Verne Orr

Background

George Vernon Orr Jr. was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on November 12, 1916, to George Vernon Orr, an automobile wholesaler and retailer, and Wilhelmina Van Niewaal Orr, a homemaker. During his childhood he lived in several Midwestern cities before moving with his family to San Marino and Pasadena, California, at about the age of thirteen. His family's automobile business later shaped the beginning of his civilian career. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he entered the United States Navy and served during World War II as a supply officer aboard the USS Mercury. The ship was torpedoed while carrying supplies in the Pacific, and Orr received the Purple Heart. He remained in the Naval Reserve until 1951, leaving service as a lieutenant commander. Orr was first married to Joan Peak, who died in 1988 after a prolonged illness. In 1989 he married Sarah Smith, whom he had met at a United Way fundraiser. They established a planning and management consulting firm together. He had a daughter, Carolyn Orr Fulton, a son, Robert Vernon Orr, and two stepsons, Windsor Smith and Geoffrey Smith.

Education

Orr graduated from Pomona College in 1937 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University in 1939. Pomona College later awarded him an honorary Doctor of Law degree. After beginning doctoral work in the 1990s, he completed a Ph.D. in politics and policy at Claremont Graduate University in 2005 at the age of eighty-eight. His dissertation examined the development of the B-1B bomber and the political and administrative process through which the weapons system moved from design to production. His doctoral work reflected his continuing belief that education was a lifelong activity and his view that politics and defense procurement were closely connected.

Career

After World War II, Orr worked in his father's Pasadena automobile business, Verne Orr Motors, first as a salesman and later as a partner. He subsequently entered financial services and became president of Investors Savings and Loan of Pasadena in 1963, leaving the institution after its 1966 merger. He also worked briefly in a family investment business and established a small real-estate partnership with his son in 1977. In California government, Ronald Reagan appointed him director of the Department of Motor Vehicles from 1967 to 1969. Orr then served briefly as director of the California Department of General Services before becoming director of the California Department of Finance in January 1970. He directed the state's financial administration until 1975 during Reagan's governorship. From 1975 to 1980 he taught government finance at the University of Southern California Graduate School of Public Administration, while also serving as a senior adviser to Ernst & Ernst and participating in business and financial advisory work through Orr Enterprises. Orr worked on Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign and served as deputy director of the president-elect's transition team. Reagan appointed him Secretary of the Air Force, and he held that office from February 9, 1981, through November 30, 1985. During his tenure he helped reactivate the B-1 bomber program, oversaw the beginning of the B-2 stealth-bomber program, and supported the expansion and modernization of the Air Force. He emphasized personnel, training, equipment, family support, living conditions, and opportunities for service members, and visited nearly 250 bases while in office. The Air Force Space Command was initiated during his tenure, and the B-1B, ground-launched cruise missile, additional fighter aircraft, and KC-10 aircraft entered or advanced in the force structure. After leaving the Pentagon, partly because of his first wife's illness, he returned to Pasadena and became a partner in Smith Orr & Associates, a planning and management consulting firm. From 1999 to 2002 he served as dean of the University of La Verne's School of Business and Global Studies. He later completed his doctoral dissertation on the B-1B program, drawing on his direct experience in its procurement and development.

Achievements

• Helped reactivate the B-1 bomber program during his tenure as Secretary of the Air Force.

• Oversaw the beginning of the B-2 stealth-bomber program and broader modernization of the United States Air Force.

• Supported the growth of the Air Force by more than 30,000 personnel during his tenure as secretary.

• Emphasized personnel quality of life, family support, improved facilities, and promotion opportunities during his tenure as Secretary of the Air Force.

• Visited nearly 250 Air Force bases while serving as secretary and delivered more than 700 speeches and press interviews on behalf of the Air Force.

• Completed a doctoral dissertation on the development of the B-1B bomber after fourteen years of study and research.

• Completed a Ph.D. at Claremont Graduate University at the age of eighty-eight.

