8 — SANDY (Or«.) POST Thur«.. Aug 21, ,975 (Sec. 1)
GEORGE M IL L E R proudly displays his award from the
International Association of Auxiliary Police for two
years of distinguished service on the Sandy Auxiliary
Police force in the early 1960's.
MR
M IL L E R
even
has
personalised
plates
ECO l.tHiV IS N ’T a fad for this Sandy resident. George
Miller leaves his house on a typical morning this week to
collect roadside waste. For him. the highway pick-up Isa
year round profession.
Sandy b ik e r
ÍW .
G eorge M iller picks up streets
CARROLL FUNERAL HOME
257 S. ROBERTS AVE. GRESHAM, OREGON^
PHONE 665 1117
Story/Photos
by Paul Keller
Staff Writer
/ have bought golden opinions
The mileage count on his
pike’s
one
year-old
speedometer reads 3,692 miles
It's a one speed two wheeler
and he is a 60-year-old gen
tleman with Santa Claus eyes.
George A. M iller has been
depending on bicycles for
transp o rtatio n the last 20
years. He pedaled up these last
3.000 odd miles tracing the
roads in and around the Sandy
area looking for loot.
Mr. M ille r capitalizes on our
throw -a-w ay society’s bad
from all sorts o f people.
—Shakespeare.
SERVICE
NOT «t
• N t
& O iO £ *
U H
Buy 4 Gallons, G e t 7 Free
Buy 4 g a llo n s o f
e ith e r O lym p ic
stain o r o ve rco a t
and w e ll give
you 1 of fne
sam e product
DLympic
habit of litte rin g roadside
ditches
“ I pick up brass and copper
and other stuff to make some
extra money,” he explains in
shy tones. Once e very two
months or so he boards a bus
into Portland with his stash of
discarded valuables to trade
for cash.
“ You don’t find stuff every
day on the highway,” reports
the long time Sandyite But,
he's out nearly every morning
anyway in baggy pants and
cap, peddling with one eye
turned to the ditch
When George was 49 years-
old he rode his bike home to
Sandy from his m other's
funeral in Marshall. Tex., near
the Louisiana border
The 2.000 mile-plus journey
took over three months.
Newspapers in towns he passed
through assigned reporters to
intervied the interesting high
way voyager.
George still shows the clip
pings and press photos he’s
saved with pride to those who
visit his humble cottage two
miles north of Sandy.
Would he want to take a trip
like that again?
“ Nope. I wouldn't want to do
it again for anything,” assures
the little man. “ I get tired out
easily now—I'm pretty near 61
years old you know, I ’m getting
up there ”
The man has had two heart
attacks. “ The doctors told me
to take it easy,” he says. But
his bike's mileage count is a
giveaway. George gets more
physical exercise than do most
kids
When he was young he never
had a bike
"We didn't have any bicycles
then, my fam ily was too poor.”
recalls the white-haired man
Born in South B u tle r, N.
Y ., on M arch 13, 1915,
George moved with his fam ily
to Ashland when he was one
year old The Millers lived
there 16 years before moving to
Portland Eventually. George
settled in Sandy. “ I've got a
sister, but nobody seems to
know where she's at,” claims
George Two dogs, two cats and
two pet mice keep him com
pany in his cozy abode where a
wood burner warms the second
hand store-like atmosphere
“ I used to have a monkey, but
he was too hard to take care
of,” George admits with a grin
Even though he says he loves
little children, he has never
married. "Women just want a
man with lots of money But
you can't take money with you
when you leave this world," he
remarks, warming wrinkled
hands over the wood heater
George claims that he if he
had his life to lead over again
he wouldn’t change a thing
“ I ’d love to have it all again."
In 1962 he served two years
on the Sandy Auxiliary Police
Force A plaque on his kitchen
wall from the International
Association of Auxiliary Police
acknowledges his distinguished
service.
“ I'd like to have a job now,”
says Miller, who isn't content to
r r r r n r n m n g m nrrT n i
T T rr
rm i
si, back and live off a govern
ment disability check each
month (H e has a vertabrae
ailm en t in his back which
prevented him from joining the
armed services earlier in his
life.)
