Country Music Producer to Be Honored at Halftime at Homecoming Game
The Sunnyvale Alumni Association has announced that country music writer and producer T. Clark Miller has been named the 2024 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. Miller is a member of the SJH Class of 1985 and will be recognized at halftime of the homecoming game on October 25.
Miller’s remarkable journey from his roots in Sunnyvale to a prominent career in Nashville’s country music industry is one of inspiration, community involvement, and deep respect for the school that helped shape him.
“T.Clark Miller is a perfect example of a Sunnyvale Raider who has not simply distinguished himself as an alumnus, but given back to the school he loves,” Sunnyvale alumnus Emily White (SJH ‘89) said. “As a country music personality and producer, he has shown the world his talents and charisma — something of which his Raider peers and teachers can all be proud. And his loyalty to Sunnyvale has always been evident.”
Miller’s time at Sunnyvale ISD began in the second grade in 1978, and his memories of the school remain vivid. His most important memory is one of youthful activism —a protest he organized, with the support of his parents, to express student opinions on school board decisions.
"My most profound memory and probably one of the most unique, is the year the Sunnyvale School Board were issuing faculty-related mandates that did not ‘jive’ with what the students actually wanted,” Miller said. “My parents were cool enough to help me gather some of my close friends, make homemade signs and do an old-fashioned picket line on the road in front of the school one morning. It was a simple and harmless way to let our opinions be known. Truly an American tradition!”
One of the most significant influences on Miller’s life was long-time SISD teacher, the late Karen Holland, whose passion for history and country music left a lasting mark.
"Karen Holland was a strong influence on me, as she was for MOST everyone of her thousands of students,” Miller said. “Yes, I appreciate History more because of her, but she engaged me in Country Music because she was a super-fan of Barbara Mandrell. She and I used to have parties for the Country Music Awards. Years later, I would not only attend those very awards we watched on TV– but I would also produce country award shows for radio and television– and meet Barbara Mandrell in person.”
But Ms. Holland wasn’t the only teacher who impacted Miller’s life. He still remembers many of his teachers by name: Joy and Coach Ron Hounsel, Superintendent Gwinn Blankenship or Mr. "B” as he is known to all, Town Librarian Doris Padgett, Nornita Tapp, Julie Boltz, Lujuana Wisdom, Coach Phil Power, Jane Anderson, and Catherine Rendon.
"Now in my 50s, I still carry those teachers with me daily. I never take the skills and knowledge I learned at Sunnyvale for granted," Miller said.
After graduating from college in 1993, Miller packed his bags for Nashville, where he soon found himself working in country music media. Starting as an audience warm-up host for "Music City Tonight" hosted by county music TV personalities Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase on The Nashville Network, Miller eventually became the writer and producer of the "Crook & Chase Countdown" syndicated radio show. His career brought him in contact with country music legends such as Dolly Parton and Taylor Swift. In 2018, Miller transitioned into the real estate world, establishing his own brokerage that specializes in commercial sales and management.
As an adult, Miller and his family have given back to the Sunnyvale community in significant ways, most notably through their support of the Sunnyvale FFA program.. From 2013 to 2023, Miller coordinated the Tom & Barbara Miller Ag-Centric scholarship, named after his parents, to support FFA students. This contribution was a natural extension of his upbringing, as his family raised livestock on their Sunnyvale property.
"Many of my Sunnyvale schoolmates will remember a cow or two and sheep named Phil, Jill, and Lill," Miller recalls.
For Miller, Sunnyvale is special because of its tight-knit sense of community and the pride residents take in their town.
"It’s a vibe that is difficult to explain to others," he says. I have also had the honor of observing the school as a kid in the 70’s and 80’s… as well as members of my family including nieces Jessa-Claire and Clarksyn Miller (SHS ‘18, SHS ‘23) attending through high school and having the exact same positive experience I did 30 years earlier.”
