The Purel Miller African American Book Collection is named in honor of Deacon Purel Miller as a way to express gratitude for the many years of community service he gave to the people of Andrews and Cherokee County, North Carolina.  After his death on July 13, 2013,  the Collection was donated to the Andrews Public Library by One Dozen Who Care, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that serves women, elders, and children in far western North Carolina.  One Dozen Who Care, Inc., curates the collection and partners with the Nantahala Regional Library to produce an annual reading challenge event for area children. 

Deacon Miller was born April 10, 1923, in Happy Top, Andrews, to Cleve and Nora Howell Miller.  He attended the Andrews Colored School in Happy Top until the third grade.  At that time he had an accident that nearly took his life, and left him with a badly injured eye.  Recovery from the accident was slow, and he never had good eyesight in that eye again.  Instead of returning to school, Mr. Miller began working for people around town, helping to bring in money for the family.

Purel and Margaret Ann Wykle Miller were married on Christmas Day, 1945.  He first built a two-room house, adding to it as he could until it had five rooms and a bathroom.  He and Margaret raised three daughters there:  Ann Miller Woodford, Mary Alice Miller Worthy, and Nina Karen Miller Moses.  Mary Alice died in 1991 and Purel’s wife, Margaret, died in 1993.  Purel’s grandson, Seane Worthy, lives in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, with his wife Amanda, daughter Addy, and son, Miller.  His granddaughter, Nikisha Ann Moses, lives with her mother, Nina in Mooresville, NC.  Ann Miller Woodford is Founder and Board Member Emeritus of One Dozen Who Care, Inc. and lives in Andrews, North Carolina. 

Deacon Miller, who lived to the age of 90 years, worked hard all his life for the community of Andrews and all the surrounding area.  “I’ve either helped build or repair almost every old building in Andrews,” Mr. Miller once said.  He was also instrumental in getting the first mail delivery and electrical power in his Happy Top community.  Mr. Miller was especially well-known and admired for his expertise in killing hogs.  Many people could attest to the fact that he could slaughter and dress a hog faster than most. He was always in great demand when it came hog-killing time.

Mr. Miller and his mules, Jake, Blue, and Pat, were a familiar sight for many years as he went about plowing and tending farms and small gardens all around Andrews.  Up until he had open heart surgery and colon cancer surgery in June 2005, he was often seen around town, either mowing lawns or tilling gardens for other residents. He continued to do minor jobs around Andrews and attended the Andrews Senior Center daily until 2012, when he entered the Valley View Care Center of Andrews. 

ODWC is proud to have donated books that celebrate African American people and their contributions to the nation to the Andrews Public Library, in Deacon Miller’s honor, to benefit the community. It presently includes print and audio books and videos for adults and young readers.  At the Collection’s core are its many books about African American culture and history that Ann Miller Woodford utilized as she researched her ground-breaking work documenting the history of African American people in far Western North Carolina: When All God’s Children Get Together: A Celebration of the Lives and Music of African-American People in Far Western North Carolina.