Robert Demorest Miller, professor emeritus of soil science, former dean of the faculty at Cornell and a "founding father" of soil physics who helped the administration achieve a peaceful resolution to the 1969 Cornell crisis involving the student takeover of Willard Straight Hall, died April 11 in Ithaca at the age of 91.

Miller authored many articles and chapters for books in the field of soil physics. He was most proud of his work concerning the movement of water in frozen soils. In 1973, he was invited to Soviet Russia's Siberia to attend the Second Permafrost Institute. In 1982, he was asked by the Soviet government to give a series of lectures at the University of Moscow. While there, he was given a personal tour of Lenin's office and apartment in the Kremlin, places that were considered shrines and few Russians were permitted to see.

Born Sept. 25, 1919, Miller grew up in Columbia, Mo., where, he used to say, he was the first employee of Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, because he carried a newspaper route for Walton in Columbia. He earned a B.S. from the University of Missouri in 1940, an M.S. from the University of Nebraska in 1941 and his Ph.D. in the field of soil science from Cornell in 1948. During 1944-45, he served as an air traffic and air defense controller in the Pacific in the Army Air Corps. On Aug. 28, 1945, he was a member of a small advance party sent to Atsugi Air Base near Tokyo to prepare for the major American landings beginning the occupation of Japan. Shortly after landing, he raised the first American flag over Japan, on the radio mast of a C-47, two days before American combat troops began the actual armed occupation. The flag is now on display at the D-Day Museum in New Orleans. He wrote about his wartime experiences in the book "Descent From Niitaka, 1941-1945: First Flag Over Japan" (Bullbrier Press).

After the war, he worked at the University of California-Berkeley, returning to Cornell in 1952 and later becoming a full professor of soil physics. He remained at Cornell until his retirement in 1987.

From 1964 to 1965, he served as assistant to the provost at Cornell, at that time Dale Corson. From 1967-1971, he was dean of the faculty and helped then-President James T. Perkins through the 1969 Cornell crisis when Willard Straight Hall was taken over by students.

Miller also was a consultant on the Alaska gas pipeline through the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab.

Miller was predeceased by his wife Beulah "Buty" Wilson Cooper; he is survived by his three daughters, a sister and brother and their families.

The date and location of a memorial will be announced at a later date.