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1928-29 Sam E. Miller Mineral Wells Index

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Sam Elzie Miller, 51st president, was born July 13, 1867, in Henderson County. He attended Rock Hill Institute in Minden and taught three years there.

He married Laddie Lee Sullivan in 1905. He was a traveling salesman and a banker for five years.

His first newspaper experience was as society editor of the Rusk County News. He was a correspondent for the Dallas News, Houston Post and Houston Chronicle, and a regular contributor to J.S. "K. Lamity" Bonner’s Harpoon, a Bell County based publication.

Miller entered the newspaper business actively when he and associates founded the Mineral Wells Hustler and joined Texas Press Association in 1914. The publication soon was suspended and Miller joined C.W. Wilson in publishing the Mineral Wells Index. The Index was sold in December 1928 but Miller remained as editor.

On page 12 of the Sept. 23, 1922, issue of Editor & Publisher is a story covering the annual meeting of the Texas Daily Press League at the club offices of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Sept. 14. Miller was listed in the story as a member of an advisory committee that included such notables of the day as W.C. Edwards, Denton Record-Chronicle; Houston Harte, San Angelo Standard-Times; C.E. Palmer, Four States Press; George Neu, Brenham Banner Press; and J.L. Nunn, Amarillo News. Subjects taken up at the meeting included "Needed Legislation Affecting Newspapers," "Handling News on the Assignment Basis," newspaper accounting, commissions to direct advertisers, newspaper costs in relation to advertising, the price of newsprint, and cooperating buying of newsprint.

Miller died Oct. 26, 1941, in Houston and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery at Mineral Wells.