Dr. Leonard D Mills, Former Chairman of the IWU Board

Dr. Leonard D. Mills died quietly Wednesday evening, October 17, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  He was 91 years of age.

    

Dr. Mills was first elected to the IWU Board of Trustees in 1968, and he served as chairman of the board for 24 years until he announced his retirement from that position on October 7, 2000.  In that same Board of Trustees meeting, the board voted to elect Dr. Mills as Chairman Emeritus.

 

In recognition of his 33 years of faithful service on the Board of Trustees, the board voted to name their meeting room in the newly renovated John Wesley Administration Building the “Leonard D. Mills Board Room” in his honor.  Leonard Mills and several family members were present on April 1, 2005, for the naming ceremony which was conducted during the Board meeting.  A portrait of Dr. Mills was also unveiled.

 

When Leonard Mills, who was a public school administrator in Michigan for more than 40 years, was named chairman of the board, he was the first chairman who lived outside Indiana.  He also held the distinction of having the longest tenure as board chairman at Indiana Wesleyan.

 

Dr. Mills attended Owosso College for two years and earned a bachelor’s degree at Central Michigan University and an M.A. in school administration at the University of Michigan.

 

Although unable to attend board meetings and IWU activities in recent years, Dr. Mills was a faithful board member and committed to the mission of Indiana Wesleyan.

 

Visitation will be held on Sunday, October 21, from 4-8 p.m. at the Langeland Funeral Home, 3926 South 9^th Street, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

 

The funeral service will be held on Monday, October 22, at 1 p.m. at the Light House Community Church, 4321 South 11^th Street, Kalamazoo.  There will also be visitation at the church prior to the service from 12 Noon-1 p.m.