F&M Stories
[Video] Thinkers, Doers, Diplomats: Maj. Gen. Richard P. Mills ’72 on the Spirit of Service
A graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, Maj. Gen. Richard P. Mills ’72 earned a BA in political science with a minor in history. He was commissioned in 1975 and spent more than three decades leading the Marines at every level, culminating in command of multinational forces in Afghanistan. For Mills, F&M was the impetus for a lifelong journey of learning and discovery. As he watches today’s Diplomats walking the same paths he once did, Mills sees a familiar pilgrimage toward a future of influential leadership and engaged citizenship.
Mills was recently welcomed back to campus for F&M’s new Leadership Lunch and Learn Series. A collaboration between F&M Athletics and the Office of Leadership Education, this series invites accomplished alumni and friends of the College to campus for conversations about leadership in practice, strengthening the enduring connection between all generations of Diplomats.
C. Ben Mills, Esq. was a 1943 graduate of F&M and a parent of Lt. Gen. Richard P.
Mills '72. During his World War II service as a US Navy reserve officer, he was one
of many alumni and students who corresponded with F&M President Theodore A. Distler.
A collection of those dispatches in the F&M Archives became known as the "Dear Prexy"
letters. Addison Pumphrey, a major gifts officer at F&M, met with Lt. Gen. Mills in
2024 to deliver a copy of one of his father's letters to President Distler. In the
letter, Ben Mills described the experience of storming the beaches at Normandy several
months prior during D-Day. In 1994 while still serving in active duty, Lt. Gen. Mills'
unit had the honor of supporting the 50th D-Day observance, and his father accompanied
him on his military transport to France.A Family Legacy of Leadership
Related Articles
September 18, 2026
Lessons in Leadership: Entrepreneur Lynn Greenberg ’14
Lynn Greenberg ’14, founder and CEO of Pivt Enterprise, recently returned to F&M to share wisdom and kick off a lecture series at F&M presented by The Mehlman Leadership & Performance Institute. “F&M is the perfect place to lead you into entrepreneurship,” she said.
September 10, 2026
‘I Wanted to Learn More”: From a Campus Connection to Career Opportunity
For Gonzalo Gentou Arbizu ’26, a brief introduction to a fellow Franklin & Marshall College Diplomat grew into months of conversations about travel, career possibilities, and life after college. Now it has led to his first full-time job.
September 8, 2026
Lancaster Internship Shapes Pre-Law Path
Molly DeBrandt ’28 transformed academic curiosity into career conviction. As an intern with the Office of the Public Defender of Lancaster County, she stepped directly into the daily realities of public defense and discovered a passion for law. “I now intend to apply to law school following my graduation from F&M,” she said.