Dave Millet, founding director of the Eastern Washington University’s Veterans Resource Center (VRC), received a heartfelt send-off during a “Hail and Farewell” retirement celebration held on Aug. 26.
During the event, which featured a packed house of colleagues, family and friends, EWU alumnus Bill Cross announced that the lounge inside the VRC has been named in Millet’s honor and that an endowed scholarship has also been established in his name.
A generous naming gift from Bill and Connie Cross created two endowed funds: the Dave Millet Veterans Lounge Fund, which provides funds for activities within the lounge, and the Dave Millet Veterans Scholarship, which supports scholarships for student veterans
The couple even traveled from their hometown of Newburgh, Indiana, to surprise Millet in person and wish him well in retirement.
“[Dave] is a great guy,” Bill Cross said. “He is fun to talk to, very knowledgeable, loves the military and loves veterans.”
Visibly moved, Millet said he was mentally preparing for retirement, but that the gift announcement took him totally by surprise. “I was doing really well emotionally until Bill and Connie Cross popped that one on me – because this is something that is going to last a lifetime,” he said. “My name will be here forever, which is pretty scary.”
Millet’s legacy includes his diligent work to establish the VRC and other resources to support military-connected students. He collaborated across campus to create the “Got Your 6” program to help faculty, staff and community partners understand the challenges veterans face as students, and how to help them succeed. The support Millet and his team put in place was instrumental in EWU receiving a College of Distinction for Military Support for 2025-2026.
At the celebration of his retirement, ROTC students, alumni, faculty, staff, friends, and family – including Millet’s wife, Trudy, and their children and grandchildren – packed into the Dave Millet Veterans Lounge and an adjacent hallway.
The event also welcomed Anthony Whipple as the new VRC director. Whipple waved to the crowd but let the spotlight remain on Millet.
Lena Tanguay, Millet’s second in command and a military veteran of 26 years, praised him as “one of the best leaders” she has ever worked with. Millet, in turn, gave Tanguay an EWU challenge coin, crediting her with helping countless VRC students earn their diplomas.
President Shari McMahan praised Millet for creating a sense of belonging. “There are always people in here getting the love that they need to thrive. And you have created a thriving culture for our students and our military families,” she said.
Dean of Students Sam Armstrong Ash, Millet’s supervisor, spearheaded the event planning and managed to keep the gift a secret. During her remarks, she said Millet “is beloved on this campus and is going to be truly missed.”
The Crosses met while attending Eastern back in the 1960s. Bill participated in ROTC while earning a bachelor’s degree in biology, in 1966. At the urging of one of his biology professors, Marion Bacon, Bill continued on to graduate school, where, at the University of Montana, he earned a master’s degree and, later, a doctorate. As an active-duty officer, Bill served at the Army Materials & Mechanics Research Center, where he worked as a researcher in their Macromolecular Characterization Laboratory until 1973.
Following the completion of his service, Bill began a civilian career that culminated in his role as vice president of global quality assurance at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Connie earned an education degree, also graduating in1966, and then went on to make her own positive impact as an early childhood educator.
Wanting to give back, the couple, now retired, created an EWU scholarship to honor Professor Bacon and his wife, Roma, and later contributed funds used by EWU to acquire microbiology lab equipment.
The gift to name the Dave Millet Veterans Lounge, though, comes full circle as the couple made a gift, in 2012, to help launch the Veterans Resource Center.
Bill Cross and Millet, who is also a U.S. Army veteran, have a “really solid” relationship, talking over the years about the work being done for military-connected students at EWU. “I’m very happy with what he has done, and I just wish him a lot of success in the future,” Bill said.
Millet, who joined EWU’s staff in 2009 after a quarter century in the military, wrapped up the event by expressing gratitude for his Eastern experience.
“I love this place,” Millet said. “Transitioning out of the Army here was probably the best thing for me. It kept me grounded.”
**If you would like to make a gift to honor Dave Millet and/or support our military connected students, please use these links to the Dave Millet Veterans Lounge Fund and the Dave Millet Veterans Scholarship. To learn more about opportunities to create a legacy through naming or scholarships, please contact Courtney Gray at cgray37@ewu.edu or call 509.559.2082.
Photo Highlights
Aaron Weer contributed photos to this story.
