William Alton "Brother" Miller

William Alton "Brother" Miller was born on April 13, 1925, along with his twin sister, Arline "Cissie." He was named after uncles on both side of his family, farmer William and newspaper editor Alton, perhaps foreshadowing his skill in gardening and writing.

Good-natured and bright, Brother patiently endured a lot of teasing and the nickname "Egg" because his head was oddly shaped, the result of it being compressed between his twin's knees in the womb. Once he got out of school and into the Army, no one really noticed, or cared.

Light-haired Brother, looking eerily like his son and grandson to come, Christopher Edward Miller and Zachary William Miller, is in the middle of this crew of sixth-graders at North Elementary School in Winston-Salem, N.C. Nearby was his good buddy Hobart Cheek.

Brother was 15 or 16 when this school photo was taken.

With friend and family boarder Doodle (Mildred Formyduval, who later married Harold Southern) during a visit home after serving in the U.S. Army in Europe in World War II.

In November 2011, first cousins David Edwards and Dee Ann Edwards were kind enough to take me on a driving tour of Winston-Salem. We tracked down several addresses our parents used to live at, most of them just north of downtown. This is 2925 Patterson Av., where our parents lived for a couple of years staring in 1935.

Here's 2519 Patterson Av., another house they lived in part of.

And here's Hanes High School (now something different), where Brother, Cissie and their siblings went to high school. Dad used to chant, rather goofily, "Knit one! Purl two! Hanes High! YOO HOO!"

He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1944. It was to become his career.

Above and below, looking natty at a picnic at Hanging Rock State Park in 1948. Love the tie!

Sort of a "beat" look, don't you think?

Brother in 1951, a few years into his Army career.

Playing baseball in West Germany.

The Brother we (Pam, Chris and Cathy Miller) just knew as plain old Dad.