Virgil Orr
| Virgil L. Orr | |
 | |
| In office 1988–1992 | |
| Preceded by | William R. Sumlin, Jr. |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Jay McCallum |
| Born | February 2, 1923 Glenmora, Rapides Parish Louisiana, USA |
| Died | April 24, 2021 (aged 98) Ruston, Louisiana |
| Resting place | Douglas Cemetery in Choudrant, Lincoln Parish |
| Political party | Democrat/later Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Myrtis Chandler Orr (married 1945-2021, his death) |
| Children | Virginia Orr Rice Marilyn Orr Hyams |
| Residence | Ruston, Lincoln Parish |
| Alma mater | Glenmora High School Louisiana Tech University |
| Occupation | University professor and administrator |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
Military Service
| |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1944–1946 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Virgil L. Orr (February 2, 1923 – April 24, 2021) was an American academic and politician from Ruston, Louisiana. He was a professor of engineering and administrator at Louisiana Tech University and served as a Democratic state representative for District 12 (Lincoln and Union parishes) between 1988 and 1992.[1]
Background
Orr was born in Glenmora in south Rapides Parish to Jessie Lee Orr (1898-1981) and Lily Aplonia "Lonie" Monroe (1893-1986). He graduated in 1940 from Glenmora High School. He received a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering at Louisiana Tech, while also worked as a waiter to pay his student expenses.[2][3] He then achieved a Master of Science degree and his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge in 1948 and 1950, respectively.[4]
Orr served in the United States Army during World War II from 1944 to 1946. He served in the United States Army during World War II from 1944 to 1946. He also attended the Oak Ridge Institute for Nuclear Studies in Oak Ridge west of Knoxville, Tennessee. [2][5]
Career
In September 1952, Orr joined the Louisiana Tech faculty. In 1966, he was co-authored the article, "Vapor–Liquid Equilibrium for the Hexamethyldisiloxane–n-Propyl Alcohol System," with colleagues Woodrow W. Chew, Jr. and Charles A. Killgore, which was published in the Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data.[6] He was subsequently appointed Dean of the College and served as Vice President, under F. Jay Taylor, before he retired in 1980 after twenty-eight years at the university. Louisiana Tech honored Orr with the Virgil Orr Professorship in Chemical Engineering[7] and the Virgil Orr Undergraduate Junior Faculty Award.[8][2]
In 1991, Orr was the recipient of the Russ Award, named for Robert Edwin Russ (1830-1902), the founder of Ruston. Three years later the Louisiana Tech Alumni Association presented him with its Tower Medallion. The following year he appeared on Louisiana Tech's Top 100 Alumni list.[5] During 1994–1995, Orr took on the role of President of the Louisiana Tech Foundation.[9]
Politics
Orr contested the nonpartisan blanket primary in October 1987, and received 5,846 votes (44 percent), comfortably beating incumbent William Sumlin's 4,176 votes (31%). As a result, Sumlin did not contest the November election, and Orr was automatically declared representative-elect without a second round of voting.[10]
In October 1991, he was himself defeated in a primary, by Jay McCallum, a fellow Democrat and later a Republican attorney and judge. McCallum received 8,286 votes (52 percent) to Orr's 7,528 (48 percent).[11] Orr served a single term on the Louisiana Ethics Board after finishing his term in the legislature.[4]
In 2010, Orr was appointed to the Lincoln Parish Library Board.[12]
Personal life
Orr and his wife, the former Myrtis Chandler (1924-2022), a native of Choudrant in Lincoln Parish and a former home economics teacher, had two daughters, Virginia Orr Rice of Little Rock, Arkansas, the widow of Ed Rice, and Marilyn Orr Hyams and husband Bill of Ruston.[13] The couple was active in the Temple Baptist Church in Ruston, where he was at times a Sunday school teacher and a deacon.[2] The Louisiana Tech Alumni Association awarded Myrtis Orr with the Tower Medallion in 2018, which her husband had received in 1994.[14]
References
- ↑ House Membership_History_CURRENT.pdf (louisiana.gov), Lincoln and Union parishes, accessed May 4, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Dr. Virgil Orr | Ruston Daily Leader (rustonleader.com), accessed May 4, 2021.
- ↑ Virgil Orr, Student Waiter. latech.edu. Retrieved on July 20, 2010; article no longer accessible on-line.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Alumni News. che.lsu.edu (2003-2004). Retrieved on July 19, 2010; no longer on-line..
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Virgil L. Orr, Who's Who in American Politics, 2003-2004, 19th ed., Vol. 1 (Alabama-Montana) (Marquis Who's Who: New Providence, New Jersey, 2003), p. 790.
- ↑ C. A. Kilgore, Woodrow W. Chew, and Virgil Orr (October 1966). [10.1021/je60031a018 Research Article] 535–537. The Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data. Retrieved on May 4, 2021.
- ↑ Endowed Eminent Scholar Chairs and Endowed Professorships. latechalumni.org. Retrieved on July 10, 2010; no longer accessible on-line.
- ↑ The Virgil Orr Junior Faculty Award. latech.edu. Retrieved on July 19, 2010; no longer accessible on-line.
- ↑ "[Jack E.] Byrd elected to board," Minden Press-Herald, September 14, 1994, p. 1.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 24, 1987.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 19, 1991.
- ↑ Laura Bond, "Taxing decision: Board OKs ad valorem proposal," The Ruston Daily Leader, July 2, 2010.
- ↑ Myrtis Chandler Orr obituary. Monroe News Star (November 20, 2022). Retrieved on November 21, 2022.
- ↑ Myrtis Orr Joins Hall of Distinguished Alumni. The Tenent (April 2018). Retrieved on May 4, 2021.