Issue:
September 2021
Anthony Rowley pays tribute to former FCCJ member Robert Orr, who died in August
Perhaps the best way to describe Robert “Skipp” Orr without detracting in any way from the exceptional qualities he displayed as a businessman, diplomat and educator, is that he was a thoroughly nice guy. That is probably how he will be remembered at the FCCJ, where he was an associate member for many years.
Orr passed away on August 12 at the age of 68. Tributes flowed freely from many of the people whose lives he had touched in one way or another during his own remarkable, achievement-filled life.
A former President of Boeing Japan (from 2002 to 2007) and Vice President of Motorola's European Affairs Division and later US Ambassador to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Orr often moved in elevated circles.
Yet there was never any hint of self aggrandizement about him. His friendly wave from his table in the FCCJ's Pen and Quill restaurant at the Yurakucho Denki Building and his accessibility to people like myself in the corridors of power at the ADB in Manila all spoke to his open personality.
An ADB staff member once apologized for sharing an elevator with him, something Orr later said had “surprised and saddened" him. He said he would like to break down barriers between the Board and staff to encourage an open-door policy. And open doors he did.
A businessman, diplomat and educator, is that he was a "thoroughly nice guy."
Like most gifted people who are confident in their own knowledge and willing to act as mentors, whether to their students or to journalists such as myself, Orr was always approachable, diplomatic and balanced in his manner – someone you could regard as friend as much as contact.
As Dean Matthew J. Wilson at the Japan campus of Temple University, where Orr served as professor of Political Science, noted in a tribute, he was "an exceptional educator, executive, and statesman", adding that he had "passion for making a positive impact on everyone and everything around him”.
In September 2010, Orr was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate as the US Executive Director with the rank of Ambassador to the Asian Development Bank, a position he held until December 31, 2015. Orr was a key fundraiser when Obama ran for president in 2008.
He once described the appointment as "the greatest honor of my life", but many other honors were to be bestowed upon him, including the Order of the Rising Sun, an honor granted by the Emperor of Japan.
As Dean Wilson noted, Orr "positively impacted various organizations with his leadership including the Kyoto Center for Japanese Studies, Stanford Center for Technology and Innovation, the Asian Development Bank Institute, the Council of American Ambassadors, the Pacific Forum, and the National Association of Japan-America Societies”.
From 1985 to 1993, Ambassador Orr served at Temple University as a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Institute of Pacific Rim Studies. His book, The Emergence of Japan’s Foreign Aid Power (Columbia University Press) won the 1991 Ohira Prize for best book on the Asia Pacific.
Orr earned a B.A. in History, cum laude, from Florida Atlantic University, and M.A. in Government from Georgetown University, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Tokyo.
After branching out from academia, he carved out for himself a highly successful career in business including a five-year tenure as President of Boeing Japan (2002-2007). Before joining Boeing, he served as Vice President of Motorola’s European Affairs Division. Orr also held various senior level posts with Motorola in Japan culminating as Vice President and Director of Government Relations.
He is credited with opening up Japan’s cell phone market in the 1990s as a Motorola Inc. executive. He also served from 2007 to 2010 as chairman of the board of the Panasonic Foundation.
An ADB staffer commented in an internal newsletter that to his family, friends and colleagues, Robert Orr "is simply Skipp. Listening to him discuss events, people and ideas is like being captivated by your favorite professor as he discusses subjects from history to politics to sports”.
According to this same source,when asked about his favorite US President, Orr mentioned Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) as an abiding influence in his young life. Roosevelt was partially paralyzed as a result of contracting polio at an early age. "Contracting a leg disease himself as a child that disabled his walking for five years, the young Skipp was so inspired by the story of FDR and overcame his own disability. He eventually turned to sports for therapy and became an accomplished sportsman in high school and college,” the ADB staffer said.
Orr joined the FCCJ in February 1994 and left January 2000, although his membership was renewed in 2002. He remained a member until March 2011. The Club's membership affairs manager, Naomichi Iwamura, remembers Orr as a "nice gentleman and an active member”. Orr, I would add, was a gentleman and a scholar - and much more.
Anthony Rowley is the Tokyo correspondent for Singapore Business Times
