Joe Miller was most well-known for being a pioneer in implementing the bar code system in retail stores. He was born in Richmond, VA and served in the Navy during the second World War. After the war, he took a job at Thalhimer's Department Stores in Richmond where he helped to create a computer system to track inventory. Later, he took a job working for the National Retail Merchants Association(NRMA) as the director of retail standards and technology. There Miller worked on the implementation of bar code systems. Joe Miller died in April of 2003 at the age of 82.
From the guide to the Joe Miller Collection, 1960-2003, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)