Miller, long-time Lake City banker, to retire

Gil Miller, a longtime banking loan officer in the Lake City market, will retire this week after 43 years in banking and 57 years overall working in the financial industry. He will retire from Drummond Community Bank in Lake City on December 31.

Aside from a short stint selling real estate full-time in the late 1970s, he has worked most of his financial career in the region and all of it in North Florida, after beginning his career with a financial job in Jacksonville.

“The career really found me, I guess,” Miller said, reflecting on his career at this Drummond Community Bank office. “I got out of the Navy in Jacksonville and I needed a job and I saw a help wanted ad for a manager trainee at a finance company and thought I could do it, so I applied and got the job.”

He sold secondary mortgages for a time, then landed his first true banking job at First National Bank in Lake City. Since that first local job, he’s worked for several Lake City institutions, including NCNB bank (North Carolina National Bank), Unified Mortgage, CNB (Community National Bank), Citizens Bank in Live Oak, Columbia County Bank and People’s State Bank, which was recently purchased by Drummond Community Bank.

Miller worked for People’s and Drummond the longest, spending 15 years with the institution.

“There have been a lot of changes through the years,” Miller said. “Banks are a lot bigger now, lot of mergers, fewer smaller banks like we used to see a lot of.”

The banking world, in general, has gotten a lot busier through years, as well, he said.

“Mortgages used to be done on one sheet of paper and the note was the size of a personal check,” Miller, 78, said. “Now, it’s a stack to sign. Forms for everything. It’s a different world.”

Miller said the banking industry evolved through several changes in the U.S. economy and the advancement of technology did not require as many employees in each institution. What never changed was the need to offer top-flight customer services at every institution.

“I will miss the customers and I have a lot of loyalty to the people who have banked with me for a long time, some as long as 30 years,” Miller said. “You get attached to your customers and I will miss that.”

Miller said through his career, he has worked with all types of loans at his various banking positions, from consumer loans for personal needs and automobiles, second mortgages, first mortgages, but the past 15 years has been spent in commercial lending.

“Most of these small businesses here are mom and pop type businesses, a storefront on the street, something positive you see as the area grows,” Miller said. “It’s been nice to be a part of this, seeing people grow their business.”

Brent Williams, Drummond Community Bank Columbia County Area President, said Miller’s market knowledge and longevity will be missed.

“Gil has a banking style that connected with people and helped establish and maintain a large, loyal following,” Williams said. “He assisted many business owners and many times their children with their banking needs throughout his career. We valued his wisdom and experience. He is leaving behind a large legacy with high standards. We hope he enjoys his well-deserved freedom for a long time and we want him to know that he will be greatly missed.”

Gilbert Miller was born and raised in Hudson, South Dakota, population 300. He is one of 10 children. When he graduated high school, with this many children in the family, college was not an option. He said when he went to look for a job, it was well-known at the time that employers wanted to know your draft number and status to consider how long you might be available to work before you were drafted into military service.

“I decided to take care of that draft status myself, so I started talking to all the recruiters and they all asked me what I wanted to do,” he said. “At that time, I had not been more than 50 miles away from my home in any direction. I told the recruiters I wanted to see the world. Turns out, the Navy was the way to go, so I enlisted.”

He went to boot camp in San Diego, then his advanced training was in Maryland. During a three-year hitch in the Navy, he traveled through or visited 41 states and spent time in 14 foreign countries during ports of call. He was stationed on the Rhode Island-based USS Hunt, a destroyer.

“My first Christmas away from home was spent on the Arctic Circle,” Miller said. “Another time, we were part of a NATO cruise through the Azores, Portugal, The Netherlands, saw some of Europe.”

His ship also was patrolling off the coast of Cuba during the Cuban missile crisis.

“The Navy kept their promise,” he said, laughing. “I saw the world.”

He has been married to his wife, Mildred, a White Springs native, for 57 years. Gil and Mildred are parents to one son and have two grandsons. The entire family lives on a large expanse of family property in Hamilton County.

Miller sold real estate full time in the late 1970s, he said, until inflation skyrocketed and interest rates topped 20 percent and “it was hard to work on commission and sell anything,” he said. He still maintains a real estate broker’s license. One of his hobbies has always been buying older homes, fixing them up and selling them.

“I used to do all the work myself because I enjoyed it,” he said. “I won’t do the repair work myself, but I may get back into doing this again.”