Memorial service to be held Dec. 3 for College of Education alumna,
renown counseling educator,
Nancy M. Pinson-Millburn

Nancy Pinson-Millburn

COLLEGE PARK, MD (December 2005) - A memorial service celebrating the life of Nancy M. Pinson-Millburn, 78, a nationally known counseling executive and consultant, will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005, at the Memorial Chapel on the University of Maryland campus. A reception will follow from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Charles Carroll Room, Stamp Student Union (free parking available in Lot AA or Lot Z). Family, friends and well-wishers are invited to share in this time of remembrance of a dear friend, colleague and alumna of the College of Education.

Pinson-Millburn died of cancer-related complications on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2005, at the Kline Hospice House, in Mount Airy, Md.

Before retiring in 1994, Pinson-Millburn served as senior consultant to the Center of Human Services Development at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she worked to recognize and support the growing number of grandparents and other kinship care givers nationwide who are raising their grandchildren, due to parental failure, neglect, or illness. Previously, she served for seven years as Assistant Executive Director of the American Counseling Association in Alexandria, Va., the largest counseling society in the world, where she was responsible for eight professional departments. She remained active in both capacities until her death and continued to volunteer her services.

Earlier in her career, Pinson-Millburn worked for the State of Maryland in Vocational Guidance and Research, training counselors and educators in the state's 24 school systems. Following her 11-year tenure in state government, she worked at the University of Maryland, where she was program director for all U.S. Region III rehabilitation training programs. She held principal responsibility for a major national study of blindness and visual services, with emphasis on affected residents in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The study's findings and related reports are still being utilized as baselines for current research with these populations.

Pinson-Millburn co-authored and edited eight books and numerous journal articles on counseling, supervision, and career development. She traveled extensively and was active internationally as a spokesperson for responsible and ethical counseling practice. Her advocacy for policy supporting underserved populations led to national legislation assuring the inclusion of counseling services in many federally-funded educational programs. Among the commendations she received were eight awards from her professional colleagues, citations from the U. S. Department of Education, the Public Broadcasting System, Pi Lambda Theta, Who's Who in the East , and the Institute for Educational Leadership. She was a national board-certified counselor with State of Maryland licensure, a member of the American Psychological Association, the American Counseling Association, the National Mental Health Association, and on the editorial boards of three American counseling journals and one international journal based in the Netherlands.

A resident of Frederick, Md., and Venice, Fla., Pinson-Millburn was born in Newtonville, Mass. She earned her master's and doctorate of philosophy in counseling from the University of Maryland College of Education in 1970 and 1977, respectively. Pinson-Millburn deeply appreciated the role of education and valued it as a lifelong pursuit. Naturally creative, she was an artist and painter, taught modern dance as a young woman, loved reading, movies and music, and was an avid swimmer and diver - once featured on an old-time newsreel film.

Her warm and generous spirit led to lifelong relationships that she nurtured with friends, colleagues and neighbors. A devoted mother and doting grandparent, she enjoyed engaging conversations on topics that she supported and challenged. A dedicated volunteer with local school boards and citizen groups, she was an active member over the years of several churches in Frederick, including the Grace United Church of Christ.

Survivors include her beloved husband of 24 years; George P. Millburn, her three adult children, Mark Pinson, Potomac, Md., Douglas Pinson, Weyer's Cave, Va., and Lori Pinson, Arnold, Md.; two half-brothers, Bruce and Brian Fitzpatrick of North Weymouth, Ma; two step-children, Meg Rowland, Boulder, Colo., and George P. Millburn, Jr., Orange, Calif.; and six grandchildren. Her first marriage to the late David C. Pinson, formerly of Boone, N.C., ended in divorce. She was preceded in death by her sister, Joan Bram, of Washington, N.C., in 1996.

The family has established the Nancy M. Pinson-Millburn Memorial Scholarship in Counselor Education to honor her legacy as a leading counselor education advocate. Contributions to this fund will be accepted by the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc., on behalf of the College of Education. Should contributions be sufficient, the College of Education, in consultation with the family, may endow the Nancy M. Pinson-Millburn Memorial Scholarship in Counselor Education at a later date.

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