Lawrence D. Miles Value Foundation
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Distinguished Service Award

The Navy's highest civilian honor was presented February 20, 1958 by RADM Mumma in the office of the Bureau of Ships, Washington, DC, for organizing an office of value engineering and establishing a program which resulted in millions of dollars in savings for the Navy.


Imperial Award,
Third Order of Merit
with Cordon of Sacred Treasure

October 23, 1985 Minister Keijiro Murato of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry awarded Mr. Miles, posthumously, the medal and a scroll inscribed with the seal of the Emperor of Japan.

This award is presented only to those who have made significant contribution to Japan through their professional careers. Larry Miles is only the fourth person to receive this award. The other three were:

  • Mr. Peter Drucker (Management Systems);
  • Dr. W. Edwards Deming (Quality Improvement);
  • Mrs. Ernestine Gilbreth Carey (Efficiency, Time & Motion Studies).

Other Awards

  • Coffin Award - Received January 25, 1950. This is General Electric's highest award, given in honor of GE's first president, for benefits to the company resulting from the creation and use of the Value Analysis/Value Engineering system.
  • Alumni Medal of Honor - Received October 30, 1964 from Nebraska Wesleyan University in recognition of high achievement in creating, developing and teaching VA/VE methodology.
  • Fallon Value in Life Award - Awarded in May 1976 by SAVE International to Mr. Miles and his wife, Eleanor. This award has been given only three times. It reads, "Presented to Larry and Eleanor Miles, who by their lives, exemplify and contribute to the understanding of value as a living concept."
  • Outstanding Services Award - Given in October 1979 by the Value Engineering and Management Society of South Africa.
  • Honorary Medal of the Association of German Engineers - Presented in November 1981 in Frankfurt, Germany. Their words at the time of presentation were, "Thank you, Mr. Miles, for this great gift you have given to the world of industry."
  • Brazilian Medal - Awarded May 11, 1983 by the Associacao Brasileira De Administracao De Material, Sao Paulo, in appreciation of his contribution in bringing VA/VE technology to Brazil. Inscription on the medal reads, "Your visit to Brazil is a VALUE beyond any Analysis."
  • Recognition of Achievement - June, 1984 at a meeting of General Electric technical people in Orlando, Florida, Mr. Fred Garry, VP Corporate Engineering and Manufacturing, presented Mr. Miles with this award some twenty years after his 1964 retirement from GE.

L. D. Miles Award is Established.

In 1975, SAVE International established the Miles Award in honor of Mr. Miles. The award is given for "Creating and Contributing an advancement to the techniques of VA/VE."

In October 1983, the Society of Japanese Value Engineering (SJVE) honored Mr. Miles by creating their own Miles Award. Pictured are Larry and Eleanor with SJVE President Ueno about to bestow the first Miles Award in Japan.

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