Lt. Col. Alex Mills, Sr.

[ironputts]

May 21, 2020

Lt. Col. Alex Mills, Sr.
CAP National Headquarters

Alex Howard Mills, Sr. passed away unexpectedly Tuesday, April 14, 2020, in Concord, NC. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at a later date. He was born on February 5, 1929 in Concord, NC as the youngest child of eight and son of the late William Lee and Alice L. Mills. He was also preceded in death by his wife, Jo Ann Mills of Rome, Georgia and children, Angela Kay Gilbert and Tommie Jo Chapman, in addition to three brothers and four sisters. He attended Winecoff Elementary and Concord High, where he was quarterback of the football team, President of the Senior Class, and named "Most Likely to Succeed." Later, he attended Wake Forest as an undergraduate and graduated from Wake Forest Seminary. He was ordained as a Baptist Minister at McGill Baptist Church in Concord, and later served as Pastor for Tillery Baptist Church. Being too young for service in WWII, he joined the Civil Air Patrol as a founding member. He earned the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Civil Air Patrol and has served as C.A.P. National Chaplain. On April 26, 2015, he was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal by Congressman Barry Loudermilk of Georgia. He joined the staff of the Boy's Club of Concord as Program Director. In 1955, a new Boy's Club was built in Rome, GA where he was offered, and accepted, the position as Executive Director. Among his achievements during his 40+ years at the Boy's and Girl's Club of Rome, he served on the Boy's Clubs of America National Board of Directors and founded a choir, that from 1955 to 1989, toured 23 states in the U. S. and two Canadian provinces who performed for several Presidents in the White House.The Rome Choir was recognized by the National Organization and became known as the Boy's Club Choir. He was a member of Enon Baptist Church in Rome, GA for over 50 years where he taught Sunday School for many of those years and was a lifetime member of the Optimist Club where he was awarded Georgia Optimist of the Year. In 1997, Rome and Floyd County honored him by recognizing a day locally as "Alex Mills Day" and in 2007, he was inducted into the Rome/Floyd County Sports Hall of Fame and presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for pioneering youth athletic programs in the region. Left to cherish his memories are sons, Alex Howard Mills, Jr., Terry Lee Mills, and Gary Howard Mills; three grandchildren; and a number of nieces and nephews.