GCSC’s only “counselor emeritus” title. He also was Lynn Haven’s first African-American commissioner, where he served one term.
He is “passionate, caring and just motivating,” said GCSC 1995 graduate Gretta Preston, who is now the financial aid verification specialist adviser at the college. “He cared so much about the African-American community that he was in the community.”
At every opportunity, he continues to encourage young people to get a college education, said Miller’s wife, Lois Miller. “In the grocery store, wherever. That’s just how he is,” she said.
Current students regard Miller as a Bay County leader; a man who is “responsible, trustworthy and dependable,” according to 19-year-old GCSC African-American Student Union President Zachary McNabb.
“He has set a lot of goals for people from bad childhoods and early stages of life,” McNabb said. “They can make big changes, even if it’s in a small town like this town.”
Performances by mimes, singers, steppers and spoken-word artists each alluded to the theme of the event: “Voice to Action.”
The theme “symbolizes moving beyond just talking about it and actually taking steps to make things happen,” said FSU BSU president Tanisha Peterson. “The movement starts here, meaning this campus, from voice to action.”
Peterson said Miller is proof of the impact local community leaders have on future generations. She noted Miller’s accolades are many and inspiring.
Honoring Miller, “I felt that it was important to showcase our history of this area … and show how much of an impact we had at one time so that maybe the students coming up can see that possibility that they too can do it,” she added.
Miller and his wife watched the event front-and-center. He cracked a smile and dropped his head to chuckle to himself at the light humor of emcee Ernest Todd.
“I feel great about being selected for this award because there are so many others out there who have done great things in this community,” Miller said, adding his family and friends are his major supporters.
He said using his voice to “speak out” at meetings helped him tremendously.
“Taking the leadership role, you have to get involved in the whole community’s affairs, not just one area, but the whole affair,” he added. “You’ve got to learn city government, county government and state government. Learn what the Democratic and Republican parties mean and what they do in your town.”