Colby Eagles Alumni Association
Mose Miller, 1930
Community Leader
Nominated by Jean Ann Miller LoPorto
Charles Morris Miller (“Mose”) graduated from Colby Community High School in 1930. He enrolled in higher accounting and graduated from La Salle Extension University of Chicago, Ill. He enlisted in the Army in WWII and worked his way up to Captain in the Finance Division.
He began working for Farmers and Merchants State Bank while in high school and worked his way up to president and chairman of the board by the time he retired in 1974 after 45 years of service. It was not unusual for him to receive a phone call on a Sunday and go down to the bank to loan someone money...now that’s what they call “banker’s hours!” Mose also served on the Federal Reserve Board of Kansas City from 1968-1974.
He was very active in the community to the point that a “Mose Miller Day” was held on December 27th in his honor in the mid ‘60s. He served as Commander of the American Legion Post, and president and district officer of the Colby Lions Club as well as district director and vice president of the Kansas State Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of the IOOF and a Shriner. He was also instrumental in promoting the construction of the Community Building in Colby. The golf course and Country Club were another long time love and he was the secretary of the Country Club for years.
Mose said in an interview in 1974, “I think Colby has as much or more potential for growth in all areas as any town in Northwest Kansas. Our biggest asset is the people. The opportunity for this area is almost unlimited.”
Copyright Colby Eagles Alumni Association @ 2014
