Chip Miller

Elliott S. "Chip" Miller was a founding partner of Carlisle Events with his-long time friend and business associate Bill Miller Jr. Chip was born in Abington, Pennsylvania on Oct. 27, 1942 and graduated from Jenkintown High School. Miller earned his Associates Degree in Mechanical Power Technology from the State University of New York at Farmingdale in Long Island.

Miller claimed that his interest in automobiles began as a child when he saw a magazine in a gutter with a custom car on the cover. He became fascinated with the Corvette after seeing an ad for a new 1957 model inside. Since then he was hooked, so much so that his first job out of college was at an auto body shop where he learned to restore classic cars. Chip owned hundreds of cars, including more than 80 Corvettes throughout his life. His first Corvette was a 1960 model, which fittingly enough, he restored. Additionally, Chip was very interested in racing, especially vintage Corvettes.

Between 1962 and 1966 Miller worked at a conveyor company in his hometown of Jenkintown and also was in the military, spending ten months on active duty and another six years in the reserves.

Following his stint in the military, Miller was hired by another conveyor company, Rapistan, for what he described as his "second real job." After three months of training in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Miller moved to York, PA in 1966. That year turned out to be a busy one for Miller as he also married his high school sweetheart, the former Judy Lachman.

As Miller's familiarity with Central PA grew so did his love for cars. After being asked to remove his 1954 Corvette from a 1973 show in Hershey because it was deemed to be "not old enough," Chip and Bill Miller started their own automotive event. In the fall of 1974 at the Carlisle Fairgrounds, "Post War 74" was born. This show featured no restrictions as to what you could show or sell. The Millers were able to get not only the later model hobbyist, but also everyone who liked cars to come too. That successful fall day in 1974 has grown to 12 automotive events. Each year, more than half a million people come to events at the Carlisle Fairgrounds.

Miller designed and sold conveyors until 1981 when he and Bill Miller bought the Carlisle Fairgrounds. At that point, work and play became a full-time job. Miller left the conveyor business to focus his energy on producing shows at Carlisle along with his partner Bill.

Not long after closing the deal for the fairgrounds property, the Millers introduced the mid-state to the power and passion of the Corvette and its enthusiasts with Corvettes at Carlisle. This show, a favorite of Chip's, is the largest attended specialty show produced by Carlisle Events.

Miller was a member of the Antique Automobile Club of America, Shelby Owners Club and more than a dozen Corvette clubs, including the YCCC, LCCC, CCWP, NCCC, NCRS and C-5 Registry.

Chip Miller's excitement and passion for the automotive industry suffered a major setback in December of 2003. Following repeated instances of fatigue, Miller met with doctors and was eventually diagnosed with Primary Amyloidosis, a rare plasma cell disorder which attacks the body's main organs. This disorder affects about 2,000 people worldwide annually and to this day is incurable.

Aggressive treatment was planned for Chip which included a stem cell transplant. On March 3, 2004 Miller arrived at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to begin his road to recovery. Unfortunately, not long after his arrival, he was diagnosed with blood clots in his arm and heart. He underwent surgery to remove the blood clot in his arm and the doctors chose to treat the blood clot in his heart through drug treatment. Because of this set back, the stem cell transplant was delayed until the clot in his heart dissolved.

Complications from steroid treatment resulted in Chip being readmitted to the hospital on March 17th and the doctors were forced to rule out the stem cell therapy out of concern for his ability to handle the treatment. With recovery options limited, the Miller family intended to bring Chip home where he would receive hospice care. Sadly, Chip's health deteriorated and he was not able leave the Mayo Clinic. Chip Miller died in the early morning hours of March 25, 2004 at the age of 61.

Though his voice for the automotive industry was silenced that Thursday morning in eastern Minnesota, his passion and legacy live on through the Chip Miller Charitable Foundation (www.chipmiller.org). In addition to the foundation, Miller's son Lance has assumed an ownership role with Carlisle Events and continues to evoke the values, drive and determination of his father.

Lance Miller

Lance Miller, Co-Owner and Partner of Carlisle Events, is a second generation promoter of one of the world's largest collector car, truck, and motorcycle destinations in the world. Named after the historic town in South Central Pennsylvania, Carlisle has become a rite of passage for generations of automotive enthusiasts.

Carlisle Events was one of the first companies in the United States organized specifically to conduct and promote events for the collector car and truck hobby. Started in 1974 by Bill Miller Jr. and his late father, Elliot "Chip" Miller, Carlisle Events has grown from two automotive swap meet events to currently hosting ten automotive events, two collector car auctions, and maintaining a 102-acre facility including the 30,000 square foot Carlisle Expo Center. As an avid automotive enthusiast and visionary promoter, Lance Miller continues to carry on his father's legacy and has become a recognized leader within the Corvette community and hobby.

Born in York, Pennsylvania in 1972, Lance literally grew up at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds. He was raised in an automotive environment his entire life and Corvettes were always in his future, as his father, Chip, was and still is recognized as one of the foremost experts and leaders in the Corvette hobby. Chip, with his love of the Corvette, started Carlisle Events' first specialty car show entitled Corvettes at Carlisle in 1982. Inheriting Chip's love and passion for the automobile, Lance was destined to follow his father's footsteps.

