Giles H. Miller

Who was Giles H. Miller?

Giles H. Miller was born in his parents' home in Lynchburg, Virginia, while Theodore Roosevelt was serving his first term as President of the United States. As a young man, not yet graduated from Lynchburg High School, he wanted to contribute to his community and serve his country. He went to the local recruiting station with two of his friends at the age of 15. Giles remembers the officer's reaction of seeing the three teenagers in his office, with intentions to enlist: The officer laughed and said, "Sergeant, three glasses of milk, please." Even Giles admitted, "We were just too young."

Giles entered Virginia Military Institute with the class 1924. During his cadetship he played basketball for VMI's team, then known as The Flying Squadron . The Flying Squadron won all of the nine games they played his freshman year. As a cadet, he also served on The Honor Court. The Honor Court is often perceived as one of the most unusual aspects of the Institute. He graduated in 1924 with a bachelor's degree in the liberal arts.

The first job Giles worked after graduating from VMI was as a draft clerk at a bank in Danville, Virginia. He worked there and then at another bank in Matoaca, West Virginia, before transferring to Orange, Virginia, in 1929. It was nearly a year later, in October, when he permanently settled down in the town of Culpeper, Virginia. During his 42 years at the Culpeper National Bank, Giles served as its president and also as a chairman on the its board. Later in his career, as his father before him, he presided as president of the Virginia Banker's Association in the 1950s.