Maxine Miller Legacy Fund to Raise $10k in Celebration of Famed Proprietor's 100th Birthday

Photo Submitted

Maxine Miller at her taproom.

After it became the most successful FundRazor campaign in U of A history in 2023, the Maxine Miller Legacy Fund in gender studies is back at it again, campaigning for a second year to grow its endowment through the FundRazor platform! The campaign hopes to raise $10,000 for student research support, conference travel and scholarships in May in celebration of Miller's 100th birthday and the bar's 74th anniversary. 

"We are extremely grateful for the tremendous groundswell of public support for the Maxine Miller Legacy Fund and for the individual and corporate donors who have prioritized this avenue for students at the University of Arkansas. We're excited to expand the endowment; honor a groundbreaking local business owner, Maxine Miller; and attract and retain outstanding students. Now, more than ever, students need this kind of community support for research projects and professionalization opportunities," said Lisa Corrigan, director of the gender studies program.

As a 24-year-old single woman in 1950, Miller opened Maxine's Tap Room with borrowed money from her parents. Her business proved an immediate success, and Miller paid the loan back within a year. A shrewd businesswoman and beloved character, she was present at the tap room every day from open to close and expected proper behavior in her establishment. Patrons fondly remember Miller's famous last call, "May I have your attention, please? You have 10 minutes to drink and get the hell outta here!"

The Maxine Miller Legacy Fund was established through a partnership with Andrea Foren, Miller's great-niece and current owner, who took over the bar when Miller passed away, along with Corrigan and Hannah Withers, the current Maxine's Tap Room caretaker. The fund reached endowment in December due to the incredible support of community members and corporate sponsors and garnered over 375 individual gifts, the most obtained by a single crowdfunding project in university history.

"The Maxine Miller Legacy Fund continues to flourish, a testament to her unwavering dedication. It warms my heart to witness the profound impact Maxine's love for the university has on students today, with the assurance that her spirit will continue to inspire future generations," Foren says.

"It's an honor for us to preserve the memory of a woman in small business, who was a cornerstone in our community for decades. I think she'd have been thrilled to be remembered at an institution that she supported for so long," Withers says. "The tap room continues to be an example in the hospitality industry of inclusiveness and care for patrons, staff and the community."

Those wishing to help support the Maxine Miller Legacy Fund in this phase of the campaign can donate here:

https://fundrazor.uark.edu/project/42196