In March 2004, Lance Miller lost his father and best friend when Elliot "Chip" Miller passed away from the little known disease called amyloidosis. Shortly after his passing, The Chip Miller Charitable Foundation was formed by his mother, Judy Miller, to help spread awareness of this disease and raise money for educational and research purposes. The goal was for earlier diagnosis to affect better treatment outcomes. Without a second thought, Lance returned to Carlisle Events to continue the work of his father as the Event Manager of Corvettes at Carlisle and now co-owner of the company.

Lance is an avid surfer and has traveled the world to places like Indonesia, Brazil, Barbados, Panama, Maldives, and Hawaii. Lance and his wife, Michele and daughter Ella "Corvette" reside in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He currently has a collection of his own totaling 10 cars, 5 of which are Corvettes. Life is good.

Michael Brown

Filmmaker Michael Brown has spent almost four decades in the industry. For five years, he was an anchor, reporter and talk show host at the Dallas ABC affiliate...the nation's 7th largest television market.

Since then, he has operated his own production company and has produced several award-winning works. The documentary 'Dust to Dust' was screened in numerous film festivals around the country and aired periodically on national cable television's Starz-Encore network.

Michael Brown Executive Produced the Oscar®-nominated documentary 'Deliver Us From Evil' in 2006.

A long-time Corvette enthusiast and collector, Michael Brown has spent the past two years working on 'The Quest', calling the story 'one of the most engaging course of events I've encountered in my career.'

Brown, and his bestselling novelist wife, Sandra Brown, make their home in Texas.

John Fitch

The legendary John Fitch will be in attendance for this one night only benefit screening of "The Quest."

John Fitch has led a life that would beggar a scriptwriter. He's been a blue-water sailor, a fighter pilot, a test pilot, a professional racing driver, a team manager, race course director, prolific inventor, highway safety expert, automaker, entrepreneur and dreamer...

http://www.racesafety.com/fitchbio.html

Kevin Mackay

Kevin officially opened Corvette Repair in 1985 renting a one bay garage out of an auto repair shop in Valley Stream, New York, he didn't know back then that there was going to be a need for high end restorations and repairs for Corvettes. He also didn't know that he had the talent that was going to be necessary to achieve award winning results.

What has happened in the 25 years for Kevin and his team is the creation of an organization with the reputation that has repaired and restored the most famous Corvettes across the country. These cars are either basic, rare, race or experimental. Some of the long list of important cars that have come through their doors are, for example: 1960 Briggs Cunningham Le Mans Racer, 1962 Yenko Gulf Oil Racer, 1966 Penske Racer & 1969 Rebel Racer (all 4 cars were either Le Mans, Daytona & Sebring class winners), Cerv II, Pininfarina Car, XP-819 Car (all 3 are 1 off experimental cars).

His awards received from the cars he has worked on are unmatched in the business whether they came from NCRS Top Flight, Bloomington Gold, Triple Diamond and numerous others.

Kevin is also famous for creations of the Driveable Chassis, Suspended Corvette, Cutaway Corvette, See-Thru-Corvette, and only he knows what he is dreaming up next. No one has created more excitement in the business than Kevin and his organization.

His Judging experience of over 25 years, as an NCRS master Judge and Bloomington Gold Benchmark Judge has been an added contribution to the success of making award winning cars.

Corvette Repair, Inc. today is the most recognized and respected Corvette repair and restoration organization in the country and for those collectors of Corvettes around the world.

Kevin currently resides in Long Island, NY with his wife Christina.

Chip Miller Charitable Foundation

The Chip Miller Charitable Foundation
CHIP MILLER was known worldwide for his resilient positive attitude, his passion for Corvettes, his tremendous personal Corvette collection and for creating the grandest Corvette event anywhere on the planet – Corvettes at Carlisle. Chip and his close friend Bill Miller founded the incredibly successful automotive event production company, Carlisle Events, held at the Carlisle Fairgrounds in Pennsylvania.

In December 2003, Chip was diagnosed with a little-known disease called Amyloidosis. Sadly, due to complications from the Amyloidosis, the world lost an incredibly special human being on March 25, 2004. Had Chip and his doctors been aware of the symptoms of the disease when they first presented, this legend might still be with us today.

AMYLOIDOSIS occurs when enough abnormal protein, called amyloid, builds up in one or more organs to cause a malfunction. As an abnormal protein, amyloid originates in bone marrow. The heart, kidneys, nervous system and gastrointestinal tract are most often affected by the disease.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS of Amyloidosis depend on the organs affected. The wide range of symptoms makes it difficult to diagnose.

THE MISSION of the Chip Miller Charitable Foundation is to empower people with the knowledge and understanding of Amyloidosis for earlier detection, ensuring a better quality of life for those afflicted with the disease and to help science find a cure.

TO LEARN MORE about Amyloidosis and to make a donation to the Chip Miller Charitable Foundation, visit our site at www.ChipMiller.org.