The Woodward Alumni Hall of Fame Association
Tammy Miller Inducted 2010 - Class of 1977
As a young child, Tammy would sit on her parents' porch on East Manhattan Boulevard with her neighborhood friends watching the cars and trucks hurrying to some unknown but important destination. It was then, at an early age, that she realized that it wasn’t the destination that was important, it was the journey. Tammy always said that the fondest memories she has of Woodward High School are her friends. "I was very blessed in school to be involved with a great group of friends. We laughed and cried; shared good times and bad, but I will always cherish such wonderful times," Tammy comments.
Tammy freely credits her teachers at Woodward for having a profound impact on her life, especially Mrs. Gainey, Mrs. Perruchon, and Mr. Taylor. "Mrs. Gainey was one of the best teachers I had in my high school career at Woodward, she relates." Although Tammy always wondered about the need for diagramming sentences, she credits Mrs. Perruchon with having a great influence over her writing skills. Mr. Taylor made the science experiments come alive and gave Tammy the gift of
curiosity in life. That is, questioning everything, not from a negative point of view, but from an angle of discovery.
With her Woodward education providing the platform for future endeavors, Tammy enrolled at Pennsylvania State University, earning both Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Speech Communication.
Tammy's mother, Ruth Miller [Class of 1956], who is also her humor coach, wrote on her nomination form, "When I look at the outstanding accomplishments for Tammy, there are many that come to mind. First, Tammy is a cancer survivor-many people are-but when Tammy was diagnosed, she started writing a book about her experience that included clown noses, rubber chickens, kazoos, and a humor team. Her book, The Lighter Side of Breast Cancer Recovery, is now used by doctors to help new patients understand the great value of a positive attitude when dealing with a challenge such as a cancer diagnosis. Tammy now travels and speaks to international audiences, offering hope to cancer patients. She is a requested speaker here in Toledo, speaking at the large Susan Komen breakfast for the past two years and most recently, at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center for a survivors‘ breakfast."
Tammy is currently a member of Toastmasters International, previously serving as International Director, where she was a working ambassador for a world-wide communication and leadership program. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Community College of Allegheny County, a Consultant for the Human Resource Development Center of Penn State University, and a Corporate Trainer and Program Coordinator for the Penn State University Applied Research Laboratory. As a Motivational Speaker and Speech Coach for her company, Hugz & Company Consulting, Tammy has conducted over 500 presentations for a variety of organizations. She is the author of four publications and is a contributing columnist to national and international newsletters and magazines.
Tammy is an active contributor in community service projects and organizations. By teaching people how to communicate more effectively and helping to build community leaders, Tammy has helped shape lives around the world. Tammy says that she has the best job in the entire world - "I get paid to talk."
Tammy is the very proud mother of daughters Tiffany and Lacey Earnest, both graduates of Penn State University.