Graveside services for 89-year-old Dr. Robert Louis Milam of Hopkinsville will be held Friday, January 16, at 12:00 p.m., at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West.
Visitation will be Friday from 10:00 a.m. until the service hour at Hughart, Beard & Giles Funeral Home.
A native of Shepherdsville, Kentucky he was born on June 14, 1936 the son of the late Bernie Milam and Bertha Wise Milam. He was also preceded in death by his wife, Carolyn Poindexter Milam and his son, Dr. Michael Robert Milam.
He was a member of Hillcrest Baptist Church, the Kiwanis club and was a United States Army veteran.
After earning his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Kentucky and his Ph.D. in Economics from North Carolina State University, Robert began his career in the mid-1960s at Westminster College, teaching economics and business. He later joined the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science (now Jefferson University), serving as a department chair.
In 1978, Robert became Dean of the College of Business and Public Administration at Governors State University in Illinois, serving until 1984. He then moved to the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, where he served as Dean of the College of Business from 1984 to 1995.
From 1995 to 2001, Robert was Provost and Vice Chancellor at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, including a year as Acting Chancellor. After retiring to his family farm in Kentucky, he returned to academia as Chief Academic Officer at Hopkinsville Community College from 2002 to 2005, before retiring for good.
Known for his integrity, strategic vision, and dedication to academic excellence, Robert left a lasting impact on every institution he served, truly “…one worthy of remembrance.”
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Pennyroyal Hospice, 220 Burley Avenue, Hopkinsville, Kentucky 42240.
