John Miller, Jr. oral history interview 3, 2011 September 26

In this interview John Miller, Jr., Superintendent of Green Acres Rest Home in Charlotte, North Carolina, from 1961 to 1982 continues to recount his experiences administering Green Acres. He discusses its transition from public to private control, government funding and regulations, and the process of integrating the originally separate black and white facilities. He recalls caring for the residents by providing activities and conscientiously assigning roommates and explains how clothes and barber services were made available for the residents to purchase. Other topics covered include a local eugenics program run by the Welfare Department, the home’s involvement with care for mentally ill individuals, supply of pharmaceuticals to the home, death of residents, expansion of staff, and shifts in the home’s population over the years. Mr. Miller also discusses development of land around the home’s property, speculates about the gravesites now located on UNC Charlotte’s campus, explains how he retired from Green Acres, and reveals how he handles his unique perspective as a former rest-home operator having become a retirement home resident himself. He concludes the interview discussing the association he began for rest home operators in North Carolina.