Virgil Orr
Encyclopedia
Virgil L. Orr is a retired engineering
professor
and administrator at Louisiana Tech University
in Ruston
, Louisiana
, who served as a Democratic
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from District 12 (Lincoln
and Union
parishes) from 1988-1992.
in south Rapides Parish
. He received his Bachelor of Science
in chemical engineering
from Louisiana Tech, where he helped to pay his expenses by working as a student food services waiter from 1940-1944. He procured his Master of Science
and Ph.D.
from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge in 1948 and 1950, respectively. On September 1, 1952, Orr joined the Louisiana Tech faculty. In 1966, he was co-author with colleagues Charles A. Killgore and Woodrow W. Chew, Jr., also a registered petroleum engineer of the article, "Vapor–Liquid Equilibrium for the Hexamethyldisiloxane–n-Propyl Alcohol System," published in the Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data. He was later appointed "Dean of the College" and was serving as vice president of the university, under then president F. Jay Taylor
, at the time of his retirement on June 30, 1980. Louisiana Tech honors Orr with the Virgil Orr Professorship in Chemical Engineering and the Virgil Orr Undergraduate Junior Faculty Award, presented to non-tenured instructors.
William R. Sumlin, Jr. (born 1943), also of Ruston, who polled 4,176 ballots (31 percent). Another 3,244 votes (24 percent) went to a third Democrat, Troy Lowe. Sumlin did not contest the November 21 general election
, and Orr became representative-elect without a second round of balloting.
At some point after he left the legislature, Orr switched his affiliation to Republican
.
Orr was himself unseated in the primary held on October 19, 1991, by fellow Democrat Jay B. McCallum (born 1960) of Farmerville
, the seat of Union Parish, who prevailed, 8,286 (52 percent) to 7,528 (48 percent).
In 2002, Orr contributed to the unsuccessful candidacy of his then Fifth District
U.S. representative, John Cooksey
, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully in the nonpartisan blanket primary for the U.S. Senate. Six years earlier, he had contributed to the unsuccessful Republican senatorial candidate Woody Jenkins
of Baton Rouge
, with whom Orr served in the legislature. Both lost to the Democrat Mary Landrieu
, who left the state legislature as Orr was arriving. In 2003, Orr supported the unsuccessful Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Randy Ewing
, a former member of the Louisiana State Senate
from Jackson Parish
.
After leaving the legislature, Orr served a term on the Louisiana Ethics Board. In 2010, he was appointed to the Lincoln Parish Library Board.
He and his wife, the former Myrtis Chandler (born April 27, 1924), reside in Ruston. Orr is a Sunday school
teacher at the Temple Baptist
Church in Ruston.
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and administrator at Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
in Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, who served as a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from District 12 (Lincoln
Lincoln Parish, Louisiana
Lincoln Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Ruston. In 2004, its population was estimated to be 42,382...
and Union
Union Parish, Louisiana
Union Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Farmerville....
parishes) from 1988-1992.
Background
Orr graduated in 1940 from Glenmora High School in GlenmoraGlenmora, Louisiana
Glenmora is a town in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,558 at the 2000 census....
in south Rapides Parish
Rapides Parish, Louisiana
-Military Installations:*Camp Beauregard *Esler Airfield *England Air Force Base *Camp Claiborne *Camp Livingston -Demographics:...
. He received his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
from Louisiana Tech, where he helped to pay his expenses by working as a student food services waiter from 1940-1944. He procured his Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge in 1948 and 1950, respectively. On September 1, 1952, Orr joined the Louisiana Tech faculty. In 1966, he was co-author with colleagues Charles A. Killgore and Woodrow W. Chew, Jr., also a registered petroleum engineer of the article, "Vapor–Liquid Equilibrium for the Hexamethyldisiloxane–n-Propyl Alcohol System," published in the Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data. He was later appointed "Dean of the College" and was serving as vice president of the university, under then president F. Jay Taylor
F. Jay Taylor
Foster Jay Taylor, known as F. Jay Taylor , was a historian who served from 1962 to 1987 as the president of Louisiana Tech University in Ruston in Lincoln Parish in north Louisiana...
, at the time of his retirement on June 30, 1980. Louisiana Tech honors Orr with the Virgil Orr Professorship in Chemical Engineering and the Virgil Orr Undergraduate Junior Faculty Award, presented to non-tenured instructors.
Legislative election
Orr led the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 24, 1987, with 5,846 votes (44 percent), to the incumbentIncumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
William R. Sumlin, Jr. (born 1943), also of Ruston, who polled 4,176 ballots (31 percent). Another 3,244 votes (24 percent) went to a third Democrat, Troy Lowe. Sumlin did not contest the November 21 general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
, and Orr became representative-elect without a second round of balloting.
At some point after he left the legislature, Orr switched his affiliation to Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
Orr was himself unseated in the primary held on October 19, 1991, by fellow Democrat Jay B. McCallum (born 1960) of Farmerville
Farmerville, Louisiana
Farmerville is a town in and the parish seat of Union Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,808 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, the seat of Union Parish, who prevailed, 8,286 (52 percent) to 7,528 (48 percent).
In 2002, Orr contributed to the unsuccessful candidacy of his then Fifth District
Louisiana's 5th congressional district
Louisiana's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The district covers most of the northeastern and central portions of the state and contains the cities of Monroe and Alexandria and stretches as far south as Iberville Parish in southern Louisiana.The...
U.S. representative, John Cooksey
John Cooksey
John Charles Cooksey, M.D. is an ophthalmologist who was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana from 1997 to 2003.-Early life:...
, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully in the nonpartisan blanket primary for the U.S. Senate. Six years earlier, he had contributed to the unsuccessful Republican senatorial candidate Woody Jenkins
Woody Jenkins
Louis Elwood "Woody" Jenkins is a newspaper editor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972–2000 and waged three unsuccessful races for the United States Senate....
of Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, with whom Orr served in the legislature. Both lost to the Democrat Mary Landrieu
Mary Landrieu
Mary Loretta Landrieu is the senior United States Senator from the State of Louisiana and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Arlington, Virginia, Landrieu was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana...
, who left the state legislature as Orr was arriving. In 2003, Orr supported the unsuccessful Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Randy Ewing
Randy Ewing
Randy Lew Ewing is a Jackson Parish businessman who, as a Democrat, represented District 35 in the Louisiana State Senate from 1988 to 2000. He was the State Senate President in his last term from 1996 to 2000, which corresponded with the first term of Republican Governor Murphy J...
, a former member of the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from Jackson Parish
Jackson Parish, Louisiana
Jackson Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1845 from parts of Claiborne, Ouachita, and Union Parishes. In 2010, its population was 16,274. The parish seat is Jonesboro...
.
After leaving the legislature, Orr served a term on the Louisiana Ethics Board. In 2010, he was appointed to the Lincoln Parish Library Board.
He and his wife, the former Myrtis Chandler (born April 27, 1924), reside in Ruston. Orr is a Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
teacher at the Temple Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church in Ruston.