Dr. Coburn was a true inspiration to me as he guided me through my education at John Carroll University as my advisor. He was the first person who told me I would actually make it into veterinary school and assisted me in proving him right. I will always remember him for that. You will be missed.

Andrew Ciccolini '06

I was fortunate to have Dr. Coburn as my thesis advisor throughout graduate school. He opened my eyes to the wonderful world of fish. I can remember going sampling for minnows with Dr. Coburn and Vinnie Hirt. It would be pouring down rain and all of us would be soaked with no fish collected. Dr. Coburn had a way to bring out your full potential. He was a great mentor, and an inspiration to all. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family. Dr. Coburn will forever be in the hearts of those who knew him and will be greatly missed.

Stacey Ward '06

I worked with Miles just this summer with Project QUE! I noticed that he was a soft spoken person and he would stop and talk with us, the camp counselors, just to see how we were dealing with the kids. A week and a half before the accident, I actually spoke to Miles in Dolan.
He was thanking me for my hard work during camp QUE and had asked me to return next year as a counselor. I'll never forget Miles, he was sooo soft spoken and had a friendly tone. He will be missed.

Janelle Thorpe '11

Dr. Coburn was my first biology teacher at JCU. He was always supportive of his students and would do anything to help them get to where they wanted to be. I couldn't have made it to grad school without his constant support and mentoring. He was also one of the few people who helped me go on a life-changing trip to Duran, Ecuador in '06. I am in complete shock and I miss him terribly. Your family will always be in my prayers Dr. Coburn.

Diane Abdalla '07

I did not know Dr. Coburn, but wish to send heartfelt sympathy to his brother, Patrick, and the Coburn family. I am so sorry for your tragic loss.

Sincerely, Carol Tolin
Case Western Reserve University

Strong men create strong families. The children of Peggy and Miles should find strength in knowing that their parents' passion to enrich the lives of others is recognized beyond the borders of the Height's community. As you each grow, know that your parents hearts will live on in each of you. Find strength in the warmth of your memories.

Deborah Delisle, Superintendent
Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District

Dr. Coburn was not only my freshman biology professor, but also my advisor during my four years at JCU.  He made my transition into college an easy one and nurtured my love of Biology. His caring way of teaching made even those non-science majors develop a love of science. He
inspired me to continue in biology, even when I was ready to give up and I continue to thank him for that today. He was certainly an asset to the JCU community and will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Elizabeth (Morris) Johnson '00

Dr. Coburn was a gentle, soft-spoken teacher that had so much love and passion for what he did at JCU. He inspired us in the classroom and will be greatly missed.

Missi Scarbro (Shimshock) '97

Dr. Coburn was my professor for Honors Intro to Bio and he was my advisor as well. I will always remember his quiet, kind voice and his sense of humor. His love of biology helped me confirm that this was the major for me. His guidance helped make me who I am today.

Amy (Giordano) Shealy '97

In the late 1970s and early '80s I was a grad student with Miles. He occupied the office next door along with Larry McGeehan. Miles was decidedly the nicest and happiest fellow student in the department! He was the best student Dr. Ted Cavander ever had. He was so happy and easy going Larry nicknamed him "smiley clonburn." Miles would only smile when we would call him by that name. Though I have rarely seen him since our grad school days, it was always a pleasure when I would and I frequently remembered him fondly. Miles and Larry were the first individuals to bring me an undescribed species of crayfish, an act that I will always be indebted for.
I should have named it after Miles but I didn't. I miss Miles, the world needs more people like him.

Roger F. Thoma

I taught chemistry at JCU from 1993 to 1998, and knew Miles from occasional discussions in the hallways of the Bohannon Science Center.
It is very sad to learn of his death. Peace and prayers to his family.

Michael Ketterer

My prayers go out to Dr. Coburn's family. I am saddened for them at this time.

I took Comparative Anatomy from Dr. Coburn during the spring semester of my senior year prior to going to med school. The class was small and Dr. Coburn had been teaching for only a few short years at JCU. My class merciless hounded (during lecture of course) Dr. Coburn into taking us on a field trip to the Natural History Museum. He finally could not take it anymore and agreed to a field trip. What a trip! The awe and love he had for his field was evident as he lectured to us in the museum. But even more so were the thanks of the museum staff that huddled behind us so as not to miss one single pearl that Dr. Coburn passed along. His sense of humor and patience in dealing with our demanding (but respectful) class is never to be forgotten.

I also credit Dr. Coburn for providing me with the knowledege base that made it possible for me to make it through anatomy in med school. I will miss him.

