Ossian E. Mills: Difference between revisions
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Ossian Everett Mills died from a short bout with [[pneumonia]] at his home in [[Wellesley, Massachusetts]] on December 26, 1920, and was buried in the family plot of a small, wooded cemetery in [[Thompson, Connecticut]]. He was survived by his wife Clara, son Homer, and two grandchildren, Everett Matherson Mills (1916-c. 2000) and Ruth Perry Mills Cole (b. c. 1917). Following his death, however, two other grandchildren would follow, Homer Ossian Mills, Jr. (1922-1999), and Arthur Warren Mills (named after Ossian Mills' youngest brother, b. 1927). |
Ossian Everett Mills died from a short bout with [[pneumonia]] at his home in [[Wellesley, Massachusetts]] on December 26, 1920, and was buried in the family plot of a small, wooded cemetery in [[Thompson, Connecticut]]. He was survived by his wife Clara, son Homer, and two grandchildren, Everett Matherson Mills (1916-c. 2000) and Ruth Perry Mills Cole (b. c. 1917). Following his death, however, two other grandchildren would follow, Homer Ossian Mills, Jr. (1922-1999), and Arthur Warren Mills (named after Ossian Mills' youngest brother, b. 1927). |
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In preperation for the 1998 Centennial celebration of the Fraternity, John Mongiovi, then serving as Chair of the Fraternity's CPR Council, located Arthur Mills and invited him and his wife to participate in the commemorative events in Boston, as well as the Mills memorial service conducted in Putnam. Six years later, Arthur Warren Mills was initiated as a national honorary member in 2004 during a weekend of Founders Day events at [[Boston Conservatory]] in Boston, Massachusetts, in recognition of his support of Fraternity leaders in their research of the Fraternity's history. In addition, a great-great-grandson, Eric Mills, was initiated as a collegiate member by the Gamma Theta Chapter at the [[University of North Texas]] in 2008. He currently serves as Fraternity Education Officer for the chapter. |
In preperation for the 1998 Centennial celebration of the Fraternity, John Mongiovi, then serving as Chair of the Fraternity's CPR Council, located Arthur Mills and invited him and his wife to participate in the commemorative events in Boston, as well as the Mills memorial service conducted in Putnam. Six years later, Arthur Warren Mills was initiated as a national honorary member in 2004 during a weekend of Founders Day events at [[Boston Conservatory]] in Boston, Massachusetts, in recognition of his support of Fraternity leaders in their research of the Fraternity's history. In addition, a great-great-grandson, Eric Mills, was initiated as a collegiate member by the Gamma Theta Chapter at the [[University of North Texas]] in 2008. He currently serves as Fraternity Education Officer for the chapter. Thus, the Fraternity spans five generations in the Mills family. |
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==Quotes== |
==Quotes== |
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Revision as of 19:35, 21 December 2010
Ossian Everett Mills | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 16, 1856 |
| Died | December 26, 1920 |
| Cause of death | Pneumonia |
| Resting place | Thompson, Connecticut |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Occupation | College administrator (Bursar) |
| Employer | New England Conservatory |
| Known for | Founding what is today known as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a national music fraternity for men |
| Spouse | Clara Cleveland Carper Mills (1863-1952) |
| Children | Son: Homer Ossian Mills, Sr. (1888-1973); Grandchildren: Everett Matherson Mills (1916-c. 2000), Ruth Perry Mills Cole (c. 1917-), Homer Ossian Mills, Jr. (1922-1999), Arthur Warren Mills (b. 1927). |
| Parent(s) | Andrew Mills (1813-1913) and Maria Hezekiah Perry Mills (1821-1889) |
| Relatives | Siblings: Sarah Mills Truesdale, Fitz Henry Mills, Hezekiah P. Mills, Lucina Mills Low, John Andrew Mills, Clinton J. Mills, Carrie M. Mills, Arthur A. Mills |
Ossian Everett Mills (February 16, 1856 - December 26, 1920) was the founder of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts on October 6, 1898.
Life
Mills' ancestors had emmigrated from England to Massachusetts in the 1600s. Ossian Everett Mills was born to Andrew and Maria Wheaton Perry Mills in Thompson, Connecticut on February 16, 1856. Andrew Mills was himself a music teacher (http://genweb.whipple.org/d0270/I106870.html). He had eight siblings. One of whom, his brother Hezekiah Perry Mills, died when the Federal transport ship Oriental ran aground in bad weather off the coast of Cape Hattaras, North Carolina on May 8, 1862. In the surf off Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge near the Oregon Inlet Bridge, the exposed boiler and smokestack of the steamship remains visible to this day (www.nationalparkstraveler.com).
Mills married Clara Cleveland Carper on August 28, 1883 in Delaware, Ohio, the daughter of Homer Carper and Catherine Welch. She was born on December 28, 1863 in Ohio, and died twenty-six years after her husband on January 14, 1952 in Newton, Massachussetts. The Mills' had one son, Homer Ossian Mills, Sr., who was born on March 5, 1888 in Boston, attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and died in Putnam, Connecticut, on June 5, 1973.
As early as 1879, Ossian Mills went to Boston and was eventually employed in the business office of the New England Conservatory by Dr. Eben Tourjee, founder of the institution. Mills rose eventually to be bursar, the position he held at the time of his death, and the one through which he had been known to thousands of Conservatory teachers and students.
