In a career that has spanned 50 years, Holly Gooding Miller, BA’64 has held roles as a reporter, managing editor, corporate speechwriter, textbook author, guest lecturer, college professor, and publications consultant.
As an IU undergraduate, Miller was a four-year member of the Indiana Daily Student staff and served as president of Theta Sigma Phi, honorary society for women in journalism; president of her social sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi; and treasurer of IU’s senior class.
After graduation she was the first female general-assignment reporter hired by The Anderson (Indiana) Herald, the daily newspaper she later led as managing editor.
When The Saturday Evening Post magazine moved its headquarters from New York to Indianapolis, Miller was recruited as senior editor. Profile and travel articles were among her favorite assignments. She shadowed octogenarian George Burns during a whirlwind visit to New York City; flew to the Bahamas for a weekend with Julio Iglesias; cooked alongside Disney World chefs; and tapped into the wit and wisdom of Erma Bombeck and Judge Judy.
She continued to specialize in interview articles when she began freelancing for magazines such as Indianapolis Monthly, Reader’s Digest, Writer’s Digest, TV Guide, and Endless Vacation.
Issues related to women in the workplace sparked her interest, and her article about workaholism among women prompted a publisher to offer a book contract. The result was “How to Stop Living for the Applause.”
To date, she has written or co-written more than a dozen books. The most recent is “Feature and Magazine Writing: Action, Angles and Anecdotes,” a textbook adopted by more than 50 colleges and universities.
She worked for General Motors Corp. as a speechwriter and editor of an award-winning divisional magazine. While at GM, she began teaching a class at Anderson University, which later expanded into a full-time appointment.
She returned to adjunct status when she was hired by Lilly Endowment Inc. to manage Progressions magazine, a publication that explored Endowment grant initiatives.
Miller’s writing and editing awards have included citations from the Society of American Travel Writers; Midwest Travel Writers Association; Indiana Department of Commercial Tourism and Film Development; Associated Press; Society of Professional Journalists; National Multiple Sclerosis Society; and General Motors Corporation.
Ball State University – where Miller completed a master’s degree in journalism – inducted her into the BSU Journalism Hall of Fame and honored her with its Journalism Alumni Award and the university’s Distinguished Alumni Award.