Stephanie Miller
was slicing and serving chocolate cake Tuesday night to dozens of people at
the Porter town hall who had come to wish her well.
The Town Council
honored her upon Miller’s retirement from the Porter Park Department.
Councilman Rob
Pomeroy, the outgoing park liaison, thanked Miller for her service and
recalled how she, her husband Jim Miller --- former park superintendent and
now park maintenance specialist --- and Pomeroy all helped his Porter Cove
neighbors build Kids Cove Park in 1996. “The park turned out wonderfully.”
Pomeroy said
through the years Stephanie Miller hosted numerous park events including
children’s favorites like the annual Halloween Boo Bash and Easter Egg hunt.
“I can’t imagine how many smiles you brought to the kids of Porter over 20
years. I bet it’s thousands,” he added, followed by audience applause.
Miller was
gifted with a wooden plaque bearing a color photo of the Hawthorne Park
Millennium Gazebo and an inscription from the Town of Porter and its
citizens. Said Miller, “Thank you so much. It’s been my pleasure.”
She later said,
“I was overwhelmed. I teared up, such kind words from the council members. I
appreciate it more than they know.”
Council member
Jeannine Virtue said her own children, now grown, once were involved in
Miller’s park programs and it’s an asset for any community to have someone
for 20 years who parents can trust with their kids.
Miller told the
Chesterton Tribune, “When a child comes to the park, they basically
want to let their hair down, enjoy the scenery, run, play and have fun. That
hasn’t changed in 20 years. I still delight in children enjoying themselves
as I did when I started.”
While today’s
child might have a smart phone, MP3 player or hand-held computer game in
their pocket, “Those items are tucked away when they come to play
volleyball, disc golf, baseball or basketball,” Miller explained.
She noted that
although she retired from the Park Department, she’s open to exploring other
employment options.
The Park
Department is in its first weeks of a reorganization. Two new Park Board
members were named Tuesday, and Park Board president Rondi Wightman told the
council 34 persons have applied for the new position of park director.
Interviews with the finalists are ongoing; the board hopes to select a
director at its Jan. 15 meeting.
Wightman also
said park facilities are still available for rental and inquiries are
welcome. Stephanie Miller formerly handled rentals/reservations.