Carl Ferris Miller
Encyclopedia
Carl Ferris Miller was an American expatriate living in Korea
, eventually becoming one of few Americans to be naturalized as a Korean citizen. He is best known as a world-famous arborist and founder of the Chollipo Arboretum in South Chungchong Province
, Korea.
was a Phi Beta Kappa chemistry major in college. With the outbreak of World War II
, he studied Japanese at the US Navy Japanese/Oriental Language School at the University of Colorado at Boulder
. He went on to serve as a Naval Intelligence Officer
. In 1945 he was assigned to seek out Japanese soldiers still on the island of Okinawa, questioning village residents during the day. At night, the Japanese would return to obtain food and other support from the villagers.
According to William C. Sherman, in 1949 Miller was his deputy at the Performance Review Section of the Economic Cooperation Administration
in Seoul. When the Korean War
broke out in 1950, he was evacuated to Japan, returning in 1951. In 1953 Miller worked for Korea's central bank, the Bank of Korea
, until his retirement in the early 1980s. He became fluent in the Korean language
and later worked as a financial advisor and broker with a number of Korean financial firms, ending with Good Morning Securities.
Miller eventually took the Korean name Min Byung-gal and in 1979 became a naturalized Korean citizen, one of only two Americans to ever do so.
He was a skilled bridge
player and traveled the world with the Korean national team. He gave time and money to a number of worthwhile causes and extended personal assistance to many Koreans, including the continuing support of over 50 children.
When Mr. Miller settled at his new seaside retreat, he decided it needed some trees. He planted a few and then a few more. More villagers approached him to buy their land, so he did—and then he planted more trees. He later said he had had no idea he would create an arboretum recognized by international horticultural societies, no idea that he would give up his nationality and no idea he would be awarded the highest honor the Korean government can bestow on a civilian. He just wanted to plant a few trees.
Today the arboretum boasts a collection of millions of examples of the more than 13,200 species of trees and plants that Mr. Miller spent 40 years collecting, growing and cultivating. In addition, the arboretum grounds are home to traditional tile-roofed wooden houses called hanok that he moved there and renovated.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, eventually becoming one of few Americans to be naturalized as a Korean citizen. He is best known as a world-famous arborist and founder of the Chollipo Arboretum in South Chungchong Province
Chungcheongnam-do
Chungcheongnam-do or Chungnam is a province in the west of South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the south-western half of the former Chungcheong Province and remained a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, thereafter becoming part of South Korea...
, Korea.
Early life
Miller, a native of Pittston, PennsylvaniaPittston, Pennsylvania
Pittston is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. It gained prominence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as an active anthracite coal mining city, drawing a large portion of its labor force from European immigrants. The population was...
was a Phi Beta Kappa chemistry major in college. With the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he studied Japanese at the US Navy Japanese/Oriental Language School at the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
. He went on to serve as a Naval Intelligence Officer
Office of Naval Intelligence
The Office of Naval Intelligence was established in the United States Navy in 1882. ONI was established to "seek out and report" on the advancements in other nations' navies. Its headquarters are at the National Maritime Intelligence Center in Suitland, Maryland...
. In 1945 he was assigned to seek out Japanese soldiers still on the island of Okinawa, questioning village residents during the day. At night, the Japanese would return to obtain food and other support from the villagers.
According to William C. Sherman, in 1949 Miller was his deputy at the Performance Review Section of the Economic Cooperation Administration
Economic Cooperation Administration
The Economic Cooperation Administration was a United States government agency set up in 1948 to administer the Marshall Plan. It reported to both the State Department and the Department of Commerce. The agency's head was Paul G. Hoffman, a former head of Studebaker. Much of the rest of the...
in Seoul. When the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
broke out in 1950, he was evacuated to Japan, returning in 1951. In 1953 Miller worked for Korea's central bank, the Bank of Korea
Bank of Korea
The Bank of Korea is the central bank of South Korea and issuer of South Korean won. It was established on June 12, 1950 at Seoul, South Korea.The Bank's primary purpose is price stability. For that, the Bank targets inflation...
, until his retirement in the early 1980s. He became fluent in the Korean language
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
and later worked as a financial advisor and broker with a number of Korean financial firms, ending with Good Morning Securities.
Miller eventually took the Korean name Min Byung-gal and in 1979 became a naturalized Korean citizen, one of only two Americans to ever do so.
He was a skilled bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
player and traveled the world with the Korean national team. He gave time and money to a number of worthwhile causes and extended personal assistance to many Koreans, including the continuing support of over 50 children.
Chollipo Arboretum
During a 1962 swimming trip, a weekend getaway from Seoul, Miller was persuaded by a cash-poor, land-rich villager into buying a barren plot of land near the fishing village of Chollipo in Taean-gun. It sat idle until 1970, when, disgusted by Seoul's worsening air pollution, Mr. Miller moved his traditional Korean house from its Seoul location to his seaside retreat.When Mr. Miller settled at his new seaside retreat, he decided it needed some trees. He planted a few and then a few more. More villagers approached him to buy their land, so he did—and then he planted more trees. He later said he had had no idea he would create an arboretum recognized by international horticultural societies, no idea that he would give up his nationality and no idea he would be awarded the highest honor the Korean government can bestow on a civilian. He just wanted to plant a few trees.
Today the arboretum boasts a collection of millions of examples of the more than 13,200 species of trees and plants that Mr. Miller spent 40 years collecting, growing and cultivating. In addition, the arboretum grounds are home to traditional tile-roofed wooden houses called hanok that he moved there and renovated.