The River Loses Its' Godfather

[Outdoor Talk Network by Jim Slinsky]
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The River Loses Its' Godfather ©

By Jim Slinsky
06/07/08

This will not be an easy column to write. I have been teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown for more than a week. Mr. Theodore S. Miller, 47, affectionately known as “Teddy” passed away on June 3, 2008. He was my dear friend for 14 years. He will be missed by sportsmen across this great Commonwealth.

Teddy was the Founder of the Lehigh River Stocking Association (LRSA) in 1989. Various sportsmen’s groups had stocked the Lehigh River since the 1930’s, but all of them came and went. The LRSA has not only survived, but prospered over their almost 20-year existence. They put more than a million trout in the Lehigh River and have emerged into a premier conservation organization known statewide. They sued the Army Corps of Engineers for friendly, cold water releases from the Francis Walter Dam. They proved the Lehigh can hold trout over the warm summer months. Their tagging program revealed trout are surviving for years in what was considered a warm water fishery for decades. People come from across the state and surrounding states to fish the Lehigh for trophy trout and numbers of respectable trout. Teddy was a driving force in this unprecedented effort until the time of his death. The business community along the Lehigh River from the Pocono’s to Northampton reaped the benefits of Teddy’s vision. His dream was to make the Lehigh River a trout fishery comparable to our famous rivers out West.

As the owner of Birch Creek Trout Hatchery and Birch Creek Deer Farm, Teddy was a generous man beyond compare. If you needed money he was there to help. The LRSA received countless donations from Teddy Miller in the way of fingerlings. He worked tirelessly to raise money so the Lehigh could receive substantial stockings every year.

Deer farming, his latest venture, was as successful as his trout hatchery business. Teddy was raising some of the largest, trophy bucks this state has ever seen. He developed and private labeled his own line of deer food. He was an excellent businessman. He was widely known and respected by the PA Deer Farmers Association.

Personally, I went on ten out-of-state hunting trips with Teddy Miller. We hunted from Maine to Alabama. It was always a blast. Every one of them could be considered a trip of a lifetime. We killed game together. Most often I came home with a bellyache. Teddy was hysterical, telling stories and jokes from the moment we left until the time we pulled into his or my driveway.

Teddy Miller was a good man, a compassionate man, a loveable man. His friends numbered in the thousands across this Commonwealth. The town of Walnutport is in shock at his passing. So are the many that were a part of his life. I consider myself lucky to have known him and to have shared the past fourteen years with him. He was unique, extraordinary and a true friend. His passing is a sad day for the Lehigh River, conservation and all those who knew him.

May Teddy Miller rest in peace for eternity.

Jim Slinsky is the host and producer of the “Outdoor Talk Network”, a nationally syndicated, outdoor-talk radio program. For a station near you or to contact Jim, visit his website at www.outdoortalknetwork.com.

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