Guestbook

Write a new entry for the Guestbook

 
 

 
 
 
Fields marked with * are obligatory.
For security reasons we save the ip address 44.200.182.101.
We reserve our right to edit, delete, or not publish entries.
Jeff Carlson \'01 wrote at July 5, 2020, 2:40 am:
I am very sorry to learn of Frank Millet's passing. I regret that I never studied Latin, played squash, or lived on campus, because I still remember Mr. Millet after all these years from a single exchange in my admission interview, which I hope is worth the price of admission in the guestbook.

At one point in the interview, I had wanted to get out the end of a story that apparently was quite important to me, but Mr. Millet had already moved on.

I protested, "Wait, I'm not done yet."

Mr. Millet responded, "That's what you think."

Those who knew him better will probably understand better than I why he accepted me after that.
Jay Reidy wrote at January 19, 2018, 12:41 am:
A resident of the Tower in Robbins House, I grew to know Mr Millet quite well. Usually because I was explaining to him why I'd done something, er, stupid like throwing a cherry bomb out a window with him looking directly at me through a window opposite.

He was strict but fair and the penance he regularly doled out to me always seemed, even then, to fit the crime.

He will be sorely missed by Milton and by me.
Harry Norweb (\'66) wrote at December 10, 2017, 2:52 pm:
Watching TV in his apartment with other 5th Class 'flunkies' was a safe harbor from the hostile environment of Robbins House and the campus beyond. Throughout my five years at Milton, he was one of very few faculty that I felt thought of my other than being just a mediocre student in which to invest limited time and minimal interest. I will always remember him with fondness and respect. RIP.
David Brown, Middlesex School \'81 wrote at December 6, 2017, 10:48 pm:
I met Mr. Millet in the winter of 1978 at a Middlesex-Milton squash match that I was playing in. He said to me, "you are Curt Brown's son aren't you?" You see Frank and dad (Curt Brown) played squash together at Middlesex and I guess my dad made quite an impression on him. Anyway, for the next 3 years I would see Mr. Millet twice a year (Milton and Middlesex always played home and home squash matches) and we would always stop and talk or Mr. Millet would talk to my dad. I don't believe we (Middlesex) won much against Milton as Milton had some awesome teams back then. But Mr. Millet would always compliment our game and offer pointers where appropriate.

I reconnected with Frank in 1990 (he told me to call him Frank after I left Middlesex) as a squash coach myself and later father of a squash player at Groton and Portsmouth Abbey.

Frank's ability to keep the game of squash "gentlemanly" while at the same time teach players to compete with dignity & honor and to never give up was and is a class act. Frank would also not hesitate to let a player know when their court conduct was not as respectful as he would like. Or give that subtle Millet grin of acknowledgement all of you at Milton know when there was a point, game, match that was well done.

Milton has lost a real gem as Middlesex has lost a graceful alumnus. We will all miss Frank. But his legacy will live on.
Ethan Kerr Class of \'98 wrote at December 3, 2017, 9:08 pm:
Remembering Mr. Millet, I feel supremely grateful.

I first met FDM when I was a little boy, probably 7 or 8 years old, when I first joined my dad, John Kerr '68, at the old, cold, narrow squash courts on a Sunday morning. I played with Mr. Millet frequently through middle and high school on those special Sunday morning gatherings. I remember him zinging cross courts past me from the back corners and chuckling softly every time.

He coached me through high school with patience and gentle persistence. I most remember him counseling me to slow down and stop letting the other boy get me so frustrated.

Following a successful squash career at Bates, I had the incredible privilege of returning to Milton to coach the boys varsity team with FDM for 3 winters.

It was in this more recent time that I fully appreciated the care and wisdom that he lived with every day. When he was grumpy he would tell you, though 99% of the many days I spent with him, he was a steady, positive man, with a very generous heart.

I am inspired and honored to be living his legacy forward, teaching the youth I work with, along with my own daughter, many values Mr. Millet taught me.

Thank you Mr. Millet. May your spirit continue to soar.
Phil Kinnicutt, \'59 wrote at December 1, 2017, 1:10 pm:
Purely and simply, I owe the fact that I successfully graduated from Milton to the wise and perceptive "counseling" I received from Mr. Millet. I will be forever grateful for his help.

