G. Dale
George Dale Orkney was born on December 19, 1936, to George and Sarah Orkney in Raymond, Washington. A few years after his birth, his family moved to Springfield, Oregon, where he grew up and was later identified as a Springfield resident in university records. His early connection with the Pacific Northwest preceded an academic and professional career centered on botany and biology education.
Orkney studied botany at Northwest Nazarene College, where he received an A.B. in 1961. His undergraduate thesis, The Seedling Anatomy of Opuntia polyacantha Haw., examined the seedling anatomy of a prickly-pear cactus. He pursued graduate study at the University of Idaho, earning a Master of Science degree and a Doctor of Philosophy degree, with the doctorate completed in 1971. His academic preparation in botany provided the foundation for his subsequent career as a college biology professor and educator.
Orkney began his academic career as an assistant professor of biology at La Verne College in California from 1962 to 1963. He then taught biology at George Fox College in 1963–1964 and served as a visiting instructor in botany at the University of Idaho from 1964 to 1965. In 1965 he returned to George Fox College, where he became a professor of biology and remained on the faculty through 2002. George Fox publications described him as the institution’s botanist and noted his participation in a faculty internship connected with experiential education, including work with the North Willamette Experiment Station on raspberry production. After retiring from full-time teaching, he was recognized as professor emeritus of biology. His career at George Fox extended across approximately thirty-eight years and made him a longstanding figure in the institution’s biological sciences program.
Orkney belonged to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Cactus and Succulent Society of America, and Sigma Xi. His memberships reflected his professional interests in biology, botany, and cultivated and wild succulent plants.
George Fox College descriptions characterized Orkney as soft-spoken and gentle and noted his willingness to participate in intramural flag football with much younger college students.
Physical Characteristics: He was known at George Fox for wearing a crew cut.
Orkney was the son of George Orkney and Sarah Orkney. His son, George Dale Orkney Jr., was born in 1963 and survived him, along with other family members. George Fox University later associated Orkney's name with the Voth-Orkney Research Endowment supporting undergraduate biology and biochemistry research.
