Bob McMillin, a former 17-year Pacific Palisades resident and 1975 Citizen of the Year, died peacefully in his sleep on July 25 at the age of 88. ”He was born on May 21, 1918 in Norfolk, Virginia, and grew up in Big Springs in the hills of West Virginia. He and his wife, Gena, moved to the Palisades in 1968, and it wasn’t long before Bob made his presence felt in a big way. ”Bob was president of the committee that raised more than $70,000 for the purchase, landscaping and maintenance of the Village Green in 1972-1973 and led a campaign to raise another $10,000 in 1975 to landscape the additional 3,000 square feet of land made possible by closing one lane on Antioch. ”A past president of the Civic League and president of the Chamber of Commerce, Bob was also instrumental in forming the Community Council in 1973. ”’At that time a lot of organizations were doing different things, and some of them were pulling against each other,’ he told the Palisadian-Post in 1997. ‘I got together with Bob Abernethy and we agreed that it might be a good idea to bring all the organizations together to form one voice that could talk to the city about our needs.’ ”When he learned that he had been chosen Citizen of the Year, Bob was at a loss for words. ‘I didn’t know what to say,’ he confessed. ‘That was a memorable occasion right there. I knew I’d done a lot, but there were a lot of people ahead of me. The ceremony was also very memorable. There was a large turnout; my wife was there along with our two daughters and their husbands and our six grandchildren. My boss at the telephone company (GTE), and his boss, were also there.’ ”McMillan was also one of 12 Palisadians to receive a Golden Sparkplug Award in the inaugural class of 1974. ”’Bob was extremely community service oriented,’ said his friend Wally Miller, an equally active Palisadian and fellow golfer. ‘He was one of those rare people’a leader who could bring people together. He also had a trait I always admired that I didn’t have: he was a great fundraiser. We fought a lot of good battles together.’ ”In 1985, Bob and Gena relocated to Rancho Bernardo, where Bob quickly got involved in the local community council and forming the Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation (which provides funding for such groups as Neighborhood Watch, the Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol and the Emergency Preparedness Program). He was also a board member of the Rancho Bernardo High School Foundation and an active member of the Kiwanis Club. ”Though the McMillans had moved south with the intention to retire, they became busy residents in their new community. Bob helped save a duck pond at a local park and also helped get stop signs installed up and down a mile-long street, after a serious accident occurred. He also helped get a permanent police substation in the area and organized a senior citizens patrol. ”After Gena passed away six years ago, Bob continued to be involved in the Kiwanis Club. He also enjoyed playing golf, an activity he once referred to as ‘the love of my life other than my wife.’ He was admired, respected and loved by his family, friends and community. ”In addition to Gena, his wife of 60 years, Bob was preceded in death by his daughter Barbara Perreiah 10 years ago. His surviving daughter, Virginia Edwards, lives in Fountain Valley. He has six grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson.
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