12/1/2017
Phil Kinnicutt
Kailua, HI
Philip Rand 1957 wrote at December 1, 2017, 8:29 am:
Correction on my comment: about his feat, not his feet! (blush, blush).
Philip Rand 1957 wrote at December 1, 2017, 8:28 am:
After having been a student of his, I became a colleague on the Milton faculty. It might have been awkward to move from a master -to-underling rapport to a peer to peer one. FDM became no longer "Mr. Millet" but Frank, as I could thenceforth call him, and the master had no qualms about this upstart.
After I emigrated to Italy, we exchanged letters. If I remember correctly, I teased him a bit about his not wanting to use the computer, however, I also quipped "I know why you don't need the computer, you have a better memory than they do!"
He also commented on his age saying "I want to make it to 100, because Stokey (Mr. Stokinger, in charge of Milton sports for those who came after the Stokey era) --
Stokey made it, and I want to equal his feet."
Himraj Dang wrote at December 1, 2017, 8:25 am:
I spent a year at Milton in 1983-84, and had the occasion to play squash with Mr. Millet. He truly loved the game and was a perfect gentleman. Such people make institutions.
Brian Hicks \'81 wrote at November 30, 2017, 10:07 pm:
Mr. Millet played a huge part in my Milton Academy experience. He encouraged my metamorphosis from a tennis to squash player and taught me the importance of thoughtful handwritten correspondence. When I volunteered for a tour or had unexpected success on the court it was not unusual to receive a short note of thanks or encouragement - which meant the world to this young man who was longer in effort than talent.

I bumped into Mr. Millet during a hospital visit about two years back and he was feeling his years, but after we oriented and I showed him a pic of us on the court together - he perked up, commented favorably on his trim 60ish figure, and recalled the school buzz at the time. When we parted he gave me his familiar wink that conveyed we were both in on the joke - even if neither of us knew exactly the punch line.

RIP FDM - BNH
Peter Burling, \'63 wrote at November 30, 2017, 7:52 pm:
Mr. Millet was the first Milton faculty member I met when first I toured the school, and he was the last I had a chance to talk with as I prepared to leave our 50th, in 2013. He represented to me the very best that the school had to offer, and through the years as an alumnus and trustee I grew to value his judgement and wisdom, and essential kindness, more than I can say. Thank you Frank for all your extraordinary gifts to the Milton community, from this former student who learned so much from you.
Gordon H. Hensley -- class of \'78 wrote at November 30, 2017, 6:00 pm:
Milton's close proximity to Boston and its academic reputation made the school my easy first choice -- yet i received that proverbial thin envelope with a rejection notice.

Disappointed, i decided to write Mr. Millet a letter saying how badly i wanted to attend as a 10th grade boarder, thinking nothing would come of it.

Weeks later, he called our house one night after dinner. My mom said, "it's a Mr. Frank Millet from Milton Academy calling." Wow, he read my letter, I realized.

He said there was a space for me if i wanted it, and said he liked the fact i took the initiative in writing. "We want people who really want to be here," he said.

I'm forever grateful to Mr. Millet for taking the time to read my letter, and taking a chance on me. The doors that opened as a result of Mr. Millet's 'call out of the blue' that night so long ago are too numerous to delineate.
Jonathan Foster wrote at November 30, 2017, 5:12 pm:
In 1968 at 11 years old, I showed up for my Milton interview for 7th grade. The interviewer asked me, "So why do you want to go to Milton, and not Nobles which is much nearer to your house?" Without hesitation, I responded, "Because you have squash courts." Unbeknownst to me, my interviewer was Frank Millet! As you might imagine, things went pretty well after that.

Mr. Millet has always been in my thoughts for the 42 years since my graduation. He was a significant figure in my life as I developed both as a squash player, and a man.

I recently looked at old report cards from my Milton days when Mr. Millet served as my advisor. I was truly touched by his unwavering belief in my potential, in spite of often significant evidence to the contrary.

Gone but never forgotten....

