As a proud ASH alumnus, John Milliken ‘63 carries with him a lifetime of experiences that stretch from his days on campus to a career defined by leadership, learning, and giving back. His journey reflects the values that still shape ASH today—curiosity, courage, and connection. We caught up with John to hear his reflections, lessons learned, and what advice he has for the next generation of ASH graduates.

 

My family moved to The Hague in the summer of 1961 when my father took a new position with an office in the US Embassy. We moved into a home on Sportlaan and I headed off by bicycle to the school on Doornstraat, then known as the American Division of the International School of The Hague (or IHS). The school spanned grades 7-12 including my Junior class of 26 students. While a majority, a large number of students were from other countries, who were attracted to IHS because it used an American curriculum making admission to American universities more likely.

 

I had grown up in a small rural town in Virginia so that the city itself was a revelation and along with classmates many an hour was spent exploring the heart of The Hague. Everything was different and I learned to appreciate, enjoy and feel comfortable with different languages and cultures through travels with my family and through trips organized by the local non-denominational church during school holidays. Those trips usually included most of my classmates. H

 

History was my favorite subject and teacher Jerry DeWitt, who taught American History and Advanced Studies in History, started me on a path that has continued throughout my life, my law career, my time in elective office and public service, and into my retirement through writing and teaching at my local university.

 

Several people stand out: Jerry DeWitt, the History teacher mentioned above; Hank Aronson, the Principal who was the person who suggested I apply for admission to Haverford College where I started in the Fall of 1963. But most of all, Maria Aronson, the charismatic Hungarian born wife of the Principal who was the life force around whom many in the school gathered. She was the dynamic advisor/director/confessor who headed up the Drama Department and sponsored the Drama Club in which many in the Junior and Senior classes participated. There were no sports teams or other activities so the Drama Club became the social center and many of us gathered in Mrs. A’s living room most afternoons after class. We produced two plays a year and performed them at the Kurhaus.

 

After graduating from Haverford College, I came back to Virginia to go to Law School in Charlottesville and took a law job in Washing upon graduation in 1970. I spent five years in law practice followed by four years running the Congressional Office of a Congressman from Virginia. In 1980 I took a new law firm job, married, and was elected to local (part-time) office in Arlington County, a position I held for 10 years, stepping down in 1990 to take a position as Secretary of Transportation for Virginia for a newly elected Governor.

 

I returned to law practice in 1994 and for twenty years maintained parallel lives as a lawyer in DC and part-timer public service in Virginia, including 17 years as Chairman of the Virginia Port Authority. I retired from law practice in 2015 and from the Port in 2022 and now devote my time to teaching Virginia political history at George Mason University and writing.

 

The consistent thread of my life has been history and government, mostly focused on Virginia. I have traveled into every county and city in the state and worked with or for every Virginia Governor since 1980. In fairness, it can all be traced back to Jerry DeWitt and his making American history a living story.