W.G. McMillan came to Lubbock in 1924 to help build the Hotel Lubbock, then remained and over the next thirty years oversaw more than 850 construction projects. His early work included the 1926 Conoco service station and the completion of the Meadowbrook Golf Course, and in 1930 he completed the Lubbock Municipal Airport, which still exists. During World War II, he played a significant role in the local war effort and in the wartime history of Texas; in 1942 he built 220 structures at South Plains Army Air Field, where glider pilots prepared for D-day and other invasions. Under McMillan and his son, the company, later known as McMillan and Son Construction Company, added numerous buildings on military bases and air fields in the area and completed many other projects, including airports, schools, public buildings, hospitals, grocery stores, churches, sporting venues, and numerous buildings on the Texas Tech campus. McMillan also served the community through social, educational, and political organizations: he belonged to the Kiwanis Club and Methodist Church, helped form the Plains Museum Society, later called the West Texas Museum Association, built the original museum building in 1936, and took part in archeological digs, hunting expeditions, and community service projects. His company played a significant and contributing role in the economic, physical, and commercial development of Lubbock.