Jon Foster - Class of 1975
Jeff Wayne \'84 wrote at November 30, 2017, 5:12 pm:
Like many others, Mr. Millet was the first person I met, during my admissions interview. I recall being relatively shy and reserved at the time, so it is hard for me to understand what he saw in me. However, from that very first 3rd football practice, to my work on the Blue Key, to graduation, he was always there with a kind word of encouragement or wisdom. We exchanged many letters over the years, as i advanced through Medical School and on to a career as a surgeon. I would like to think that the mentorship I have provided to countless medical students and residents might somehow stand as a tribute to a wonderful man who gave selflessly to generations of Milton Academy alums.
Rob Macomber wrote at November 30, 2017, 5:03 pm:
In reflecting about how to best express the lasting impact that Mr. Millet had on the life of a thirteen-year-old son of a scallop fisherman from Castine, Maine by offering the boy admission to Milton in 1972, I realized that I had already previously expressed my most heartfelt sentiments on this topic earlier this year. Hence, I would like to share the inscription that I wrote on the back of a framed tribute (a photo of which accompanies these words) to his life that I gave him on the occasion of his 100th birthday:

May 25, 2017

Dearest Mr. Millet,

On this singularly special day, please know that I am thinking of you, as I do many, many times during the course of each year. Because you are a person who truly touched my life in a most wonderful way, you are never far from my mind . . . or heart. And I know that I am but one of a myriad of Milton graduates who feel the same way.

As you reflect about this memorable milestone on The Road of Life, I hope you take significant satisfaction in knowing that your life's work has profoundly impacted not only the education of so many young people, but literally their entire lives. Although I can obviously only speak directly for myself, I can tell you that I have had numerous discussions over the last four decades with many Milton graduates who have expressed similar sentiments to my own.

So, sir, on this auspicious day, please know that my mind and heart hearken back to something I expressed to you a quarter of a century ago on the April 11, 1992 occasion that honored your 75th birthday and 50 years at Milton. Indeed, as you now celebrate your 100th birthday and 75 years at Milton, twenty-five years have passed and I still cannot come up with any better way to capture the essence of how I view one Francis D. Millet in my mind's eye than to reiterate the following:

The most lasting lesson that I came away from Milton with was about a subject that was not offered in any specific course, but was constantly being taught throughout the campus and the curriculum: character. For me, Milton Academy, as an institution, symbolizes that word. Mr. Francis D. Millet, as a human being, is the personification of character.

Happy 100th Birthday!

With immense respect, eternal gratitude, and endless love,
Robbie Macomber
Cushing Hamlen, \'76 wrote at November 30, 2017, 4:52 pm:
Mr. Millet: you took a chance on admitting me to Milton as a freshman when I had terrible grades and awful study skills. You then went on to support me as I learned true study skills, and what it really meant to be a student and scholar. I have no doubt you saved my life, as I also have no doubt I would have been able to live the life I have without the opportunity and guidance you gave me. I do not know how many others you have had a similar effect on - but I suspect it is ... countless. Few in this world can make such a claim - and it is my very great honor to have known you. Rest well, and know you and your efforts on other's behalf are cherished.
Kuan Ern Tan \'94 wrote at November 20, 2017, 2:17 am:
Mr Millet, you were one of the greatest parts of attending Milton Academy. You were a model of grace, humility, leadership and mentorship. You were impactful on and off the squash courts. I treasure the guidance you have given me through my time at Milton, and your friendship for the past 23 years since graduation.

I am grateful that we were able to meet in Mar this year. I am honored to have known you in my lifetime.

Rest well,

Kuan Ern Tan '94
Barrett Takesian \'08 wrote at November 19, 2017, 8:30 pm:
Mr. Millet, I had so much fun competing with you watching on - whether it was a five-game squash battle or a lucky home run against St. Sebs. Showing my grit was my only way to say thank you for taking a chance on me. I hope I can continue to make you proud, as I pursue building community in my hometown Portland. You shaped my character and showed me a path for my life. What a life lived.
Ron Felder ‘86 wrote at November 19, 2017, 10:04 am:
Mr. Millet was the first person I met at Milton and he walked by may Family and me around the campus. It was his welcoming attitude and warmth that led me to decide to come to Milton. He personified the Milton spirit and he will be missed.
Nick Hinch/\'64 wrote at November 18, 2017, 1:00 pm:
Having had the the honor and privilege of Mr. Millet's teaching and guidance as a master in Robbins House, I can truthfully say I left Milton with his character and spirit deeply ingrained in me. It continues to this day and will do so forever. This gentleman was an icon in the world of education.
Martha Flynn Peterson/\'55 wrote at November 18, 2017, 9:11 am:
"Requiescat in Pace". I have always treasured the few notes I have received from Mr. Millet.
Michael Kobb \'88 wrote at November 18, 2017, 12:27 am:
I will be forever grateful to Mr. Millet for helping to shape my Milton experience -- from my first Milton admissions interview, through my placement in Robbins House, to the treasured FDM calligraphy on my Milton diploma!

