An Illini love story, midnight-at-Murphy’s edition ...
“I met my wife, Laura Michalowski Miller, in 1991” while on his way to two geology degrees, says Bruce Miller.
“She is also an alum. We met at Murphy’s Pub just before the stroke of midnight and the singing of ‘American Pie.’ This was done there every night, complete with its own modified lyrics.
“I proposed in 1992 at Memorial Stadium during a football game. It is how I always imagined doing that. First bucket list item I ever crossed off.
“We got married on campus and had our reception at Jumer’s. Amazing memories there.”
A Shelbyville native, Miller grew up an Illini fan. Many of his favorite non-Laura memories from college are set in the Natural History Building, where he studied under the great Steve Marshak.
“I can still recall the ‘antique’ smell of the building and I miss it immensely,” he says. “You could also find me at the Illini Union some late mornings, taking a nap on the floor by the large windows, where I could also get a bit of sun when it was cold outside.
“It was only right that I attend Illinois. I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else.”
Miller started working at Schlumberger in 1995, the year he earned his master's, and has been there ever since. His jobs have taken him all over the world — Louisiana, Norway, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Paris and, since 2014, Texas.
“I am still a diehard Illini fan, listen to the WDWS podcast every day and read The News-Gazette website as well,” says the father of two. “Loren Tate is my favorite.”
