Canadian journalist (1936–2021)
Frank Orr
Born (1936-05-28 ) May 28, 1936Died February 13, 2021(2021-02-13) (aged 84) Occupation(s) journalist, author Years active 1962–2021 Employer The Toronto Star Spouse
Shirley Turner
(
m. 1961; died 2019)
[ 2]
William Franklin Orr (May 28, 1936 – February 13, 2021) was a Canadian sports author and journalist.[ 3] [ 1]
Career
Born and raised on a farm near Hillsburgh, Ontario , Orr attended Guelph Collegiate[ 4] and started out working for radio stations in Chatham and Sault Ste. Marie . He also was a sports editor with the Guelph Mercury and Cornwall Standard-Freeholder . He joined the Toronto Star in 1961, and covered the National Hockey League , and specifically the Toronto Maple Leafs . He also wrote on the 1972 Summit Series and several IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships .[ 5] He has also authored over 30 books related to sports and has contributed to over 60 additional titles.[ 5]
He won the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989 in the media category, and received a lifetime achievement award from Sports Media Canada in 2003. In 2004, he was honoured with an induction into the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame.[ 5] [ 6] Orr was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2021, with voters citing his contribution to motorsport coverage in The Toronto Star as significant to Canadian motorsport.[ 7]
Orr resided in Etobicoke with his wife Shirley.[ 5] He died on February 13, 2021, at the age of 84.[ 1] [ 8]
References
^ a b c Zwolinski, Mark (February 13, 2021). " 'We have lost another legend.' Longtime Star sports writer Frank Orr, 84, had the ear of the hockey world" . Toronto Star. Retrieved February 13, 2021 .
^ "SHIRLEY JANE ORR Obituary (2019) Toronto Star" . Legacy.com .
^ Date information sourced from Library of Congress Authorities data, via corresponding WorldCat Identities linked authority file (LAF) .
^ Gifford, J.; Filey, M. (2004). Hurricane Hazel: Canada's Storm of the Century . Dundurn Group. p. 28. ISBN 9781550025262 . Retrieved 2015-08-13 .
^ a b c d "Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame - Inductees 2004 - Frank Orr" . Archived from the original on 2013-03-29. Retrieved 2015-08-13 .
^ Leonetti, M.; Beliveau, J. (2005). Canadiens Legends: Montreal's Hockey Heroes . Raincoast Books. p. 240. ISBN 9781551927312 . Retrieved 2015-08-13 .
^ "CMHF class of 2021 inductee bios" . cmhf.ca . Canadian Motorsport Heritage Foundation. December 15, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2022 .
^ "William Franklin (Frank) Orr | Toronto | Turner & Porter Funeral Directors" .