The death of Lee Ann Miller marks a  devastating loss to Historic Northeast.

As president of the Indian Mound Neighborhood Association, she battled crime and blight with a passion. Her weapon was her telephone. She would call anyone — no matter how exalted his or her position —  to plead her case. Very often she got results.
There are blocks of new sidewalks all over the Indian Mound neighborhood obtained by Lee Ann through PIAC grants. Who knows how many derelict houses were demolished or how many criminals were locked up because she made the call. She could always be counted on to show up: She presided over not one but  two monthly neighborhood meetings, repeatedly testified at the zoning board, and relished going to court against the bad guys. Mayor Kay Barnes recognized Lee Ann’s efforts by appointing her to the steering committee of the St. John Corridor project.

But then cancer struck. The buoyant activist with the glasses and the flowing mane of dark hair became a patient who battled the deadly disease for years. What few know is that the largely homebound Lee Ann continued her crusade for a better Northeast until her death on June 29. She still had her telephone! One of her triumphs was getting the city to finally take action against an eyesore abandoned house near the James Elementary School. It took her well over a decade but she finally prevailed.

Let us always remember this wife, mom, and fervent Christian!

-Dennis Stack
Former secretary and president of the Indian Mound Neighborhood Association