"1 repair my own shoes and
can fix any kind of rubber heels
and soles,” he acknowledges.
This week George was
wearing his lace-up rubber
boots, old wool coa, and
stocking cap
“ When it's
muddy and wet on the highway
it gels too dangerous I don’t
like to go out.” Besides road
combing, he also chops wood up
by Marmot when the weather
permits.
How does the verterán cyclist
feel about the new fangled ten
speeds’ "There all right I
guess, if you’re no, gathering
stuff up. They're only made for
racing and trying to see how
fast you can go.”
George takes things a little
easier on his one speed He also
makes sure he's abiding by the
law.
"All bike riders should obey
the laws of the road jus, lik e .
automobiles and ride just the
way cars ride," he points out.
Has he ever had a had ex
perience while riding his bike
on the public roadways? “Once
in a great while people get
smart—bu, I don’t pay any
attention to them.”
Two weathered badminton
rackets hang from his bedroom
door Does the avid cyclist also
play badminton?
“ I'd play if I had someone to
pluy with, he responds
A couple of years ago George
said he made- out a will "1,'s
m TTn i n u m im m r
Grand Opening
*** wood or Rt-o°
Friday Aug. 22, 1975
<&onria,'s
(Sale ends
S ep tem b e r 1)
V
16106 S.E. Division
Portland
Come & help us c e le b ra te l
CARPETS
Free draw ings
Burlington House Carpets
now on sale. Reg. $11.95 sq. yd,
N O W thru Aug. 31
Open
9:30 - 5:30
MSet.
Free C offee
GEO RG E M IL L E R and his two wheel vehicle are a
fam iliar sight («handy area motorists.
Sign up fo r th e G rand Prize
«•1
Need Not Be Present To Win
1975 OREGON STATE FAIR
SpeeiS P n e «
Run thru T u « . Only
Aug. 23 thru Sept. I/Salem
SPECTACULAR GRANDSTAND REVUES!
Nantuck Denim Tern *1**
B O B B Y G O LDSBO RO
Reg « 1 8 8
Set , Aug 23-7 30 « 9 30pm
7fce Fina«! in Crearti, fmbroidery, Naarf/a^aiat,
JO HNNYC ASH
Sun , Aug 24 7 30 » 9 30pm
Knitting Yarns, Meeked Kags
S tI
Sandy Decor Center
3 8 7 5 0 SE Proctor Blvd.
Sandy, O regon
668 -5 1 6 0
FEATURING:
Brunswick
Buscilla
Columbia Minerva
OMC
Paragon
Reynolds
Spinnerin
LAAA A AA AJ A I S « a «.StAAA S 9J X A A S H I JIJ I S i
$
fixed for the fire department to
burn up everything I got-
—unless I can find a friend ”
m., J
B.J. THOMAS
Aug 30-7 3 0 » g 30pm
FAIR HOURS
lOam-IOpmMon -Thura
lO a m llp m Fri . Sal
* Sun
“ -
A
T»o shuttle buss.« daily Irom Portland For lurthar
Information call 227-1429
World Championship RCA
RODEO
ALL AMERICA
Sunset Designs
Unger
Elsa Williams
i , , H XAXA.«.AJLtXAXA-AJLAj
D R U M CO RPS
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Sun , Aug 31-7 30pm
SEALSACROFTS
Mon , S « l 1-7 30pm
GATE ADMISSION
Adults ,.
»2 00
Students (13-1 7) «1 25
------------
S -r
Children ( (9-12)
5«
HORSE SHOW
laalurlna
jerry O lson
and his Roman Riding Ac I
A u g 23 27
and
M ONTH MONTANA. SR
World's Foremost
Trick Rider and Roper
Aug 29 31
LONE OAK
HORSE 6
RACING
DAILY
10 days dally
during the Fair
Aug 23 • Sept 1
Resuming
Sept 1 2 -O c t 29