Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Dr. Virgil Orr, 98, passed away peacefully early Saturday morning, April 24, 2021. Funeral services will be 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 28, 2021, at Temple Baptist Church in Ruston.
Interment will follow in the Douglas Cemetery in Choudrant, under the direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Home of Ruston.
A visitation was held from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, April 27, 2021, at Temple Baptist Church in Ruston.
Virgil was born in February, 1923, and reared in Glenmora, where he graduated from Glenmora High School as valedictorian. He then moved to Ruston to attend Louisiana Polytechnic Institute (Louisiana Tech University). There he met his soul mate, Myrtis Chandler, where they both worked in the Tech Dining Hall. He later became her tutor for organic chemistry, and they always said, “Our chemistry worked real well together.”
Virgil Orr, Ph.D., was many things, and he was proficient at all of them.
A one-time dean of the Louisiana College of Engineering, as well as state representative, Orr is being mourned in Ruston after his passing Saturday.
“Dr. Orr was a transformative leader for Louisiana Tech. He positively impacted so many lives across our campus as a dedicated professor and administrator for many years,” Tech President Les Guice said.
“He continued his service and commitment to our institution and community long after retirement while serving as a mentor and friend to many, including me.”
Orr’s 98 years of accomplished life are also being celebrated today at 1 p.m. at Temple Baptist Church before he is laid to rest in Douglas Cemetery in Choudrant.