Giving Students a Chance
Sisters Use Their Estate Plans to Make a Difference
The Miller sisters are using their estate plans to extend their support for FSU students. Their gift will support scholarships for students with a Native American background.
Sherry and Rebecca Miller often reminisce of their adolescent years growing up in Panama City, Florida, where they recall their maternal grandfather’s stories about their Native American culture.
Due to her inquisitive nature as a young adult, Sherry discovered that Native American heritage was also prevalent on the paternal side. Sherry and Rebecca take pride in their Native American culture and desire to learn more about their heritage.
Rebecca graduated from FSU in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare within the College of Social Work. She pursued a career in law enforcement, serving as Atlanta’s first female Law Enforcement Officer. As her career grew, she specialized in intelligence and training with lie detectors. With this knowledge, Rebecca was able to conduct successful operations to catch drug smugglers and supervise a squad of detectives until she retired from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Rebecca Miller served as Atlanta's first female Law Enforcement Officer after graduating from FSU in 1972.
Initially, Sherry enlisted in the Army with a focus in Information Management. Later, she attended FSU to pursue her passion for history. Sherry graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts in the College of Arts and Sciences. A year later, she received her Master’s in Library Studies within the College of Communication. She chose Library Studies because of her interest in working part time at the State Library in Tallahassee.
Sherry advanced in her career to lead top-secret military research at the Library of Congress, U.S. Department of Justice Law Library and Aviation Technical Library Information Center. During the time she worked at the libraries, she continued pursuing her own historical knowledge on their genealogy.
Both sisters made their way back home to the Panhandle of Florida and reunited once again.
Sherry Miller served in the Army before attending FSU to study history and later library studies.
During their time together in the Panhandle, Hurricane Michael devastated the local area, which touched them and their community. The devastation to the community inspired the Miller sisters to leave a legacy through their estate plans. Their financial advisor recommended them to an elder law attorney in the area, and through him, they were able to connect with the FSU Foundation.
Dion Guest, Senior Director of the Office of Gift and Estate Planning, and his team took great care to ensure that Sherry and Rebecca’s philanthropic goal at FSU was met. It is Sherry and Rebecca’s preference that their legacy supports scholarships for FSU students with a Native American background.
“It makes me feel good,” Sherry says. “I have no regrets. The forgotten people deserve a chance.”
Legacy giving such as the Millers have done allows our great University to continue to thrive for years to come. With many gift-giving solutions, the Office of Gift and Estate Planning team are here to help support your college, programs and interests at Florida State University. Contact The Office of Gift and Estate Planning at (850) 644-0753 or giftplanning@foundation.fsu.edu to get started.