I can't even contemplate how pivotal the decisions he made in his role in the admissions department were to my life, and to the lives of so many other Milton students. Mr. Millet had a seemingly boundless capacity to genuinely care about every Milton student.

All of us who attended Milton during his long tenure were indeed fortunate to cross paths with a man of such rare grace and insight.
Stanley Szeto (class of 1992) wrote at November 17, 2017, 6:17 pm:
Mr. Millet,
Thanks for taking a chance on me and accepting this foreign kid into your school, sight unseen.
Thanks for bravely letting me use your Honda Civic to take my driver's license test.
Thanks for inspiring my lifelong passion in squash.
Thanks for always letting me ride shotgun when you drove us to away games.
Thanks for bringing us to dinner outside after these away games, as you knew we could use every excuse to avoid Daka.
Thanks for consoling me when I lost on the big stage of the New England's Championships.
Thanks for your signature smirk that never failed to crack me up.
Thanks for your random acts of kindness that made homesickness vanish.
Thanks for your unmistakable thank you note after each time I visited you at Milton.
It's been a true privilege knowing you, and I'll forever cherish these memories.

Stanley Szeto (class of 1992)
Gregory Dunn \'76 wrote at November 17, 2017, 4:32 pm:
Remembering FDM driving his green VW Beetle out to the 3rd Football practice field just makes me smile.

A college friend recently told me that when he played squash for Belmont Hill, he arrived at Milton only to discover that he had forgotten his sneakers. Mr. Millet searched around until a suitable pair that he could use were found. Joe has never forgotten that act of kindness over 40 years ago.
Jim Hejduk (former faculty) wrote at November 17, 2017, 4:00 pm:
Out of the blue, I received an invitation from FDM n '73 or '74 to join the Admissions Committee. I asked our Housemaster George Buell "What does this mean." George replied "You passed inspection!" Thus began a decades long friendship with countless dinners at the Harvard Club and at lots at restaurants I'd introduce him to which he often found "interesting," shall we say? I got him to actually guffaw once when during an admissions meeting, he was passing out the weekly status sheet of interviews, decisions, etc. He had a large rubber plant in the office and had to finagle his way around it and finally just reached through it to hand me the report. "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" I asked. The rest is history.
John Adams class wrote at November 17, 2017, 12:59 pm:
One the the finest gentleman I've ever known. I will miss him on my visits to Milton, where we had many fine conversations over the years. At some point we will meet in another place.
Mark Phelps wrote at November 17, 2017, 11:55 am:
It must have been 1964 when Mr. Millet took my dad and me on our campus tour. I best remember the squash courts, where we seemed to linger just a little bit longer. My abbreviated tenure at Milton was not exactly distinguished (it was a turbulent time for all of us), but I will never forget Mr. Millet's wit, warmth and good nature and how he would always have an encouraging word...even as he was peeking under the collar of my semi-legal turtleneck sweater to ensure I was wearing a tie. I am feeling a mixture of sadness and good memories as I play out my own internal grief at the passing of such a good man and valued teacher.
Christopher Tingus wrote at November 17, 2017, 9:46 am:
Thanks Frank -- I still have my broken front tooth forty years later from playing with Tom Flatley one evening when I missed the shot, lost my squash game as I hit the wall and cracked the tooth in half!

God Bless you and family! You certainly afforded many your attentiveness, encouragement and instruction as well as a swell smile in greeting!

