Tributes have been paid in Buncrana to a former Kentucky Mayor who played a pivotal role when Fruit of the Loom first came to the peninsula and “epitomised great Southern hospitality.”
Robert L Miller was the Mayor of Campbellsville, Kentucky for 33 years and passed away in February last at the age of 83.
In the late 1980s, when the McCarter family struck a deal with Union Underwear (who owned the Fruit of the Loom brand name and later became Fruit of the Loom) to invest in Buncrana, a contingent from the then Urban Council visited Campbellsville, where a company plant employing thousands was based.
Two of the group were former Mayors Dermot McLaughlin and Joe Doherty. They were hosted by Mayor Miller, who, they explained not only taught them a lot about what was needed in Buncrana but was also inspired by the town as well.
“He was a first class person and an excellent public representative,” said Mr McLaughlin, who was Mayor at the time.
“We went over to determine the role of the Town Council in relation to the fantastic work the McCarters were doing, We went to Campbellsville to see what was needed in terms of infrastructure and sewage, the impact of the company on the town etc.
“Mayor Miller accommodated us in so many ways; he gave us access to all the different departments and showed us everything we needed to know.
“We had all booked into a hotel but he was having none of it and invited us into his home. He and his late wife Bernice were very gracious people and it was an honour to meet them.
“He took us to the Green River Lake, which was similar to what the Pollan Dam is now. One of the points he emphasised to us all was that there was a very strong partnership between themselves and the community and how this was extremely important.
“His contribution explained how the council, community and company could all work together to enhance the area and create a valuable asset.”
Cllr Joe Doherty agreed and said they found despite being thousands of miles apart, the Councils had very much in common.
He said: “All the Mayors of Kentucky regularly met up and we attended this meeting. We realised that the issues they dealt with, fixing lights, footpaths – all those things you try to do to help the community, were the same as we dealt with in Buncrana. Bob Miller was very hands on with the community.”
Mayor Miller, a US Navy veteran of World War II, visited Buncrana in June 1991, after Campbellsville was twinned the town. He was hosted by Cllr Doherty, the Mayor at the time.
He described the visit as “a great honour” and shared an anecdote that represented the marked differences in climate between the two countries.
He said: “We toured Inishowen over two days and he just marvelled at it all. He was awed by Swan Park and it actually provided the inspiration for Campbellsville City Park that he set up when he went back home.
“I remember we went to Dunree and we were apologising because it was very foggy and raining but they thought it was just fantastic. They said: ‘What are you apologising for, we never see this; it’s marvellous.”
“It was a real pleasure for me to host Bob and his wife and he became a great personal friend. Along with the McCarters, his contribution to Buncrana through the role he played with Fruit of the Loom was second to none. It was a great honour to have met and worked with him and my sympathies go out to his family and the people of Campbellsville.”
His sentiments were shared by Mr McLaughlin.
He said: “I appreciate all he did for Buncrana and the fantastic way he accommodated us. They talk about great Southern hospitality but he epitomised it. I am deeply saddened by his death and my sympathies go too to his family and the people of Campbellsville.”
When he passed away, Robert Miller was described by his local newspapers as “a community icon” and “a visionary who donated countless hours of his time to make the community better.”
He was predeceased by his wife Bernice and survived his wife Jeania Judd, who he married in 2002, a son and two daughters.

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