Floyd Orr '55 Gives From His heart

                       Floyd Orr in his youth

When Floyd Orr ’55 talks about Brooklyn Tech, it sounds like he’s describing a high school romance. You fall in love and then break up, but you never forget your first love. And so it was for Mr. Orr who moved to California in April of his junior year. He never had the chance to graduate from Tech, but he never forgot the place or the people or the things he learned.

Mr. Orr, the son of a traveling Navy man, rarely spent more than a year at any school until Brooklyn Tech. Then Floyd got to call Tech home. Orr embraced the high standards and expectations, appreciated the commitment his teachers made to their students, and made lifelong friends. As he put it, “Once the soil was watered, the roots went deep.” And then, in April 1954, his father was reassigned to Riverside, California and Orr was forced to say goodbye to the place he loved.

Floyd finished school and settled in California where he pursued a career in manufacturing, most recently at Kaman Industrial Technologies. He credits what he learned at Tech with his career success. Tech taught him to “enjoy the learning process” and gave him “the tools for independent learning.”

Years ago, Floyd connected with Tech’s Alumni Foundation. For him, it was like bumping into his long lost sweetheart. Even though he was technically not an alum, he sent a modest check. From then on, Tech stayed in his head like a golden oldies song. And so, Floyd Orr began the practice of sending twice monthly checks ranging from $20 to $50 every pay day. His contribution now exceeds $5,000.

Alumni Foundation CEO Matt Mandery was touched to learn about this persistent Californian donor’s story. And so, plans have been made for Floyd Orr to receive an honorary Brooklyn Tech diploma at the Homecoming 2010 festivities. When told of this plan, Orr was “thrilled beyond words.” And his voice cracked like a love struck teenager when he said, “It means a great deal to me; it feels like a confirmation.”