β Scribed by Robert L. Brent
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Christian, better known as Millie to her friends and colleagues, was President of the Teratology Society during the academic year 1988 to 1989. She was more than an excellent president, for she was devoted and supportive of the society before she was elected and for many years thereafter.
Mildred Christian believed in the ''American Dream''; that is with education, perseverance, and hard work you could improve your life and the lives of your fellow Americans. Millie was a multifaceted individual. She had an intellectual passion for science, music, and women's opportunities in science, history, reading, preservation, and conservation. She was a talented organist and performed at the Old Brick Kensington Methodist Church in Philadelphia, beginning as a teenager and as a choir member since childhood. Millie organized musical performances at the church featuring prominent guest performers using the Old Brick pipe organ, and she supported the maintenance and continued upkeep of the pipe organ. She also brought opera and dance (Argentine tango) performances to the Old Brick. She was continually uplifting the environment that surrounded the people she knew and loved, and they appreciated her efforts. She had a similar enthusiasm for new communities with which she interacted, and these new communities reciprocated with love and respect.
Her love of history stemmed from her childhood in Philadelphia. Millie was an active participant with her father in the Patriotic Order Sons of America (a fraternal organization). She worked on projects to preserve Valley Forge, to promote history among school children, and to honor and respect the American flag. Millie had a particular interest in George Washington, Stephen Girard, and the Revolutionary War. Every Memorial Day and Flag Day, the walkway from the parking lot to the Argus Corporation building (Millie's company) was lined with small American flags.
Her love of reading stemmed from her love of history, and she knew that no child from a poor or uneducated family would be successful without becoming an avid reader. So she made a substantial contribution to the Girard College Children's Library in Philadelphia. (Originally a school for orphaned boys, it is now an exceptional private school focusing on underprivileged children.) Her personal bookshelves were filled with serious history books and historic novels, notably Gone with the Wind and novels on the European monarchy.
One of her bravest personal ventures and adventures occurred in 1987. She purchased an antebellum mansion built in 1834 and named Shadowlawn on Bayou Teche in Franklin, Louisiana, and she began a major preservation and restoration of the property, house, and contents. The home was involved in local house tours to promote interest in historic homes and raise money for preservation projects in the town. As Louisiana State President of the
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