His father, Richard P. Miller Sr., was chief executive of the Rochester Community Chest, precursor of the United Way.
After high school, Miller attended Middlebury College, where he majored in sociology, joined the Army ROTC, played collegiate Golf, and was manager of the ski team.
[1] From 1965 to 1967, Miller served in the U.S. Army, First Cavalry Division (Airmobile), attaining the rank of first lieutenant.
As a forward observer in the artillery, he participated in action in the Ia Drang Valley, near Pleiku, Republic of Vietnam.
He was a trustee of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and served as the vice chancellor and chief operating officer of the State University of New York.