Philippus Miller III was a primogeniture member of The Society of the Cincinnati. He was a 1983 graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. At Cornell he was a member of Delta Chi fraternity, the Quill and Dagger Senior Honorary Society, the Cornell Glee Club, and the Hangovers singing group. Phil served as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Cornell Hotel School's Pillsbury Institute for Entrepreneurship, and secretary and former president of the Cornell Hotel Society Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Cornell Hotel School alumni association. He was greatly admired by everyone whose lives he touched and has been referred to as the consummate Cornell “Hotelie”.

He was a relentlessly energetic and positive force of nature. Phil was a loving figure who believed in the greatness of people and their abilities. That he had so many true friendships and touched so many lives is a testament to his genuine interest in helping and serving others. Blessed with smarts, sharp wit, sense of humor, great smile, and wonderful singing voice, Phil appreciated the nuances of life, always choosing to be persistently and relentlessly positive, radiating good cheer. Phil lived by a very consistent code of morality, ethics, and perfect manners and always set a standard to be admired. He was a true gentleman. The name “Phil” comes from the Greek verb meaning to love, and no one embodied this more than Phil.