Memories of Danny

It is truly amazing and inspirational to read through these posts and see the many lives touched by Danny, my beloved cousin who certainly touched my life and inspired me in profound ways. It is no understatment to say that I would not be who I am today without Danny Miller, and evidently many, many others can say that too, which makes me very, very proud.  Someone asked me at the memorial service yesterday why I became interested in Russian history, which I currently teach, and the answer is that when I was in High School I read Dostoevsky’s Crime & Punishment, which I loved.  Guess who gave me that book? Danny of course. He was my role model and my inspiration, he truly made me feel that I could do anything I set my mind to, and obviously he made many others feel the same way.

I rather selfishlessly never imagined a world without Danny, without his hugs and his laugh and his great stories in a booming voice. Now we have such a world, and it is much less beautiful. Yet the world does go on, and somehow we must go on without him.  For me and the rest of the family seeing the tremendous number of people at yesterday’s memorial service was truly remarkable. Danny was so darn humble none of us really knew just how much he was loved nor how much he had made an impact on the NKU community. Thank you to all those involved for a truly beautiful ceremony–Danny would have definitely loved it, and indeed he loved everything about NKU (he spoke to me about his pride and love for the school constantly).  Thank you all for keeping his wonderful spirit and memory alive.  Jeff Jones (UNC-Greensboro, History Dept.)