Aquatic Plant Management Society

T. Wainright Miller

T. Wainwright Miller was a Founding Father of the original Hyacinth Control Society.  He wrote the Articles of Incorporation and served as the first President of the society.  He also, served as Secretary from 1973 until 1982. The T. Wayne Miller Distinguished Service Award was established in 2005 in his honor.

Mr. Miller, a fourth generation Floridian, began his public service career at the age of 15, spending two years in Washington, DC, working in the House of Representatives under the wing of Congressman Joe Hendricks.  Born in Clearwater and raised in Kissimmee, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II before earning his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech in Atlanta.  He was awarded an honorary doctorate of Business Administration by Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee.  He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Florida, Louisiana and Massachusetts.

In December 1952, he married Mavis Stinson of Lakeland.  The Millers moved to Fort Myers in 1956, where he helped establish the Lee County Mosquito Control District.  He administered programs in Lee County for mosquito and aquatic weed control until his retirement in 1994.

He was named Engineer of the Year by the Calusa Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1989, and again by the Southwest Florida Chapter in 1993; named to the Hall of Success of Georgia Tech in 1993 and was inducted into the Engineering Hall of Fame in 1997.

As President of the John E. and Aliese Price Foundation, a philanthropic organization, he coordinates activities for the Fort Myers Community Easter Sunrise Service and the Community Prayer Breakfast, held annually.  Wayne remains active in the community in many ways.  He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the AIDS Task Force of Lee County and Habitat for Humanity, as President of the SW Florida Council of Boy Scouts of America, past President of Rotary Club of Fort Myers, and as a Director of Lee Memorial Hospital, Inc.