Ray Miller inspired, educated, and mentored generations of agricultural students at Ohio State, first as a counselor and then as a teacher and administrator. He shared his love for the university in big ways and small, in words and in deeds—in wardrobe and in warbling.

“When he leads the group in singing ‘Carmen Ohio,’” his colleagues wrote, “you can feel the loyalty and love for Ohio State in his voice.”

Miller has hit all the right notes in his nearly 50 years at Ohio State, beginning with his participation in campus events as an undergraduate student in the early 1960s.

After graduation he was hired by the university as a student counselor. He then became assistant dean for student affairs, a role he held for 20 years. Miller recruited and counseled students, taught agricultural classes, led study-abroad trips to Brazil and the Dominican Republic, and lent his expertise to numerous student and alumni organizations.

Miller began the annual Fallfest alumni gathering for the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. He remains the college’s alumni coordinator and organizes gatherings at every football bowl game, where he can always be found dressed in scarlet and gray, handing out homemade buckeye necklaces, and singing with pride.

“He is known by essentially every student who graduated from Ohio State in agriculture from 1967 until his retirement in 2002,” colleagues wrote.

Miller previously received the Jo Failer Award for Student Service, the Distinguished Service to Student Development Award, the Alfred J. Wright Award for Outstanding Student Organization Adviser, the Greek Alumni Service Award, and the National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association Distinguished Service Award. He has been inducted into the Farm Science Review Hall of Fame.

But, as with any great educator, Miller’s impact on Ohio State and its students cannot be measured in titles and awards. It is alive in his comforting words to the parents of a prospective student, a timely phone call to help secure financial aid, a gentle nudge to encourage a student to get involved on campus, a little help with networking after graduation, and a friendly reminder to look after the next crop of graduates.

Through it all, Miller continues to nurture his and his students’ love for the university—even if it takes a little singing and a lot of enthusiasm.

“His spirit is genuine and authentic to the core,” his colleagues wrote. “He invested himself in Ohio State from the very beginning and has never stopped.”