Mark McCormick Miller grew up near Washington, D.C. in a family heavily involved in raising Arabian horses, politics, and the newspaper industry. After graduating from Rollins College, Mark worked as a newspaper reporter in several locations, including Chicago, where he reported for the Chicago Tribune, which had been run for decades by his great uncle, Colonel Robert McCormick. He moved to Ocala horse farm country in the mid seventies and bred and showed Arabian horses for several years. In 1988, he opened the horse themed Arabian Nights Dinner Theatre attraction, which presented daily performances for over 20 years, delighting millions of tourists and locals alike. During this time he also managed the Al Marah herd, the oldest privately owned herd of Arabians in the world. Mark continues to breed and show horses.
Mark has long been involved in literacy efforts, having founded the Black Stallion Literacy Foundation in 1999. Serving as Chairman during its 16 years of operation, the Foundation distributed books to thousands of young readers, both locally and across the United States. Mark has also served as board member and Chairman of Heavenly Hooves, Inc., now known as McCormick Research Institute, a local not for profit serving the disabled with equine assisted therapy; the Greater Orlando Human Trafficking Task force, a 501c3 fighting human trafficking; and Michael’s Foundation, an organization serving veterans with post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, together with their families. Independent evaluation of Michael’s Foundation programs have ranked them best in class for PTSD and TBI recovery. Mark has received many civic and professional awards, including the Chairman’s Award from the Osceola County Commission.
Mark has been a supporter of RCF since its inception, and is pleased to offer his broad experience and expertise. When asked why he supports RCF’s vision, he states “Statistics show that if you can’t read, your chances of success are greatly diminished. RCF’s promotion of Orton Gillingham training as the best method for teaching everyone, not just struggling readers, to read is making a huge difference in the lives of thousands of our fellow Central Floridians. The soon to be offered on line instruction course has the potential to greatly improve reading education not just locally, but across the nation and around the world.
