The Miller Memorial Lecture was created to honor Dave Miller, a pivotal figure in the early years of the industrial labor movement in the 1920s and 1930s. 

Born in Dundee, Scotland, Dave Miller was a child laborer in a textile mill before becoming a leader of the textile workers union in Scotland and England and a war resister.  After World War I, he immigrated to the United States and found work at the Ford Highland Park and River Rouge plants in the 1920s. His efforts to improve social conditions at Ford led him to organize the Auto Workers Union (AWU) and later the United Auto Workers. Along with Walter Reuther, Dave Miller co-founded the Amalgamated UAW Local 174, which represented auto workers on Detroit's West Side. He also saw action in UAW organizing campaigns including the Flint Sit-Down Strike and the Battle of the Overpass. Later in his career, Miller led UAW Cadillac Local 22. After retirement, Miller became head of the UAW Retired Workers Council and a founding member of the National Council of Senior Citizens. Miller's legacy lies in his commitment to improving workers' lives, both in the workplace and in retirement.