A Guide to the Lucile Miller Papers, 1929-2011

Biographical Note

A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Lucile Miller began ice skating at the age of 15. After being discovered in her hometown by a traveling ice show, she began skating with the Ice Capades in July 1941. Following rehearsals in Philadelphia, Miller toured North America, including Atlantic City and several other cities in both the United States and Canada before returning to Kansas City in 1945. After leaving the Ice Capades that same year, she joined Holiday on Ice, with whom she toured from 1947 through 1948. A year later, Miller joined the Holiday on Ice production in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was during her stay in Sao Paulo that Miller began to work in an administrative capacity as the treasurer for Holiday on Ice.

In 1955, Miller ceased skating completely, working in various positions, including light cue director, assistant manager, and manager. Miller worked for Holiday on Ice until 1964, when she returned to the Ice Capades as an executive in charge of the company’s finances. In 1968, the president of Ice Capades transferred her to Hollywood, where she was appointed assistant general manager of the Chalet skating rink division. Miller managed the construction of Chalet skating rinks in the United States and South Africa. After leaving the position in 1978, she established an ice skating rink in the William Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which she managed until retiring in 1981.

Scope and Contents

Composed of correspondence, programs, photographs, publications, brochures, flyers, legal and financial documents, magazines, newspaper clippings, posters, film, LPs, and rosters, the Lucile Miller Papers, 1929-2011, chronicle Miller’s career as a professional ice skater as well as a manager of Holiday on Ice and the Ice Capades from the 1940s through the 1970s. Additionally, the collection documents her role in establishing an ice rink at the Williams Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, her interest in the career of Norwegian ice skating star Sonja Henie, and Holiday on Ice reunions.

The collection contains programs for Holiday on Ice, the Ice Capades, Ice Follies, Ice Vogues, Ice Cycles, and Skating Vanities, among other shows, concerning Miller’s interest in collecting material relating to professional ice skating. Photographs depict various programs, shows, and prominent ice skaters, as well as Miller during various phases in her life. Publications consist of books, manuals, and guides Miller collected on skating choreography and ice skaters, while magazines include issues of Ice Skating Magazine and Recreational Ice Skating; correspondence relates to her travels and familial affairs; newspaper clippings document Miller’s career as an ice skater and manager as well as other professional skaters, including Sonja Henie; brochures and flyers advertise various ice skating acts and shows; legal and financial documents consist of Miller’s contracts with ice shows as well as receipts; and rosters include the names of ice skaters, especially for Holiday on Ice reunions. Lastly, the collection contains films and LPs of various ice shows and posters from Holiday on Ice.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Use of audio material by appointment only; please contact sound archivist for more information.

Use of video material by appointment only; please contact repository for more information.

Related Material

Separated Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Lucile Miller Papers, 1929-2011, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Bethany Anderson, May 2012.

Detailed Description of the Papers