Ken McMillan

Ken McMillan has designed a lot of coffee mugs since starting at UNF as a charter faculty member in 1972. However, one of his latest designs is now being distributed around the country as the result of the hard work of a Jacksonville resident.

McMillan, an associate professor in Communications & Visual Arts, has designed more than 100 coffee mugs. The fanciful but useful creations serve as an example to his students as he encourages them to let their imaginations drive their work. He brings a different coffee mug to class every day to illustrate the variations that are possible when you allow your creativity room to express itself.

His experience with coffee mugs served him well when he was contacted by Jennifer Madden-Askew who had an idea for an easy-grip coffee mug. Madden-Askew had been trying for years to find someone to design a coffee mug with grooves around the body to make it easier to carry. She was inspired when she was in the service and watched nearly everyone carrying cups by gripping the body rather than the handle.

She sketched a few preliminary designs but as a dentist she had no way of making a prototype so she could apply for a patent. Over the years she went to a number of different artists but was never able to get a prototype produced until she found McMillan.

"When I arrived in Jacksonville, I called around to a number of schools to see if there was someone who would help me. He (McMillan) was the only one who agreed to do the project," she said.

He agreed to produce a prototype and made a few refinements of his own along the way. He produced three different versions each one a little different to incorporate such things as a notch for your thumb and groves on the handle.

This wasn't the first time that someone has come to McMillan and asked him to design items. Some requests he has declined, like the man who wanted to design the bust of a woman for his bar with beer coming out of certain anatomical features. Others he has agreed to do, like retirement pieces for Gerson Yessin and Afesa Adams.

But Madden-Askew's project may be McMillan's most widespread creation. She eventually found a company in California willing to produce the mug. The company labeled the mug the "Hand-to-Hand mug" and it was mass produced in Mexico. It is now for sale in stores across the country.

The project hasn't changed Madden-Askew's life. She is still a dentist at Naval Air Station Jacksonville where she is an independent contractor. The project hasn't changed McMillan's life either. He is still bringing different coffee mugs to class each day in an effort to inspire his students.

They both hope, however, that coffee drinkers everywhere will enjoy the creation that allows them to keep a firm grip on at least one thing in their lives.