05/22/2001

Endowment Fund Honors Beloved Horticulture Professor

AUBURN, Ala. - For nearly 40 years, Henry Orr was one of the most beloved and respected teachers at Auburn University (AU) and an educator who firmly believed in giving his students experience outside the classroom. Orr's contributions to AU's horticulture program and the Southeast's horticultural industry are being honored and continued through the establishment of a new endowment fund.

According to Chris Gary, development director AU's College of Agriculture, the endowment pays tribute to Orr's accomplishments and also allows today's professors to carry on Orr's hands-on legacy. Orr, who taught at AU from 1947 until his retirement in 1981, was a native of Opelika who earned his B.S degree from Auburn and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Ohio State University.

"He was a noted plantsman, registered landscape architect, greenhouse system developer, floral designer, authority on ornamental plant identification and a respected teacher, publisher and author," said Gary. "But his truly lasting influence was his approach to teaching and his theory that students must complement their classroom education with experience in the industry.

"The legacy of his success is seen in his former students, many of whom are now the business leaders and educators in horticulture throughout the South," added Gary.

Many of those students still sing the praises of Orr, who died in 1995.

"If it had not been for Dr. Orr's help, I probably would not have completed my degree in horticulture at Auburn," said David Bradford, immediate past president of the Alabama Nurserymen's Association. "He was always searching for funds to help students like me."

"His concern for his students lasted beyond graduation," commented Harry Ponder, a professor of horticulture at Auburn. "He remained available to advise them on any matter. Dr. Orr is gone, but his positive influence on so many is alive and well."

"There are people who have a real and lasting effect on our careers," stated Benny Campbell, owner of Attalla Florist in Attalla. "Dr. Orr was one such person who affected, with his imagination and inspiration, my success as a florist."

"Dr. Orr was able to instill in me and his other students a love and excitement for ornamental horticulture," added B. James Harwell, president of Harwell's Green Thumb Nursery in Montgomery. "He can be credited to a large degree with the current success of the horticulture industry in Alabama."

To carry on Orr's tradition of fine teaching and hands-on experience, the AU Department of Horticulture is establishing the Henry P. Orr Endowed Fund for Horticultural Excellence. This fund will be used to support undergraduate education outside the classroom by funding field trips, special studies, internships, lectures and design and industry forums.

"All the support for this endowment will be used to involve students in real-life industry operations and business issues," said Gary. "We need to raise $250,000 over the next three years to establish the fund fully. The money will be invested in the AU Foundation and only the interest will be used to support the educational activities," he added.

A group of four former students started the fund including Dave Bradford, Robert Newton and John Floyd, all of Birmingham, and Bill Barrick of Mobile.

Horticultural graduates, friends, industry leaders and others who wish to honor Orr's contributions to his students and the Southeast's horticulture industry are invited to contribute to this fund. Pledges can be paid over a three-year period, noted Gary.

For more information or to make a contribution, contact Gary at 317 South College Street, Auburn University, AL 26849; 334-844-1136 or garycr@alumni.auburn.edu.

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News from:

Office of Ag Communications & Marketing

Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
Contact Katie Jackson, 334-844-5886 or smithcl@auburn.edu

05/22/01