Los Angeles County
Biographies
CHARLES
RUSSELL McMILLEN
Charles
Russell McMillen has the unusual distinction of being the youngest manager of a
Pierce Brothers Mortuary, with the greatest length of service, having been
associated with this firm for eighteen years.
A
native Californian, Charles R. McMillen was born in Eagle Rock on May 2,
1928. He is the son of James Russell and
Gladys (Nixon) McMillen. His father was
a native of Provo, Utah, and his mother was born in New Jersey. His maternal grandmother, Lydia Nixon Harris
was born in Germany and was a niece of the famed Dr. Koch, the discoverer of
the anthrax vaccine. Mr. McMillen’s great uncle is Dr. Charles Koch of New York, who
was a famous neurologist at the Mayo Clinic.
His grandmother owned and operated the only service station between
Lancaster and Victorville, California, in 1913.
She also owned the Llano, California, Post
Office, which was housed in her store from 1937 until her death in 1945.
Educated
at St. Stephen’s Catholic Parochial School in Monterey Park, Mr. McMillen
attended Cathedral High School in Los Angeles for one year prior to
transferring to Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra, where he was graduated in
January of 1946, while in military service.
Chuck, as he is known locally, interrupted his education when he
enlisted in the United States Navy on August 12, 1945. He received his basic training at San Diego,
California, and attended Quartermaster School in Gulf Port, Mississippi, before
being stationed at the United States Naval Air Base in Corpus Christi, Texas,
where he stayed for two years. He was
assigned to the U. S. S. Everett S.
Larson, D.D.-8-30, Radar Pickett, and sailed aboard this ship for one and
one-half years on a tour of duty which took him to the Mediterranean Sea. He was honorably discharged from military
service on April 29, 1949, as a Quartermaster 3/C, with a good conduct medal.
Following
his return from military service, Mr. McMillen attended Pasadena City College
for two years, majoring in pre-med.
During this time, he was employed by Pierce Brothers as a night
apprentice embalmer. Choosing to be a mortician as his life’s profession, Mr. McMillen
enrolled at the California College of Mortuary Science in Los Angeles, where he
was graduated on June 19, 1952, two days before he was married.
On
June 21, 1952, Charles Russell McMillen was married to the former Miss Laura
Lee Quinn, in a ceremony which took place at the First Methodist Church of
Alhambra. Laurie McMillen, as she is
known to her friends, was born in the Garfield Hospital in Monterey Park, on
August 12, 1929. She is the eldest
daughter of Thomas D’Arcy and Beulah Pearl (Hill) Quinn, of Alhambra. Mr. Quinn is presently serving his fifteenth
year as a city commissioner in the City of Alhambra, formerly serving as mayor
of this city for five years. Mrs.
McMillen attended Garfield Elementary School in Alhambra and San Marino Hall
School for Girls in South Pasadena. She
was graduated from Alhambra High School in June of 1946 and continued her
studies at Pasadena City College and Long Beach State College, majoring in
business and business law. Active
civically, Mrs. McMillen is a member of the Alhambra Community Hospital Women’s
Auxiliary, the Monterey Park Women’s Club Juniors, Alpha Zeta Beta – Delta Mu
Chapter, L’Amitie Alumni of Pasadena City College,
the Monterey Park Rotary Ann’s, the Monterey Park Democratic Club, the
Parent-Teachers’ League of Emmaus Lutheran Church School in Alhambra, and the
Native Daughters of the Golden West, San Gabriel Valley Parlor. She was formerly a member of Job’s Daughters,
Bethel No. 27, of Alhambra. She has
participated in March of Dimes, Community Chest, Red Cross and M.E.R.C.I.
activities in Monterey Park. In 1961 she
was honored by the members of the Monterey Park Rotary Club when they presented
her with a “Service Above Self” award, the first of
its kind presented to a Rotary Ann by this club. Talented in writing abilities, Mrs. McMillen
has written many poems and lyrics to songs.