Mary Beth Hogan '85

I have known Miles since 1980. He and I were graduate students pursuing our Ph.D.s at different institutions then and worked on the same group of fishes. We shared many letters (at that time) and information on the biology and morphology of these fishes. He was passionate about anatomy of fishes then and this continued up to a couple weeks before his untimely and unfortunate death. Most recently, Miles was involved in two very large and prestigious projects funded by the National Science Foundation. His extensive knowledge of anatomy, fishes, and systematics made him a key player in both of these projects. I always enjoyed my time with Miles. He was a careful scientist, an outstanding mentor and teacher, and a great and helpful friend. I know that it is painful to think of years to come without Miles; I will miss him very much. Since I learned of the accident it has been very difficult for me to focus on much; however, I know that Miles would want all of us to move on in our personal and professional lives and continue our lives pursuing our objectives in academics and humanity. We will miss you Miles!

Richard Mayden

I just met Dr. Coburn this past summer, when I was a counselor for Project QUE!. There was such a genuine warmth and enthusiasm that he exuded; you could really sense his dedication to what he was doing within a few minutes of meeting him. I regret not having the chance to have known him better, but I feel blessed that my own life was enriched by his energy and his passion. I am praying for both Dr. Coburn and for the family during this tragic time.

Theresa Prabucki '10

I am sorry to hear of your loss. I am in Utah and unable to attend services, but it was a pleasure being a teaching assistant under Dr. Coburn's direction while I was at John Carroll.

Deborah Williams (Trem) '02

I was fortunate to have Dr. Coburn as a professor and as my faculty advisor during my time at JCU. With his support and good advice I was able to continue pursuing and acheive my career goals. His impact was great and enthusiasm contagious. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Patricia Raimer '99

I was lucky enough to have Dr. Coburn for one of my biology courses at JCU. He was a wonderful teacher, and truly an amazing person. He always made sure to say hi to me in the hall, even when I did not have him for class. As a student, I found this helped me to feel like I belonged at JCU in the biology department. He will definitely be missed.

Megan Mamolen '06

Miles came back to JCU to take a teaching position just a bit before he finished his Ph.D. at OSU, around 1983. I was a master's student at JCU at the time, and we all looked up to Miles. He was almost done with his Ph.D., and he had landed a job at JCU, the greatest place in the world to work, and where we all wanted to end up.  During the next year, we learned from him and we emulated him. I went on to get a Ph.D. but returned to Carroll from time to time to teach, and always enjoyed meeting Miles and hearing about how his world was going.

Later, running my own lab at the Cleveland Clinic, I came to appreciate Miles as a source of referrals for promising undergraduates, and he was instrumental in creating the CCF-JCU summer undergraduate program. I got to know his brother, Chris, and often worked with both of them to bring talented undergraduates to CCF for the summer. It was a great partnership. Miles was a consummate biologist but he was also a wonderful human being. One could sense his caring and his commitment, and he did not take things lightly.  Most recently he and I were both adjunct faculty members at CSU, serving on student oral exam committees and thesis committees and I was reminded of how much I have admired him and appreciated his contributions over the years. I will miss him, and I extend my condolences not only to the Coburn family, but also to the undergraduate and graduate students at JCU, especially those who will miss knowing him and being influenced by him.

Chris Moravec '78 BA '84 MS

First let me start by saying that my prayers go out to all of the family members and close friends of Dr. Coburn. I was shocked and saddened by the news that such a good-hearted man could be taken at such a young age. I was a student at John Carroll University from 2000-2004. Dr.
Coburn was my academic advisor during those four years, but he was much more than just an advisor, he was a friend who believed in my ambitions. I was not the student who recieved the highest scores in the various biology classes, but I had a passion for the subject nonetheless. I had a dream of becoming a denstist, and Dr. Coburn always encouraged my dream when other John Carroll teachers told me that I should pursue other career options, or that I didn't have the grades to be admitted into a dental program. Well, I just graduated from dental school this past May and I would like to give a special thank you to Dr. Coburn because without his encouragement I might not have even pursued this career. As a final thought, I would just like to say that I will always remember his smile and kindness the most. We will all miss him greatly and John Carroll will never be able to fill his shoes.

God Bless,
Andrew Wolken D.D.S. '04

As a fellow grad student of Miles', I remember him as an indefatigably kind person who was liked and admired by everyone in the biology department. The story of Miles that I have told my own children is that as we looked somewhat alike and were equally pauperized as struggling grad students (blue jeans and flannel shirts our only apparel) at the annual department Halloween party when people chided us for not wearing costumes Miles corrected them to say that he came as me and I said that I came as Miles. A simple memory that still delights me. Miles loved humor, learning, life, and people. I will hold him in my memory forever.

Matt Drain '71, '76G