Marion Miller, professor of environmental toxicology, passed away on Feb. 25. While she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2009, she remained at the university close to her death. She was 55.
“She lived for her university and always went over and above the call of duty,” said Michael Sears, Miller’s husband.
Miller received a multitude of honors, including the Outstanding Mentor of the Year award from the UC Davis Consortium for Women and Research in 2002.
“Marion Miller possessed all the very best qualities of a university professor – motivational, quick-witted, helpful, inspirational and approachable,” said Karen Jelks, a former graduate student of Miller’s.
Born and raised in Scotland, Miller earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacology at the University of Aberdeen and a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston and eventually joined UC Davis in 1986.
Miller served in many different facets on campus, such as the chair of the UC Davis Department of Environmental Toxicology. Off campus, she served as regional director of IR-4, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program aiming to help farmers use pesticides safely on specialty crops, since 2002.
For information about Miller’s memorial service, contact Susan Kancir at sgkancir@ucdavis.edu.
– Janelle Bitker
UPDATE: Memorial service will be held at the UCD Conference Center on April 11, starting at 2:00 PM, with a reception to follow. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to a memorial endowment that is being set up in Marion’s name for the support of graduate education at UCD.
