Marion D. “Dooley” Miller ’75

Presbyterian College lost an historically significant and much-loved alumnus when Marion D. “Dooley” Miller ’75 passed away on Jan. 10 at the age of 70.

PC’s first African-American student-athlete and the first African-American man to graduate from the college, Miller played a substantial role in integrating his alma mater. But even more so than his part in PC’s history, Miller is remembered widely as a multi-talented man of great character and humility.

“PC is forever grateful for the life and legacy of our beloved alumnus, Dooley Miller, and we will miss him greatly,” said college president Dr. Anita Gustafson. “He will be remembered not just for the historic firsts he contributed to the college as a student-athlete and as the first African-American man to graduate from the college, but also for the thoughtful and graceful manner in which he conducted himself on and off the court, in the classroom, and throughout his career.”

Miller was a standout multi-sport athlete from Pacolet High School in Spartanburg County who was successfully recruited to join the Blue Hose basketball squad in 1971. Though unaware at the time he was the team’s only African-American player, Miller immediately won the hearts of his teammates and classmates by serving as a leader on the court and around campus.

“Dooley was just a great guy – a great teammate and friend,” said Randy Randall ’75, who joined Miller on the Blue Hose men’s team in 1971. “Dooley was a PC legend as a player and a leader for the college who always lit up any room he came into.”

Dooley Miller ’75 as a member of the Blue Hose Men’s Basketball Team.

Dr. Swan Sewell, a physician from Atlanta, Ga., came to PC on scholarship in 1973 in large part due to Miller’s influence. As an African-American man himself, Sewell said Miller’s relationships and presence at PC granted him immediate acceptance.

“He was my closest friend from day one,” Sewell said. “He was such a man of integrity, that I was treated as a reflection of him and I was received immediately on campus.”

Miller’s character is foremost what Sewell wants people to remember most.

“All of his relationships were joyful and loving,” Sewell said. “He was a fountain of joy and he was unwavering in his commitment to integrity. He didn’t do anything at PC because he was the first – he did it just be being himself.”

Sewell said he also wants people to remember how talented his friend was – as an athlete who also played quarterback, was a star baseball player, and a gifted musician.

“Dooley did a lot of things really, really well, which is something not a lot of people know about him because he would never boast,” he said.

After leaving PC in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in history, Miller went into public education as a teacher and coach. At age 26, he became the varsity boys’ basketball coach at Broome High School and later served as a guidance counselor and administrator in Spartanburg County School District 3 before retirement.

Miller also continued to foster a long, rich relationship with PC as a founder of the college’s African-American Alumni Association and as a past president of the PC Alumni Association.

Miller is survived by his wife of 32 years, Margarette, three children – Syreeta Nicole Dendy, Marian Bell Miller, and Titus Anthony Miller – and three grandchildren.

Miller’s celebration of life service was held Monday at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Spartanburg.