David Miller's Story

Oh! The school needs money. What to do? Well, with recycled newspaper paying $35 a ton, how about we see how much we can collect?

We kids fanned out into the neighborhood, pushing shopping carts "borrowed" from Freddie's. First we hit the flats. Then when those were exhausted, it was time to venture into the hills. Up there my friends and I found a goldmine—an older lady who must have been a hoarder. She had a basement room stacked floor to ceiling with newspapers!

We loaded the carts. Then the fun began. Let me tell you, there is nothing like riding a shopping cart loaded with newspaper down Vista Avenue! The trick is to steer by dragging your foot on one side or the other. Stopping is another matter ....

We made many trips, and thankfully no one was seriously injured. I'll never forget it! And we earned a lot of $$ for the school!

(David Miller, 2025)

DAVID MILLER, an alumnus who happens to be the son of beloved 1970s teacher Judy Miller, stopped by the writing table at MLC History Night to write out by hand his vivid reminiscence of the Great Paper Drive—adding a word about MLC and his own life path!

"The best thing [about MLC] for me was the freedom to advance at my own pace—in math, computer programming, high-school level classes before high school, etc. And to be creative in great classes like Emil's Inventors' Workshop. I'm sure the head start I got in math and everything else helped me go on to a degree in Physics and a 36-year career with Intel. And I had a blast here and made lifelong friends." (David Miller, who attended MLC from 1974 to 1978, is the son of 1970s teacher Judy Miller.)

Photo: The Open University

The Great MLC Paper Drive of (circa) 1975