In 1898, Mills founded the Sinfonia Club at the Conservatory, which would soon become the Alpha Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America. He was made an honorary member of the club at its first meeting on October 6, 1898. On November 14, 1898, the chapter elected him treasurer, an office which he held for many years afterward. Although the first initiation of new members took place on November 28, 1898, Mills was not initiated until the following meeting on December 13.
Often referred to as the "Father of Sinfonia," Mills had been a familiar figure at annual conventions until his last years when his work would not permit his leaving Boston. He served the Fraternity as its first and fourth supreme president (1901-1902 and 1904-1905) and was elected "Honorary Grand Supreme President for Life" in 1904. Along with the fraternity's sixth supreme president, Percy Jewett Burrell, he has been credited by Fraternity historians with formulating the basic philosophies and spiritual values espoused by the Fraternity. Much of this fundamental philosophy is encapsulated in his presidential messages and other writings that appeared in Fraternity publications between 1902 and 1915. Today, these writings are regularly used to instruct the fraternity's probationary members about the obligations and expectations of fraternity membership.
Ossian Everett Mills died from a short bout with pneumonia at his home in Wellesley, Massachusetts on December 26, 1920, and was buried in the family plot of a small, wooded cemetery in Thompson, Connecticut. He was survived by his wife Clara, son Homer, and two grandchildren, Everett Matherson Mills (1916-c. 2000) and Ruth Perry Mills Cole (b. c. 1917). Following his death, however, two other grandchildren would follow, Homer Ossian Mills, Jr. (1922-1999), and Arthur Warren Mills (named after Ossian Mills' youngest brother, b. 1927).
In preperation for the 1998 Centennial celebration of the Fraternity, John Mongiovi, then serving as Chair of the Fraternity's CPR Council, located Arthur Mills and invited him and his wife to participate in the commemorative events in Boston, as well as the Mills memorial service conducted in Putnam. Six years later, Arthur Warren Mills was initiated as a national honorary member in 2004 during a weekend of Founders Day events at Boston Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts, in recognition of his support of Fraternity leaders in their research of the Fraternity's history. In addition, a great-great-grandson, Eric Mills, was initiated as a collegiate member by the Gamma Theta Chapter at the University of North Texas in 2008. He currently serves as Fraternity Education Officer for the chapter. Thus, the Fraternity spans five generations in the Mills family.
Quotes
"Let our friendship be marked by kind words, kind deeds, and lasting cooperation in our common work; and, remembering that our inspiration is from on High, from the God of all creatures, we should ever be constant in our humble attitude to this great source. Let our sincerity be manifest to all. Hypocrisy should be unknown to us, and a solicitude for our fellows should dominate our every word and action. Then our nobility will shine forth in our characters..." (The President's Message, 1902)
"I assure you that we men, all of us, need, perhaps more than we think, to withdraw from the active, noisy, materialistic rush of the world, not to mention the sensuous, intoxicating, social pleasures of life that minister only to the flesh, and in peaceful quiet meditate upon and consider together some of the deep things of life, listen to the voice of the Eternal and be taught by the infinite spirit of truth." (Greetings and other things from Father Mills, 1909)
"One of the most beautiful spectacles is to see men mutually interested in each other, so much so, that like 'David and Jonathan' they are ready to sacrifice, even to the laying down of their lives, for their brothers..." (Sinfonia-Yesterday, 1910)
"So, let us, you and I, for the sake of our brother man, individually strive by example and influence to lift the standard of thought and conduct from the low level of selfishness and self-indulgence up to the lofty realms of aspirational thought and self-denial." (What are the Possibilities of Sinfonia: Optimism Runs High in Phi Mu Alpha, 1912)
Legacy
The National Philanthropy of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia continues to be known as the Mills Music Mission, named for Ossian Everett Mills. In 1886, Mills originated the practice of taking a group of New England Conservatory students to perform for patients in Boston hospitals on Christmas and Easter. The students would sing, play music and give recitations. The students would also bring flowers to distribute to the patients. Mills' "flower missions," as they came to be known, brought joy to the lonely and hope to the destitute. The Mills Music Mission was accepted as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia's National Philanthropy in 2003. It is unique among fraternity philanthropies in that Sinfonians make a personal sacrifice to help individuals and lift spirits through music. During the week of February 11-18, 2006, almost 200 chapters and alumni associations participated in Mills Music Missions in observance of Ossian Everett Mills' 150th birthday.
The Fraternity presents the Ossian E. Mills Award to a Sinfonian who, through his leadership and dedication, has immeasurably furthered the cause of Phi Mu Alpha on a national scale and who embodies the ideasl of the Fraternity. The first recipient was former national executive director Edward A. Klint, who received the award at the 1988 national convention. Subsequent recipients have included James H. Patrenos, Henry Charles, T. Jervis Underwood, and Richard A. Crosby.
Mills' memory and contributions are commemorated annuallyby the members of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia on October 6, which is designated as the Fraternity's Founders Day. During the Fraternity's Centennial celebration in October 1998, a memorial service was held at Mills' gravesite, utilizing a format based on a ceremony used to dedicate Mills' monument which was placed in 1928. The Fraternity's Founders Day Ceremony is based on this ceremony.
Mills' writings are often used during the probationary membership process to provide instruction and insight into the philosophies and values that guided Mills and other members in the establishment of the Fraternity and to provide a framework for fulfilling the obligations of membership.