Christopher Tingus
Thayer Academy Class of '68
Ben Schneider /82 wrote at November 17, 2017, 1:25 am:
Mr. Millet saw qualities in me I was unaware of myself until years later. He saw fit to provide the scholarship that afforded me the full education Milton offered. What has been done with that has touched people from India to Lithuania to Maine. His kindness and insight have rippled across countless human lives as we all have walked what he gave us around our Earth.
Matthew Hoffman \'78 wrote at November 16, 2017, 6:46 pm:
I was fortunate to play on the squash team during the season when we anticipated recording the team's 100th victory. (Yes, we had a really full schedule back in the day!) To a home match at which we expected to get that 100th win, we brought neckties for Coaches Millet and Phil Perry '53 (may he also rest in peace). After a convincing team win that day, I told FDM that we would like to present him and Phil Perry with gifts. Not wanting to offend the opposing coach, FDM quietly told him what we were planning to do. FDM was concerned that it might have looked a bit arrogant or presumptuous to have had the ties ready in anticipation of a victory. (Although arrogance is a word least likely ever to be associated with Mr. Millet.) With FDM, the opposing coach approached me to say that even though each Milton player could have soundly beaten his opponent, we all behaved like gentlemen and showed his players respect and sportsmanship. I still get choked up when I think about that moment - one of my proudest at Milton - relishing the almost-imperceptible grin FDM was wearing. The thing is, none of us was even close to being a gentleman. But, it was Mr. Millet's quiet, powerful influence that constantly reminded us that how we conducted ourselves, as representatives of Milton Academy and as young adults, was far more important than the scores of our matches.

Rest in peace, FDM.
Meghan O\'Toole \'01 wrote at November 16, 2017, 6:13 pm:
I will always cherish my friendship with Mr. Millet, which will live on in the wonderful collection of hand written notes from him I have saved over the years. I'm so thankful to have had him as a teacher, mentor and pen pal. Wise and kind with a great sense of humor - a true legend. Thank you, FDM!
Steve Day M’78 wrote at November 16, 2017, 6:10 pm:
I will miss my summertime visits with Mr. Millet in his cottage on campus; running a language academy in Spain for the last twenty years hasn’t allowed me to be at reunions so this was my way to say thanks. In August of 2012, I dropped in to introduce him to our son Miguel (M’14) after an admissions interview. We all had a nice chat and as we left he asked “What’s your full name, Miguel?” Miguel was a bit surprised and told him. Mr. M warmly responded “I’ll tell the Admissions office that I can do that one no problem!”. Of course later Miguel was thrilled to learn what all that meant!
Class act from the first day I met Mr. M in 1973 til this past September when he still had that warm presence and a sparkle in his eye. I feel truly blessed to have been part of his loyal band. Thanks Mr. Millet. God Bless.
John Sullivan \'81 wrote at November 16, 2017, 5:48 pm:
I was very sorry to hear of Mr. Millet's passing. I have very fond memories of interactions with him as a member of Blue Key.
Clinton J Loftman \'75 wrote at November 16, 2017, 5:40 pm:
Sad to receive the news of Mr. Millet's passing. An extraordinary man who will be missed by so many!
Jannie Haynes OConor wrote at November 16, 2017, 4:43 pm:
Mr. Millet was a true gentleman and a very gentle man. He will be much missed.
Bruce Kowal wrote at November 16, 2017, 3:39 pm:
I was in Forbes House from 1959-1962. Remember hot chocolate in his quarters at Robbins House. And his strict governance of Warren Hall with that booming baritone voice, that would stop you in your tracks. Also taught me 5th Class Latin. Rest in Peace!
Arthur (Chuck) Hunnewell \'66 wrote at November 16, 2017, 1:40 pm:
Frank Millet was Milton's "Mr. Chips". He was very much the same wonderful teacher who is identified in the classic literature novel, "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" whose main character is a gentle and caring man that helped shape the lives of generations of boys at a British boarding school in the late 1800's. That was Frank who touched all of us whom were fortunate enough to know him and be guided by him. I spent 6 years (1960 - 1966) as a boarding student in Robbins House under his watchful eye. He was my Latin teacher and I continued with Latin as my "foreign" language for 6 years. It got me through my foreign language requirement at college. Although in college, I would turn from Latin to the sciences, Geology, which I would major in. We continued to remain in contact after my graduation from Milton. He was the godfather to my oldest daughter, Elizabeth. They maintained a close relationship right up to his passing. He was a large part of our family as we were of his. Frank provided me with some of my best memories of my times at Milton for which I will be forever grateful.We will miss you, Frank, and you will always remain in our fondest memories. Thank you.