Carl Ferris Miller
Carl Ferris Miller | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1921 Pittston, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Died | 2002 |
| Other names | Min Byung-gal |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, arborist |
| Known for | Founder of the Chollipo Arboretum Foundation; early American naturalized citizen of South Korea |
Carl Ferris Miller (1921–2002), also recognized by his Korean name Min Byung-gal (), was an American-born banker and arborist who became a South Korean citizen. He is notably remembered as the founder of the Chollipo Arboretum Foundation located in Taean County, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, and was among the earliest Americans to acquire South Korean nationality.
Early life
Originally from Pittston, Pennsylvania, Miller majored in chemistry and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. During World War II, he attended the US Navy Japanese/Oriental Language School at the University of Colorado at Boulder to study Japanese and served as a Naval Intelligence Officer. In 1945, his duties included identifying Japanese soldiers on Okinawa Island by conducting interviews with local residents.
In 1949, Miller held the position of deputy in the Performance Review Section of the Economic Cooperation Administration based in Seoul. After evacuating during the onset of the Korean War in 1950, he returned to Korea in 1951. By 1953, he joined the Bank of Korea, South Korea's central bank, where he worked until retiring in the early 1980s. Miller mastered the Korean language and later served as an advisor and broker for several financial institutions in South Korea, concluding his career at Good Morning Securities.
He adopted the Korean name Min Byung-gal and officially became a naturalized South Korean citizen in 1979.
Apart from his banking career, Miller was an accomplished bridge player who represented South Korea on an international level. He also contributed to various charitable endeavors and personally supported more than 50 Korean children.
During a 1962 swimming excursion near Chollipo, a fishing village in Taean County, Miller was encouraged by a local villager—who lacked cash but owned land—to purchase a barren plot. This land remained unused until 1970 when Miller, frustrated by worsening air pollution in Seoul, moved his traditional Korean house from Seoul to this coastal location.
After settling there, he began planting trees and gradually acquired additional land from villagers to enlarge his collection. Reflecting on his journey, Miller stated that he never planned to establish a globally renowned arboretum, renounce his original nationality, or receive South Korea’s highest civilian honors—his initial aim was simply to plant some trees.
Currently, the arboretum houses millions of plant specimens spanning over 13,200 species that Miller cultivated over four decades. The site also contains traditional hanok houses that he relocated and restored.
Awards
Miller and his arboretum have received numerous honors from institutions including the Royal Horticultural Society of the United Kingdom, the U.S. Freedom Foundation, and various South Korean government bodies. In 2002, then-President Kim Dae-jung bestowed upon him the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit. Posthumously in 2005, he became the fifth honoree of the Forest Hall of Fame Award for his significant contributions to South Korea’s forestry industry. The International Dendrology Society recognized Chollipo as the world’s 12th Arboretum Distinguished for Merit—the first such recognition in Asia—while the Holly Society of America designated it as the Official Holly Arboretum.