Rosetta Averill Miller
Museum philanthropist/Dreher High graduate

Photo of Rosetta Averill from Dreher High School Blue Devil 1952.

Rosetta Averill Miller, a benefactor of the World Monuments Fund and the Newark (NJ) Museum and wife of Museum Director Samuel Miller, died February 17 at the couple's winter residence in Sarasota, Fla. She was 71 and had been hospitalized recently for upper respiratory problems.

An only child, Mrs. Miller, a native of Columbia, S.C., was born into an old and prominent family in Aiken, S.C. Her grandfather, Frank P. Henderson, was the mayor of Aiken. She graduated from Dreher High School in Columbia where she was valedictorian of the Class of 1953.

After graduation, she went north to pursue a performing career. She received voice training in New York and studied acting at the American Theater Wing. From the 1960s into the early 1970s, Mrs. Miller appeared as a cabaret singer in New York and Europe.

Rosetta Averill married William Blanton, an advertising executive, but the marriage ended in divorce. She and Samuel Miller of Princeton, NJ, were married in May 1977. Samuel Miller's first wife had died in 1972.

Officers of the Dreher High School Junior Class of 1952: (l-r) Ronnie Elliott, secretary; Tommy Wise, vice president; Rosetta Averill, treasurer; and Joe Eargle, president.

A close friend, Judy Goetz Sanger, said Rosetta gave up her singing after inheriting her uncle's fortune and marrying Miller. She realized marriage probably couldn't survive with spouses pursuing different careers on different continents.

From then on, Mrs. Miller devoted herself to raising the profile of the Newark Museum, complementing her husband's efforts in memorable style. Friends and associates say the Millers made a great team. Rosetta worked tirelessly behind the scenes and did so with uncommon grace.

For many years, Mrs. Miller threw fund- raising parties in the couple's apartment in Newark and at the museum that became legendary in social circles. There, guests from throughout the globe dined on some of Mrs. Miller's favorite southern dishes, including baked ham and cheese grits with jalapeño peppers. "She was one of the brilliant hostesses," Samuel Miller recalled. "She loved it and everyone in town loved her."

In return, the Newark Museum received substantial donations for its programs and projects, one of which was a $23 million major renovation in 1989, which was designed by noted architect Michael Graves. While acknowledging the work of his board and staff, Samuel Miller said he could not have raised the money for the renovation without his wife's assistance.

Rosetta was renowned for her ability to bring people of like interests together, regardless of their backgrounds. One couple married after sitting next to each other at an anniversary party the Millers gave themselves in Venice. She was an actress; he was a financial adviser.

In addition to socializing and art, Mrs. Miller loved the theater, murder mysteries, fashion, and jewelry. "Her clothing was spectacular, and she wore some really wild outfits to all of their events," recalled Bill Mikesell, a Newark architect who attended more than one of the Millers' affairs.

In 1993, Rosetta Averill Miller gave close to 200 acres to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources to preserve a longleaf pine ecosystem in Aiken County. It's named in honor of her grandfather.

She also led several tours to Cambodia to help the World Monument Fund raise money to restore Preah Khan, an ancient temple known for its garudas, a half- man, half- bird figure.

Rosetta Averill Miller will be cremated and buried in her family's plot in Aiken. A memorial service will be held at a later date in New York, where the Millers have lived since his retirement in 1993. They also had a home at Pawleys Island, S.C. No date has been set.

Contributions in Mrs. Miller's name can be made to the Newark Museum, 49 Washington St., Newark, N.J. 07102.

Contributed by

The New Jersey Star- Ledger

and The New York Times