Correction: This article originally misattributed a quote to Dr. Angela Miller Gobar.

A special ceremony held Friday officially renamed Johnson Street in honor of the late Rev. Robert L. Miller, a minister, educator, Civil Rights activist and community leader in Vicksburg.

“It is both my honor and privilege to stand before you today as we gather to pay tribute to a remarkable man, the late Rev. R.L. Miller,” Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said during Friday’s ceremony at Holly Grove M.B. Church, where Miller served. “As we rename the street in its honor, we recognize that this isn’t just about placing a name on a sign. It’s about honoring a life of purpose, leadership, and impact. It is about making sure that future generations know the kind of man Rev. Miller was: committed to his values and dedicated to his community.”

Miller was born April 4, 1926, in Vicksburg and dedicated his life to uplifting the community through faith, education and service, Flaggs said. Miller earned his high school diploma in 1948 after serving in the United States Army in World War II. Flaggs said Miller’s dedication to his community was evident through his decades of ministry and his longstanding service at Holly Grove M.B. Church. He also became a consistent voice for Civil Rights and social justice.

Miller’s widow, Elease Miller, said life with her husband was meaningful, but also enjoyable.

“Baby, it was a roller coaster,” she said. “I never in my life thought that I would go to the places, meet as many people, shake as many hands as I did after being his wife. I did not know what I was getting into. But I don’t regret a minute now. Not a minute. Because the one thing that I do know from my heart, is he did everything in his life that he wanted to do and get done.”