Good Knight: Alumni Share Memories of Dr. Charles Millican

UCF’s founding president, Charles Millican, died Dec. 1, 2010. His spirit lives on at his university and through its graduates. A few of them who knew Dr. Millican personally share their thoughts on this understated man whose leadership, devotion and courage made an impact on thousands of lives.

Fateful Firsts

It was August 1968, and I moved from Detroit to an apartment in Orlando. I had applied to a little-known university and received a letter saying I was accepted in its junior class. I could finish my degree in Orlando instead of having to drive over to USF. I was thrilled. But this school was out in the boonies, brand new and unaccredited.

It seemed the driver from the moving company had decided to visit his girlfriend in Texas, and everything I owned was waylaid. So I went to the apartment next door and rang the bell. A beautiful lady with a soft Southern accent opened the door. I explained my dilemma and asked to borrow two knives, two forks, two spoons, a pot, pan and lamp.

While she was gathering my temporary life support, she asked what I was doing here. I told her my family was moving from Michigan and I was the first here. I told her my apprehension about attending a school that was unaccredited and hoped that the people running it knew what they were doing. At that point she told me her husband worked for that school. I asked, “Oh, what does he teach?” She smiled and told me, “My dear, he is the president.” I was talking to Frances Millican. I wanted to crawl out the door and become a blade of grass.

Well, after that meeting, I learned many things from both Charlie and Frances. He had the best parking space on campus. She entertained with a beautiful Southern flair. The best part: We were friends from that day on. I learned genteel Southern manners from Frances, and Charlie instilled in me what it meant to be a first — the first graduating class from a little-known university, located out in the boonies. And yes, it seemed the person running it knew what he was doing.

-Mary Scott, ’70

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UCF President John Hitt, left, and his wife, Martha, right, celebrated the unveiling of a statue of Charles Millican in late 2009.

Food For the Mind And Soul

My belief is that the surest way of living a “successful” life is to sensibly, prayerfully and deliberately feed ourselves with the highest quality spiritual, mental, emotional and physical nutrition we can obtain. For many of us who were privileged to know Charles Norman Millican intimately, we will, without hesitation, identify him as a valued source of the life-enriching “food” we needed and will continue to need throughout our lives. This nourishment manifested itself in many ways: as friendship, encouragement, love and direction.

We benefitted from this good man’s presence in our lives by way of his talent as a teacher, visionary, pastor, guide and mentor. I do not doubt that his pivotal role in the history of our time will become even clearer as UCF, now recognized as the second largest university in the nation, prospers and grows in national and world influence.

I have been honored and blessed to call Dr. Millican —”Charlie” in latter years — a friend since 1969. I will continue to miss him a lot and will certainly keep benefitting from the gifts and talents he so graciously shared with me and thousands of others.

Although the pain of his passing is rather poignant now, I’m convinced we will agree in time with Kahlil Gibran, who wrote, “... that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.”

-Ron Page, ’73

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During his presidency, Millican loved walking around the campus and talking with students.

Guiding Spirit

I met him by chance, and little did I know when he gently nudged me back into college that a relationship as close as father and son would develop, nor did I realize that he would keep guiding me well into his 90s and my 60s, always caring, always concerned, always funny and always wise.

The history of Central Florida changed when Charles Millican was named the first president of what became the University of Central Florida ... as did the lives of thousands of students who followed his charge to reach for the stars. It is fair to say that his impact on the region was equal to that of Walt Disney.

-Roger Pynn, ’73

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U.S. President Richard Nixon spoke at graduation in 1973.

Mutual Understanding

Charlie and Frances Millican were friends of mine for more than 40 years. It was one of those “special” relationships, which, like some often do, started with a friendly disagreement.

Ours was over the “urgency” of additional student parking for UCF. I wanted more — immediately — and it turned out so did Charlie — he just couldn’t get it done in a day. (We tended to be a bit impatient when we were younger.) That “discussion” turned into one of my most valued life-long friendships.

Charlie’s understated effectiveness was masked by his courteous, theological Southern “gentlemaness.” You could play craps with him over the phone. He was the genuine article and cared deeply for those around him, especially students, and he loved with an unbridled parental passion this special place called UCF. It really was his family, as were we all.

Maya Angelou says that people will forget what you did and what you said — but will never forget how you made them feel. Charlie made us all feel like we were special and part of the family. If it’s true that a person is only as tall as the sum of his deeds, then Charlie was one of the tallest guys in the room.

-Rick Walsh, ’77, UCF Board of Trustees Chair

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Memories of Milkshakes

Between 1998 and 1999, I had the privilege of spending countless hours with Dr. Millican while working on various projects for the UCF Foundation. At least once a week he would make his way into my office and say, “Care to join me for the best cheeseburger in town? Of course, I’ll need you to drive!” Some of the best advice I ever received was over a cheeseburger, a side of fries and a small chocolate milkshake at Steak ’n Shake.

We talked about UCF... we talked about what it meant to be a leader... we talked about faith, being a husband and, in 1998 when my wife and I had our first child, we talked a lot about what it meant to be a father. Without fail, on the drive back to campus, he would say, “If Frances asks, we didn’t go to Steak ‘n Shake, OK?” I already miss Charlie.

-Todd Woodard, ’95, UCF Alumni Association Board Chair