Works

• doctoral dissertation

  • Developing Strategic Weaponry and the Political Process: The B1-B Bomber: From Drawing Board to Flight

    (Doctoral dissertation submitted to Claremont Graduate Uni...)

    2005

Politics

Orr was associated with the Republican Party and received senior appointments in California and the federal government from Ronald Reagan.

Views

Orr expressed the view that continued learning was essential to remaining fully engaged with life and treated education as a lifelong activity. His doctoral work emphasized the close relationship between politics and defense procurement.

Membership

Orr was president of the Pasadena Mechanics Association in 1948 and was also identified as president of the Pasadena Merchants Association, the Kiwanis Club of Pasadena, the Family Services Association of Pasadena, and the United Way of Los Angeles County. He belonged to the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, the Masons, Alpha Delta Mu, and Phi Beta Kappa. In 1977 California Governor Jerry Brown appointed him to the University of California Board of Regents. Orr also served as foreman of the Los Angeles County Grand Jury and participated in civic, charitable, business, and professional activities in the Pasadena community.

• Served as president in 1948.

  Pasadena Mechanics Association , United States

  1948

• Served as president.

  Pasadena Merchants Association , United States

• Pasadena Chamber of Commerce , United States

• Served as president of the Kiwanis Club of Pasadena.

  Kiwanis , United States

  1951

• Masons , United States

• Alpha Delta Mu , United States

• Elected to the honor society as a Pomona College graduate.

  Phi Beta Kappa , United States

  1937

• Appointed by California Governor Jerry Brown.

  University of California Board of Regents , United States

  1977

• Served as president.

  Family Services Association of Pasadena , United States

• Served as president.

  United Way of Los Angeles County , United States

Personality

Orr was characterized by a strong commitment to lifelong learning, sustained intellectual curiosity, and an energetic interest in public affairs, technology, and defense policy. His decision to complete a doctorate at the age of eighty-eight reflected his continuing engagement with study and research.

Quotes from others about the person

• In a 1985 interview, Orr recalled that his appointment as Secretary of the Air Force was initially met with skepticism because of his background as a used-car salesman and former Navy officer. His wife, Sarah, later described him as competitive in connection with his doctoral studies.

Interests

• Photography; lifelong study of public policy, foreign policy, defense procurement, and technology.

• Politicians

  Ronald Reagan

Connections

Orr's career was closely connected to Ronald Reagan, who appointed him to California state offices, selected him for the 1980 presidential transition team, and appointed him Secretary of the Air Force. His family background in automobile retailing influenced his early civilian career. With his second wife, Sarah Smith, he established a planning and management consulting firm. His first wife, Joan Peak, suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Orr left the Air Force secretaryship in part to care for her.

Father:

George Vernon Orr

He worked in automobile wholesaling and retailing.

Mother:

Wilhelmina Van Niewaal Orr

She was identified as a homemaker.

Wife:

Joan Peak

Orr's first wife; she died in 1988 after a prolonged illness.

Wife:

Sarah Smith

Orr's second wife; they married in 1989 and established a planning and management consulting firm.

Daughter:

Carolyn Orr Fulton

Orr's daughter.

Son:

Robert Vernon Orr

Orr's son.

stepson:

Windsor Smith

stepson:

Geoffrey Smith

References

• United States Air Force biography of Verne Orr Documents Orr's birth, education, World War II Navy service, California government career, civic activities, and tenure as Secretary of the Air Force.
• Verne Orr dies at 92; Air Force secretary during Reagan administration Documents Orr's birth, family background, Navy service, California government career, tenure as Secretary of the Air Force, later academic work, marriages, family, and death in Pasadena.
  2008
• Former Secretary of the Air Force Graduates from SPE Documents Orr's doctoral studies, his 2005 Ph.D. in politics and policy, and his dissertation on the B-1B bomber.
  2005
• Verne Orr Summarizes Orr's service as Secretary of the Air Force, California government work, academic career, and post-government activities.
  2009
• Secretaries of the Air Force Confirms that Orr served as the 14th Secretary of the Air Force from February 9, 1981, to November 30, 1985.