Biography offers glimpse of former Cummins leader Miller

COLUMBUS, Ind. (AP) - A new book about J. Irwin Miller's life by Hartsville author Charlie Rentschler is in bookstores, touted as the first and only Miller biography ever published.

Titled "The Cathedral Builder," the biography looks at the life of the man who would lead Cummins Inc. from 1951 to 1977.

Rentschler, who acknowledges he'd never written a book before, said he couldn't help but follow his curiosity about more than 500 boxes of archived material from Miller's life that were donated to the Indiana Historical Society by Miller's children in 2010.

He knew that the material could bring to light details about Miller that many people would never know.

After the material was donated, Rentschler spent the next four years conducting interviews with more than 80 people who were important in Miller's life and engaging in his own rigorous research on the local legend.

The experience of working with Cummins for nearly 40 years also helped nudge the Princeton University graduate to explore Miller's life, including the personal and professional aspects.

It was clear to the Indiana Historical Society just how special the Miller archived material was, said Suzanne Hahn, vice president of Library and Archives. She said it took nearly two years of work to organize the material.

"It is one of the largest collections, if not the largest," she told The Republic (http://bit.ly/14WlX9I ). "It's exciting. When you first receive it, I guess it can kind of be a little daunting. Once you see that kind of rich material . it is exciting to know that you're preserving it and making it available for the public to use."

The archives contain personal papers, correspondence, diaries, awards, photos and postcards representing the eight generations of the Irwin, Sweeney and Miller families. The material was donated in boxes that each contained dozens of folders filled with documents, all of which have yet to be copied in digital format.

The collection was underwritten by gifts from the Irwin Management Co., the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller Foundation, the Cummins Foundation, Margaret Miller, Catherine Miller, Elizabeth Miller, Hugh Th. Miller and Will Miller.

Rentschler ended up being a regular visitor for several months at the Indiana Historical Society's archival library to go through the documents. His research revealed several things about Miller he had never known, including Miller's involvement at Yale University.

"Miller impacted Yale in a variety of ways. Interestingly, the first way was his interest in architecture," he said. "When he was brought on to the Yale board, the first thing he did was to tell Alfred Griswold, the president, that this Gothic architecture has got to go.

"He introduced Yale to Eero Saarinen," he said, adding that Saarinen is the architect of North Christian Church in Columbus.

Rentschler, now 75, said his wife, Suzie, and Miller's wife, Xenia, worked together in running the Columbus branch of the Indianapolis Art Museum. From time to time, that partnership would result in socializing at the Miller's house.

He observed that Miller was a shy man, but he had a heart of gold that stemmed from his time in the Navy and strong ties with the Christian Theological Seminary.

"The two main things were Christianity and capitalism. You might say, 'Well gee, those are like oil and water.' But they're really not," Rentschler said. "They used the money they made as capitalists to subsidize the good work they were doing as Christians."

Miller was also a director of the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller Foundation and the National Council of Churches. Through his endeavors, Miller supported multiple local, national and international initiatives.

Terry Whittaker, who owns and operates Viewpoint Books, said he has pushed for years to find someone interested in writing about Miller.

After having no success, Whittaker said Rentschler came to him with an idea and questions about how to get a book published. Now, four years later, "The Cathedral Builder" is stocked at Viewpoint Books in downtown Columbus.

Whittaker, who also was a tour guide at the Columbus Area Visitors Center, knew some background information about Miller. But he said the new biography contained stories he had never heard that really enhanced what he knew about the storied Columbus philanthropist.

"I think he caught the essence of what a decent human being this man was, how humble he was and how fairly he treated everybody," he said. "He was obviously a strong Christian man, but I think his personal philosophy came through in this."

Whittaker said Miller knew how to be both socially and corporately responsible and that anyone with a business background could take something insightful away from the book. Beyond that, this is a book that should have been written already, he said.

"This is something people are really interested in, and there is really nothing out there about him. It's a very important book for Columbus, and it goes beyond that too," he said. "There's a lot in here that's not just regional or local, he was a very important figure to a lot of people; and I think getting that out to the general public, because he was so private, is important because his life was hugely significant."

After going through all of the records, which was an 85-day task, Rentschler said he came across a speech that Miller gave to some architects that summed up the way the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller family lived their lives. The theme of the speech also produced the title to the book.

Miller asked those who were working with him to look at themselves as "Cathedral Builders."

"Don't try for instant 'image,'" Miller said. "Instead emulate the cathedral builders of the 12th century who were content simply to make great plans and to lay in their lifetimes no more than the footings and foundations."

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Information from: The Republic, http://www.therepublic.com/