Alumni Spotlight
George Orr
What was it like being a student at Pitt, and especially in the Department of Mathematics, in the late 1960’s?
I had joined the Navy right out of High School and had an opportunity to stay in the Navy as Active Reserves and attend a University to obtain a degree. I had a two-year obligation to serve after I graduated. I was given the opportunity to attend Pitt-Greensburg, starting in January 1966, which was just opening and return to where I grew up, Pittsburgh. I always loved mathematics and quickly signed up for Math and Applied Chemistry. I was only receiving Navy pay of $150 a month so I took the opportunity to be what is called today the resident-hall director, at Greensburg. The campus at Greensburg was only an architect’s dream while I attended classes there. The dorm was the Penn-Albert Hotel (now Penn Towers) and classes were mostly held in office buildings downtown or out in an estate building where the future campus was to be built.
What was your favorite math class at Pitt, and why?
Probability and Statistics, Euclidian Geometry. Both I found to be very interesting and have used probabilities and statistics in my naval career and as a Defense contractor.
What was it like transitioning from Pitt to the Naval Postgraduate School?
After graduating from Pitt in 1969, I was commissioned as a Naval Officer and assigned to my first submarine. After about four years at sea, the Naval Postgraduate School started a new Master’s program in Undersea Warfare. They were looking for officers who had degrees in mathematics and experience in undersea warfare, so I put my name in and was accepted to the program.
What led you to choose a career path in submarines?
The short answer is I put on my dream sheet (officer’s chance to tell the Navy what you would like to do in your next assignment) three choices Military Intelligence (As a Navy enlisted person I was spent my first 5 plus years in Navy intelligence), surface warfare, and submarines. When a person put submarines on their dream sheet [they were selected] (submarines were only taking “volunteers”) so I received orders to submarine school. This led to a career in submarines for 27 years. Then another 20 years as a Defense contractor supporting submarine future technology.
What are some ways that your experience at Pitt prepared you for your subsequent career path?
For most of my Navy career (32 years) mathematics was the basis for all the challenging situations I was presented with. As I tell my grandchildren – it is all about the math!
What words of wisdom can you share with current students or students considering the Math program?
Whatever your passion is, mathematics will always play a big part in whatever field/path you choose.
What was your favorite restaurant/bar/hangout spot on campus that may or may not be there today?
Unfortunately, there was not a lot of time for “hanging out”. Once I moved to the main campus I was commuting by “streetcar” and bus from Bellevue/West View to the Oakland campus. My favorite places to hang out were at the William Pitt Union and the Cathedral Commons Room. Favorite place for food – Winky’s Hamburgers.
Were you apart of any extracurriculars while you were at Pitt? If so, what was your favorite one, and why?
I was a member of the Ski Club, German Club, and Athletic Club. Two favorites were the Ski and German clubs. The Ski trips to Seven springs were always a lot of fun. The German club was very interesting because on my mother’s side the family came over from Germany.
What is the biggest change on campus since your time at the university?
The entire campus as changed from what it was 55 years ago. Some of the BIG changes were Forbes Field is no longer home of the Pirates and Steelers, there is still Cardiac Hill up to Pitt Stadium but Pitt plays in the stadiums by the river now, and I could go on and on… Change is for the good, the campus is as alive as it was that many years ago and Pitt continues to have an impact on the students, the community and around the globe, especially in the math and sciences.