Donald Gabriel Miller

Donald Miller, retired Lab scientist and lifelong civic activist, died of cancer Feb. 3. He was 84.

Miller was born and raised in Oakland, Calif., the son of Nathan Harry Miller, the chief deputy district attorney to Earl Warren in Alameda County, and Edith Levy Miller Balaban.

He graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemistry from U.C. Berkeley in 1949, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1952.

Miller worked at LLNL for more than 45 years. He also taught at the Australian National University; the University of Louisville; Texas Christian University; the University of Naples, Italy; and the Université Catholique de Lille, France.

He was the author of 174 published papers in physical chemistry, history of science and ballistics, and was the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship to France in 1960.

Much of his scientific work related to the chemical characteristics of solutions; one of his papers was noted by Nobel Prize winner Lars Onsager in his prize acceptance speech.

Later in his life, Miller developed an interest in ballistics, the science of how guns work; he published 37 papers in this area, some highly technical and some aimed at a more lay audience.

He moved with his family to Livermore in 1956. Soon, he became interested in local politics. During the period 1964-1976, he served on the Livermore Planning Commission, city council and as mayor.

He continued to remain actively involved in city affairs for most of his life. His focus throughout was on ensuring that Livermore remained a livable city, with clean air, open space, parks and a pleasant and aesthetically pleasing downtown area with cultural spaces. He and his political allies fought against high-density development and are considered responsible for the limits on development along the Livermore Valley ridge lines.

An amateur musician, Miller played the piano and harpsichord, and composed several pieces of ragtime music, including one in honor of the City of Livermore's centennial in 1969.

He was a founding member of Del Valle Fine Arts, serving on its board and as its representative to the Cultural Arts Council for almost 50 years. He was an active fundraiser and supporter of the efforts to build the Bankhead Theater.

He was an active member of Congregation Beth Emek, where he and his wife Miriam were among the original members.

Miller is survived by his wife of 62 years, Miriam Cohen Miller; two daughters, Nancy and Lynne; and two grandchildren, Elena and Lucio Franco, all living in the Washington, D.C. area.

Funeral services were held at Congregation Beth Emek in Pleasanton on Feb. 5. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Miller's name to Congregation Beth Emek, and the Bankhead Theater in Livermore.