On their first date, Frances Hilliard helped Charles Millican push his car after the engine died. Pushing together, they got the car moving, and he jumped in and restarted it.
About 20 years later, Frances Hilliard Millican stood side-by-side with her husband as they started a new university in East Orlando. Once again, their teamwork led to success, as they built a strong foundation for a thriving metropolitan research university that is now the third largest in the nation.
Mrs. Millican, the University of Central Florida’s first first lady, died Dec. 28 at age 82. More than 600 people gathered at the Student Union to celebrate her life on Wednesday and listened as Dr. Millican delivered the eulogy for his wife of 64 years.
“I got to thinking to myself, ‘I’ve found the most lovely creature I’ve ever laid eyes on,'” Dr. Millican said of that first date. “And she was willing to get out on a first date and help a guy push a car that stalled. I thought, ‘I better follow up” with her.
To read more about the memorial service, click here.