Helen M. Miller, retired Free Library administrator, children’s literacy advocate, and civil rights activist, has died at 82

Helen M. Miller , 82, of Philadelphia, retired director of public services for the Free Library of Philadelphia, children’s literacy advocate, civil rights activist, orchestra aficionado, and avid reader, died Thursday, March 2, of cancer at her Chestnut Hill home.

Mrs. Miller, who as a child in High Point, N.C., used the “colored” library, located on top of a fish market, rose through the ranks of Philadelphia’s Free Library system to become its highest-ranking Black woman. During the 1990s, Mrs. Miller helped to spearhead the “Changing Lives Campaign,” a $67 million capital project that paid for the renovation of the city’s 54 libraries, installed personal computers, and expanded children’s literacy programs.

Mrs. Miller began her career at the Free Library in 1966 as a children’s librarian; her easy-going personality made her a hit with the youngsters. “Their little faces lit up with delight when she read stories to them,” said friend and former colleague John Cunningham.

In 1976, Mrs. Miller opened the Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library. The facility was hailed for its state-of-the-art collection of Black history books, which she sourced. Its success led to Mrs. Miller’s promotion to area administrator for West Philadelphia, where she was in charge of operations for 11 regional libraries for more than a decade.

Mrs. Miller was promoted to chief of neighborhood libraries in the late 1980s and developed a cooperative satellite program with Clarion University, providing clerical workers the opportunity to earn master’s degrees in library science. This program helped build a staff of diverse librarians at the Free Library.

“She was passionate about providing service for all patrons,” Cunningham said.

Born May 13, 1940, in High Point, Mrs. Miller was the fourth of five children. She attended Mt. Vernon Baptist Church and loved singing in the choir.

“She had a beautiful voice,” said sister Evelyn McRae. “Those who stood next to her in church counted themselves lucky.”

Mrs. Miller attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, where she joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. In 1960, she accompanied her classmates in a series of nonviolent protests at Woolworths. The historic sit-ins ended with the Greensboro five-and-dime store allowing Black people to sit at its lunch counter. She graduated from N.C. A&T in 1962 with a bachelor’s degree.

In the mid 1960s, Mrs. Miller moved from North Carolina to West Philadelphia to live with her older sister, RubyPettet. She enrolled at Drexel University and earned a master’s degree in library science.

She met Tyrone Miller at a party in 1967. Three years later the couple married and settled in Mount Airy. Mrs. Miller joined St. Raymond of Penafort Catholic Church and became a devout Catholic.

Daughter Tara Miller was born in 1972. Mrs. Miller was a teacher and adviser for Tara and her friends, whom she always welcomed into her home.

“My mom was the best of all my besties,” Tara Miller said. “She was my ultimate hype woman. I am an only child, and her relationship with my friends extended my family.”

A phenomenal cook, Mrs. Miller made macaroni and cheese, 7 Up pound cake, and sweet potato pies that were holiday favorites. She loved hunting for the city’s best crab cakes with her husband. Whether shopping at BJ’s or traveling to England, South Africa, or Zambia, the couple, married for 52 years, enjoyed each other’s company every day.

Mrs. Miller retired from the Free Library in 2005 after 39 years of service.

During her retirement, she was a regular at the Kimmel Cultural Campus, where she sat in the second row of the orchestra section. She and her daughter went to see The Nutcracker every Christmas Eve and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater each spring.

In addition to her daughter, husband, and sister Evelyn, Mrs. Miller is survived by several nieces and nephews, and other family and friends. Her siblings Ruby Pettet, John Jenkins, and Virgil Jenkins died earlier.

Visitation with the family is Friday, March 10, from 11 to 11:45 a.m. at Our Mother of Consolation Church, 9 E. Chestnut Hill Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19118. A memorial Mass is to follow at noon.

Donations in her name may be made to the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, PO Box 7512, Philadelphia, Pa. 19101.