Talk about ‘responsive government.?
Frank Millard Jr., an Oakland County deputy clerk and a Clarkston resident, helped save another local family’s vacation and a couple’s wedding proposal.
Brian Burke said Millard came to the rescue on Friday, April 25. The Burke family was getting ready to leave for vacation to Jamaica when it was discovered that son Dan’s birth certificate was missing.
Dan Burke was planning to ask for his girlfriend’s hand in marriage while on the island, so the family was more than a bit panicked at the discovery.
Brian Burke phoned the Oakland County administration building, reaching Shirley Anthony, a night security supervisor.
‘With no hesitation at all, she went to work phoning anyone that would listen,? Burke said.
Millard was someone who listened, then acted. At about 10 p.m., he went to the county records department, then phoned a clerical employee who talked him through the proper procedures. Since Millard also lives in the area (the next subdivision over, Burke said), the deputy clerk decided to hand deliver the new birth certificate.
‘As far as I’m concerned, he is a hero for all his help,? Burke wrote to Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson.
Millard’s reaction was a bit more reserved.
‘It’s nothing, really,? he said. ‘I was the one available.?
Although he has worked in other county departments and has pulled other kinds of after-hours duty (he has helped more than one party who forgot their marriage license), he admitted this was a new experience.
‘Frankly, I’d never done one of these [replacement birth certificates] before,? he said, giving credit to other staff for the telephone help. ‘I know how to do it now.?
Millard said people shouldn’t expect round-the-clock records service as a regular routine, but when extenuating circumstances arise, he believes that’s why they are called public servants.
‘When I heard their story, I thought it was worth a couple hours of my time,? he said. ‘Anybody in this office would do the same thing.?
Dan Burke said he was embarrassed that his original birth certificate was discovered to be missing.
‘It was misplaced,? he said, speculating that it could have been lost during a spring break trip in 2000.
His options were few. He speculated that he could have waited until the following Monday to obtain the certificate and delay his flight, but he did relish the thought of losing half of his vacation.
‘It probably would have ruined it,? he said.
Now-fiancee Melissa Fife (yes, the proposal was made and accepted) at first didn’t understand that she was the reason for the last-minute legal rescue.
‘I kind of thought something was up,? she said.
The couple now plans a July 2004 wedding.