Bernard S. Miller, Plastics World
NEWTON, MASS. — Veteran plastics journalist Bernard S. Miller, who worked at Plastics World magazine for more than 25 years, died Dec. 16. Miller, of Newton, was 74.
Miller died from lung cancer, according to his wife, Nasha Miller.
As Plastics World's executive editor, Miller wrote a monthly column called ``Technology Watch.'' His wife and colleagues remembered Miller as a man with a dry wit who could explain highly technical topics in plain language.
Doug Smock, who was editorial director at Plastics World, called Miller ``the dean of all the plastics editors.''
``Bernie had a great ability to translate technical, difficult concepts into laymen's language, better than anyone else I've ever known,'' Smock said. ``He was always a consummate gentleman.''
Nasha Miller said: ``He was a man of few words, but when he said something it was worth listening to.''
Miller's education at the University of New Hampshire was interrupted by World War II. During the war, he handled scout missions, flying a P-47 to accompany bombers. In 1946, Miller continued his education, switching to Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1950. He met Nasha at Antioch. They were married in 1954.
Despite his technical bent, ``he was always interested in writing,'' said his wife.
In the 1950s, he wrote for Harry W. Smith Co. in New York, a technical marketing firm. In 1959, he returned to Boston and became an editor at a metalworking trade magazine published by Cahners Publishing Co. After Cahners sold that magazine, Miller moved to Cahners' Plastics World in the early 1970s.
In 1993, when Cahners sold Plastics World to PTN Publishing Co., Miller became a consulting editor, working as a freelancer. He stopped writing for the magazine when it was sold in late 1997 to the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, which since renamed the publication Molding Systems.
In addition to his wife, survivors include a son, Dan Miller, a computer programmer in Newton; a daughter, Laura Miller, a teacher and short-story writer in Newmarket, N.H.; and three grandchildren.
Thomas Mitchell, Reichhold Chemicals
DURHAM, N.C. — Thomas R. Mitchell, retired chief executive officer and president of Durham-based Reichhold Chemicals Inc., died Jan. 20. He was 62 years old.
Mitchell spent his entire career at Reichhold, beginning in 1957 as a laboratory technician for the materials supplier. He soon moved into sales and marketing, and was serving as an executive vice president when he was named president and chief executive officer in 1987. This promotion came shortly after Dainippon Ink and Chemicals Inc. bought the company.
One of his first responsibilities as CEO was leading the transition of Reichhold from a publicly held operation to a privately held subsidiary. Mitchell also was responsible for the company's decision to consolidate its four divisions and research and development operations in the Research Triangle Park area in North Carolina.