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Elizabeth Miller Mother of the Year

By Dave Roffman

APRIL 30th 2008

Photo: Elizabeth Miller with Daughter Annabelle and Son Sam - photo by Paul Simkin

“A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take” – Cardinal Mermillod

We have no idea who Cardinal Mermillod is or was, but we do know that Georgetowner Elizabeth Miller is seemingly irreplaceable, and is therefore our duly-designated Mother of the Year for 2008.

This is a major departure from years past when we saluted many mothers from the Village on our May cover. We decided to narrow it down this year because after five years of photographing all the moms of Georgetown, we have pretty much emptied the vault. And it is so much easier to select just one mom at a time.

It’s important to remember there is no prescription for being a good mother. There is no fool-proof formula for being a successful parent. One is not necessarily a better mother for staying at home, nor a better mother for having a career. We chose Elizabeth Miller because she combines both delicately and successfully. And does great things for the community as well.

Elizabeth was born and raised in Davenport, Iowa and came to DC to change the world. She worked on Capitol Hill for nearly 10 years – her last job was as Director of Special Events for then-Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt (whom she adores).

After she was married (10 years ago) to “the only person who would ever put up with me” – she and her husband moved to Georgetown where they have lived in three homes (at different times naturally) within a two block radius of each other on the west side of Georgetown.

Elizabeth started the Concerts in the Parks series 6 years ago when she saw a need for more young, family-oriented events in Georgetown – it started with her and 45 people she could convince to come – and has grown beyond her wildest expectations.

Today, Elizabeth has two children (Sam, 7 and Annabelle, 2) and the world’s best long-haired dachshund (Charlie, 8). Her son attends Hyde Elementary School in Georgetown, where Elizabeth naturally has been involved in the school since her son entered kindergarten - serving as the co-chair of Hyde’s 100th anniversary gala last fall at Tudor Place and helping put together the commemorative DVD about the school.

Upclose & Personal

– Elizabeth loves to dance and vacation and laugh with friends.
– Her favorite movie is the “Sound of Music” and she’s had a very long and tortured crush on Captain Von Trapp.
– Her favorite artist is Richard Serra.
– Her favorite flower is the peony.
– Her favorite place to have a drink in Georgetown is the new L2Lounge.
– The last song she downloaded on her i-pod was the new Justin Timberlake/Madonna song.
– She loves the Sunday New York Times Style section.
– The last book she read was “The Dud Avocado,” which made her want to move to Paris.
– She admists to drinking too much coffee and wine.
– And her  motto is:  Unless you’re going to do it 100% - don’t bother....

A New Book

Elizabeth and Hyde School are celebrating the release of their new book: “Hyde -- A Centennial Celebration -- 1907-2007” at a party next Friday, May 2 from 5-7pm at St. John’s Parish Hall.

The book tells the story of Georgetown and the land that eventually became Hyde, the two historic public schools that preceded it on the same lot, and how the school developed and changed over the past hundred years. Hyde is the last remaining public elementary school of the original dozen that once flourished in Georgetown. Hugh Newell Jacobsen wrote a piece on the building’s architecture; Hyde is the only school to be built by Washington architect Arthur Heaton. There are plenty of anecdotes and stories from alumnae, parents and former staff from the 1920s onward, some of whom are familiar names locally as well as nationwide. This is the first time the story of our historic school has even been told. We think it will be interesting reading for school and community members alike.