She has served as editor of many club bulletins, magazines and
periodicals. She is the office manager
for Historical Publishers, the publishers of this historical volume. During the course of her employment, she has
been engaged as a biographical writer and source historian, with a qualified
background. Among her other abilities
and talents, Mrs. McMillen is artistically and musically inclined, and enjoys
various types of needle work. A former
model, Mrs. McMillen, when time permits, designs and makes her own
clothes. Mr. and Mrs. McMillen are the
proud parents of two sons. Charles
Russell (Rusty) McMillen, Jr., was born on March 31, 1953, in the Alhambra
Community Hospital. He is an
above-average student at Emmaus Lutheran Christian School in Alhambra. He is a Little Leaguer, on the Alhambra
Firemen’s Team No. 2. Thomas D’Arcy
McMillen was born on his mother’s birthday, August 12, 1958, in the Alhambra
Community Hospital. He attends
Children’s Village Nursery School in Monterey Park.
Beginning
his career in the funeral business at the age of fifteen, Mr. McMillen was
first employed by Pierce Brothers at their Monterey Park Mortuary, as a night
call man. He remained in this capacity
until he entered the service of his country. In 1949 he returned to Pierce Brothers
Alhambra Mortuary, working as a night apprentice embalmer while he attended
college during the day. Mr. McMillen
became a State of California licensed embalmer after taking and passing the
State Board Examination in July of 1952, at which time he became the assistant
manager of Pierce Brothers Monterey Park Mortuary. In January of 1959, Charles R. McMillen was
promoted to the position of manager of the Monterey Park Mortuary and appointed
a vice-president of Pierce Brothers Mortuaries.
He is also a licensed insurance salesman for life and disability
insurance and stocks and bonds.
“Service
Above Self” has been the keynote to the success of
personable Charles R. McMillen. He has
worked untiringly in many civic and service organizations in Monterey
Park. He has been a member of the Rotary
Club of Monterey Park for the past ten years, serving as president in 1960-61
and as secretary in 1961-62. He has
served as chairman of various committees and has served seven years on the
board of directors of this organization.
During the 1961-62 Rotary year, Mr. McMillen
served on the Vocational Service Committee for Rotary District 530. In 1959 Mr. McMillen was highly honored by
the fellow members of his Rotary Club, when he was awarded a plaque as the
first “Rotarian of the Year” of the Monterey Park Rotary Club. A member of the Monterey Park Chamber of Commerce,
he has served two years on the board of directors of this organization and in
1962 was re-elected to serve his second two-year term on the board. In 1959-60 he served as chairman of the Board
of Directors of Monterey Park Service Clubhouse, Inc. Other capacities of community service include: Monterey Park City Chairman for the March of
Dimes, 1958-59; Monterey Park City Chairman for the Community Chest, 1959-60,
for which he received the Hogue Perpetual Trophy Award for Outstanding
Organization; Monterey Park Business Chairman of the Community Chest, 1960-61;
member of the Board of Directors of the South-East Area Community Chest,
1960-61; member of the Board of Directors for Monterey Park Service Clubhouse,
Inc., 1958-60; assistant chairman of the Service Clubhouse Inc., Circus, 1959;
member of the Board of Directors for M.E.R.C.I., 1960-61; First Vice Commander,
Sterling Pierce Post No. 577, American Legion, 1960-61, and adjutant of this
post, 1961-62; member of the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross,
1959, and Business Director for the American Red Cross Drive, 1958 and 1959;
member of the San Gabriel Valley Council Boy Scouts of America; member of the
Santa Anita Girl Scout Council, 1960-61; on the Public Information and
Speakers’ Bureau for the South-East Area Community Chest, 1961-62; member of
the Board of Directors of the San Gabriel Valley Chapter of the Junior Marines
of America, and a member of the Alhambra Y.M.C.A. Needless to say, Mr. McMillen has given
unselfishly of himself and his time to his community of Monterey Park.
A
man of his word, Mr. McMillen can be depended upon to accept and uphold any
responsibility placed upon him and gives freely of his time and energy to be of
service to the citizens and community of Monterey Park. He is always willing to work on community
projects and sincerely believes and practices Rotary International’s Four Way
Test:
1.
Is it the TRUTH?
2.
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3.
Will it build GOOD WILL and BETTER
FRIENDSHIPS?
4.
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
His motto: “Service Above
Self.”
Transcribed
by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Historical Volume &
Reference Works Including Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel &
Temple City, by Robert P. Studer, Pages 381-385,
Historical Publ., Los Angeles, California.
1962.
© 2012 V.
Gerald Iaquinta.
GOLDEN NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES
BIOGRAPHIES