Marty and Cindy Miller
Photo courtesy of Marty and Cindy Miller
This section highlights a local person of interest and admiration, a person whose achievements, manner, leadership, and/or character distinguish them. If you know people we should include, please apprise us at editor@candor.news, and we will interview them for future issues of Candor. In your submission, include the person’s name, noteworthy traits and accomplishments, and their contact information.
In this issue, we are highlighting Marty and Cindy Miller.
1. How did you come to be established in Wichita?
Marty and I both got established in Wichita because we were born and raised in Wichita. We are the eldest in our families, graduates of Mary Benton Elementary, Mayberry Junior High, West High School; Marty attended Friends and I attended Wichita State. We were childhood friends raised across the street from one another in political households where our fathers served as leaders in our city and state.
Cindy: My parents believed that for a democracy to stay vibrant, every citizen should be actively involved. My grandfather and father served in the Navy, had thriving medical practices, and served as mayors of Wichita and on the city council. My father also served on the school board. Dad started the first family practice medical school at St. Joseph before KU moved to Wichita and started a company to provide medical services, wrote an astronomy book, and was an avid reader about history.
My mother served on numerous non-profit civic boards and actively was involved as PTA president, Girl Scout leader, and on numerous committees in USD #259. Besides attending to her civic duties, Mother, a homemaker, daily fixed breakfast for 5 children, kept our 5-acre homestead mowed and gardened, sewed, knitted and wove on a loom, and continued to seek knowledge by taking classes to learn about engines, art, etc.
Wichita is our home and when we visit other states, it’s always great to be home.
2. As you look back over your life, highlight a couple of your most satisfying accomplishments or contributions and explain why.
Cindy:
a) Being the parent of two children, a son and daughter, is my most satisfying accomplishment. Both are contributing members to society, personable, respectful to others, ethical, and good parents to my six grandchildren. I was able to retire and care for my mother during the last 4 years of her life. I thank God for her wisdom, counsel, humor, and love. She used to say, “Disappointments are unmet expectations.” Engraved on her marker, it has become my daily mantra. Witnessing her spirituality and grace are permanently etched in my heart.
b) I am proud of my 35 years as a teacher, staff developer, and administrator and was able to help prepare many students to be contributing, successful adults. The experience and knowledge I gleaned from being an educator prepared me for my second career as a community volunteer.
c) Since retirement, my passion is to give back to the community, to help others, to provide services to those in need. Connecting people with people and consolidating resources also lifts my soul. I serve in a variety of capacities on numerous boards and committees by raising funds, planning events, and developing new programs. Currently, I serve at Botanica, Urban League of Kansas, Downtown Rotary, Suburban Garden Club, Wichita’s Littlest Heroes, Assistance League, Friendship Force, Designing Women, Higher Ground, the Asian Association, and ICT:SOS Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
Marty: In my early years, I served the public and developed leadership skills as a sheriff’s deputy in Sedgwick County and Johnson County for 10 years, then served 2 years in the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office. At the end of that administration, I worked for Phil Ruffin and managed numerous Town and Country Market convenience stores, the first chain of self-pump gas stations in Kansas. During Governor Finney’s term, I was the Director of Community Development for the Kansas Department of Commerce, which gave me a holistic view of the Kansas demographics and problems in commerce and trade. I also learned how to use federal funds to meet the needs of many communities. I held other jobs, but eventually ended up as the assistant director at the City of Wichita’s Department of Housing before I began my job at Botanica 13 years ago.
Working at Botanica and being able to create and build a beautiful community meeting place that brings a diverse and robust group of people together in joy, peace and reflection when celebrating life events or the arts is my great joy. Fortunately, with God’s guidance, the help of volunteers, generous donors, and a talented staff and board, Botanica provides the community with a small window of heaven right in the middle of Kansas. As Botanica grows, we will emphasize the arts through displays and the gardens while celebrating the diverse cultures in our region.
3. What have been the happiest, fulfilling times of your life?
Cindy: The happiest and most fulfilling time of our lives is when we can create, ideate, and work in sync with others on a project or idea that goes to fruition or contributes to the betterment of society. Though it sounds very idealistic, we believe our mission in life is to try to make the world a better place through service. On our off days, we enjoy spending time with family, friends, and our new dog, Daisy Mae. Traveling together or with others gives us new perspectives on life and provides us with ideas to possibly incorporate into our daily lives at home. God’s creations in the outdoors feed our souls and give us peace and thankfulness.
4. Life is full of teachers and lessons. What are some key lessons that you learned early that gave you eventual advantage?
Both of us learned from an early age that God is our Maker, that perseverance, honesty, respecting others and parents are crucial, that objectivism and optimism are necessary, that humor, especially being able to laugh at oneself, can help in the most difficult situations, that greed and prejudice are not tolerated, that listening before judging is loving, and that continual learning is important.
5. In what most significant and non-physical ways have you changed over the course of your adult life?
Cindy: Trusting and listening to God and becoming more patient, accepting, and forgiving of others. After having life-threatening health issues last year, I had an epiphany in which God helped crystalize my true calling of serving in non-profit organizations. Throughout my life, it has been difficult for me to focus on specific tasks or one career. However, in my retirement, I found my lack of focus has helped me develop skills I can use advantageously to serve the community more broadly.
6. Would you be willing to share a set of circumstances that required you to dig deep in order to do what was right or what was necessary?
Cindy: Like everyone, I have experienced quite a few challenges throughout my life that required strength and courage to do what was necessary. Whether it was in my career, personal matters, family crises or friendships, I rely on prayer, inner conscience, professional opinions, researching it, and asking the opinions of those I trust and respect. Sometimes, I have fretted or worried about situations and lose sleep about it until the solution to the problem comes to me in a dream. Interestingly, the few times I have had these dreams, I woke up and moved forward with a crystal- clear plan.
7. In this difficult year of pandemic, did you learn – or have reinforced – anything about yourself? About others?
Marty: Never give up and we are never alone.
Cindy: With all the woes of the pandemic and my personal health issues, I have learned in times of difficulty there are also a great many blessings. The pandemic allowed me to be patient, grateful for life, thankful for our dear friends and acquaintances, and gave me new understandings of God’s grace, reminded me of the global interconnectedness of people, and helped me appreciate what I have and revel in the mystery of life.
8. What will be a hopeful path to Wichita’s future well-being?
Marty: Create a strong diversified base comprised of small businesses that encourage entrepreneurial innovation. Those businesses will develop into large ones in a business friendly environment. We must strengthen the city’s policy when it comes to business retention. We must respect all citizens regardless of race, gender, culture and age; listen to the community voice their beliefs as the governments and organizations consolidate resources and attempt to legislate and regulate what is best for the common good and health; ideate and develop 5, 10 and 50-100 year plans promoting infrastructure and tax initiatives to promote the arts, entertainments and parks/recreation development (as they have in Oklahoma City). Thereby we become a thriving metropolis for tourists and visitors.