Leaving a Legacy: E. Joan Miller PhD

Edith Joan Miller (Girton College 1941), a passionate student of geography, left her mark on her field and students. As a career geographer, she taught students field research skills and advocated fiercely for women in geography.

Born Edith Joan Wilson on March 2, 1923 in the English Midlands, her interest in geography started early. After A-levels, during her “leisure hour” at school, she “did field work on my bicycle, made maps, wrote a text, bound the pages, and made a potato cut design for the cover” instead of the more popular pastimes of knitting or cooking. This first foray into local geography was the start of her calling to geography, which she followed enthusiastically throughout her life.

At eighteen, during World War II, she began her studies at Girton College from 1941-1944. She earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in geography followed by a master’s degree. She chronicled her Girton experience during the war period when there was “little social life” and “paper and pencils were hard to find.” Nevertheless, she completed her thesis fieldwork, worked on local Ordnance Survey maps, and received her degree.

After teaching geography for many years in England, in 1957, she moved to the United States to lecture in geography at Indiana University where she met her husband, Dr. George Miller. She earned her PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Millers moved to Normal, Illinois in 1962, where she taught Geography at Illinois State University for 31 years. Miller relied on folk materials to document historical geography. She conducted her dissertation field work in the rural Ozark Mountains, a pioneering choice for a woman at the time.

Her work was published in foremost journals in the field—the Annals of the Association of American Geographers and the Professional Geographer—and recognized with accolades, including selection by her colleagues to deliver the prestigious College of Arts and Sciences Lecture in 1975. At Illinois State University, she advocated fiercely for women, never afraid to speak her mind and making the geography Department a more welcoming environment. She was a devoted educator, who taught students interview skills for their fieldwork, many for the first time. After retiring in 1993, Dr. Miller returned to teaching and mentoring as an adjunct, which she continued until she was physically unable.

She often returned to England to explore various parts of the country with a geographer friend, mapping trails and gathering information from residents. One of her favorite interview techniques, according to colleague Dr. Michael Sublett, was to sit in a public space sketching in her notebook and strike up conversation with passers-by who were curious about what she was doing.

Dr. Miller passed away in 2021, leaving a generous bequest in her will to Girton College for the Emily Davies bursary, to fund undergraduate students who are most in need of financial support. Through her legacy, Dr. Miller will continue to advocate for talented scholars to follow their passions at Girton.