Column: The man who taught me writing was ‘extraordinary’ in every way

If you ever had Don Miller for a teacher, I guarantee you’ll not forget him.

I certainly haven’t.

A longtime Costa Mesa/Newport Beach resident, Donald E. Miller died last month at the age of 87. He is sorely missed.

I was fortunate to have him as teacher for three different classes – English, journalism and theater production — at Costa Mesa High School, from 1958 through 1962.

He dramatically influenced my life.

While at Mesa High, Don met and married his wife of 55 years, Joan Drummond. He became father to her three children, and Don and Joan had a daughter together, Catherine Lise.

Don was more than just my high school teacher. He was my mentor and friend. He saw something in me as a high school student that, frankly, I didn’t see myself. Neither did my parents.

Don taught me the fundamentals of writing – a skill that propelled me through college and fueled my career. I spent 37 years as Orange Coast College’s director of community relations.

He appointed me sports editor of Mesa High’s school newspaper, the Hitching Post, my sophomore year.

During the 1961-62 academic year, students at Mesa wrote and produced an original musical comedy, “An Extraordinary Guy.” Don’s creative writing class wrote it, music students penned the score and he directed it.

It ran in late April in Orange Coast College’s 1,300-seat Robert B. Moore Theater. It was so successful that a second weekend was hastily added.

The show is about an American high school rife with public school issues of the day (1962), like cliques, acne and raging hormones. Alcohol, drugs and teen pregnancy went unmentioned because, frankly, they weren’t yet on anyone’s radar.

Don cast me as a lead in the production.

Why?

I still wonder.

“You were an introvert,” Don told me in 2009 when we met for one of our many latter years’ breakfasts at The Galley Cafe in Newport Beach. “But I loved your spirit, and you were willing to take risks.”

I could have played the lead character, Herman, without batting an eye. Herman, like myself, was a socially awkward dork with no hope of attracting a girlfriend. The problem was, the character had to sing 10 songs, and I couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.

So, Don went against type. He cast me — the dorky introvert — as the second lead, George, an egotistical “chick-magnet.” George had one solo that he could belt rather than sing. That worked for me, but how was I to transform myself into “Joe Cool”?

I learned to act.

And I incorporated into my character imitations of some of the cooler dudes in my high school.

After graduating from Mesa in 1962, Don and I lost touch for 45 years, but reconnected in 2007.

I’d been retired from OCC for a year and had just started writing a weekly column for the Pilot. Don saw one of my columns, looked up my phone number and called me.

That was so Don Miller — taking time to find an old friend and offer words of encouragement.

For the next several years Don and I met for breakfast on a regular basis and discussed a multitude of issues. Don had strong opinions, and we didn’t always agree, but we were bound by our appreciation for one another and our shared experiences.

Don was born in Youngstown, Ohio, and moved to Anaheim while in junior high school.

He studied English, music, math and psychology at UCLA. Don loved to talk about his summer employment for many years as a soda jerk at the Jolly Roger on Balboa Island — perhaps his favorite gig of all.

My family lived on the Island during that time, and we often ate at “The JR.” I’m certain he waited on us.

He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

Don and Joan lived many years in Carmel, where they owned several businesses and two restaurants. They wrote and published a number of books.

Don Miller was truly “An Extraordinary Guy.”

JIM CARNETT, who lives in Costa Mesa, worked for Orange Coast College for 37 years.