Kenneth Millen, an Aberdeen man who worked in a downtown shoe store for years and passed away in December, left nearly a million dollars to Grays Harbor College — one of the largest such gifts in the institution’s history. People who knew him remembered him as a nice guy who led a simple life.
Millen worked for decades as a shoe salesman at Adamore’s Shoe Store on Wishkah Street. The store is believed to have closed in the 1980s. Millen died at the age of 85. He was a member of the local Elks Club who enjoyed karaoke, visiting casinos and cheering on the Seattle Seahawks, according to a fellow Elk who had known Millen for many years.
“I used to mow his lawn,” said Mark Dodd Jr., 56. “He was an avid Seahawks fan. … And he was just a good old guy.”
Millen didn’t want a memorial service. He had no children and lived in his family’s modest home on the 100 block of North C Street.
“Ken hadn’t had much work done on it for years,” Dodd also said.
He didn’t recall Millen ever talking about the need for local youth to have help obtaining a college education. College officials, however, said it was known that he planned to donate money to the college after his death.
“It was the size of his gift that was the surprise — a good kind of surprise,” said Jan Jorgenson, GHC Foundation executive director. “It’ll have a huge impact.”
His gift of $981,564.22 will be used for student scholarships. The college will create a scholarship in his name.
Millen earned an Associate’s in Science Degree from GHC in 1950 and was a 1948 graduate of Aberdeen High School.
His brother, Earl, was a law professor at the Northeast Louisiana State College, then at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He died in 1995.
Kenneth and Earl were the sons of Earlam and Julia Jacobson Millen.
“This incredible donation will make such a difference for so many students in the years to come,” said GHC Foundation President Tim Martin, in a statement sent out by the college. “Countless students will be able to attend classes, earn their degrees and start their futures because of the Millens’ generosity.”
Another college official knew Millen. Jane Goldberg’s family owned the building where Millen worked as a shoe salesman. She is the college’s head of public relations.
“Ken led a pretty unassuming life,” she said. “Anytime we get included in an estate it’s a huge honor. But when we heard the amount he left … this will help many students for many years.”
