[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E37-E38]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO CLAIR ORR, CHAIRMAN AND FOURTH DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE OF 
                   COLORADO STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MARILYN N. MUSGRAVE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 31, 2006

  Mrs. MUSGRAVE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Clair Orr, a fellow 
Coloradan who has served with distinction on the State Board of 
Education. Since 1994, Clair has endeavored to provide students around 
the state with greater opportunity in life by obtaining high quality 
educations in our state's public schools. On this eight-member Board, 
Clair served as its Chairman and represented the 35,000-square-mile 
Fourth Congressional District.
  Over the course of his tenure, Clair was instrumental in advancing 
initiatives because of his heart for service, dedication to helping 
students, and his ability to make tough stands for policies he knew 
would make a real difference.
  It has been said that Clair measures his success by upholding the 
Colorado Revised Statutes, the U.S. Constitution, and the legal 
authority given to the Board. For these reasons, it is no wonder that 
Mr. Orr received the Distinguished Service Award by the National 
Association of States Board Educators (NASBE) after being nominated by 
his colleagues in his second term.
  Shortly after beginning his service on the Board, Clair Orr 
successfully challenged Colorado Governor Roy Romer, standing up to his 
proposed constitutional amendment to change the Colorado Children's 
Trust Fund Board. Later, in 2000, he was appointed to this Trust by 
Governor Bill Owens.
  Because of his leadership on the Board, however, Governor Romer 
appointed Clair to the Principle and Administrators Standards Board as 
well as the Colorado Achievement Task Force.
  In the wake of the devastating Columbine shooting that shook our 
nation, Clair Orr organized an emergency Board meeting and led the 
bipartisan group to take unanimous action.
  Among his other notable contributions over his 11 year term were the 
design and implementation of the Colorado Student Assessment Program, 
which is now the longest-standing standards-based assessment in the 
country. While serving on the Board, Clair oversaw the creation of an 
accreditation system where the state accredits local school districts 
using an 11 point system, which in-turn accredit local schools.
  Clair Orr helped implement the School Accountability Reports program, 
which was considered the largest administrative task undertaken by the 
Colorado Department of Education. Additionally, he played a critical 
role in reviewing Colorado's plan to implement President Bush's No 
Child Left Behind.
  In addition, Clair served on the Colorado Civics Task and helped 
secure a multi-million dollar grant for its projects. He was also 
selected by other Board members to serve for four years on the 
Nominations Committee for the NASBE.
  Throughout Colorado, Clair Orr is revered by the education community 
and he has received high remarks from those who he has

[[Page E38]]

served alongside. Here are some of the comments of his peers:

       ``Mr. Orr brought both grace and wisdom to his work for the 
     children of Colorado. His experience, integrity and faith 
     informed his positions and gave meaning to his comments. On 
     behalf of my constituents, I thank him for his efforts to 
     better the education of every child. On behalf of myself and 
     my family, I thank him for being a stellar example of a true 
     public servant.''--Rico Munn, 1st Congressional District, 
     Colorado State Board of Education.
       ``Clair Orr is a kind and gentle man, one of great 
     integrity and conviction. I will remember him most for these 
     things: his insistence on abiding by the words of the 
     Constitution, his deep-felt admiration for the soldiers who 
     gave their lives for our country, his joy in reciting the 
     Gettysburg Address, his stories about raising his three 
     daughters, and his wonderful sense of humor. What I 
     appreciated most about working with him was that even when he 
     had a strong opinion about something, he was willing to 
     listen to others' points of view, give them serious 
     consideration, and compromise.''--Evie Hudak, 2nd 
     Congressional District, Colorado State Board of Education.
       ``During Clair's tenure on the Colorado State Board of 
     Education he never wavered in his oath of office to uphold 
     the Constitution of the United States, he also referred to 
     the Constitution quite frequently, keeping us on track. 
     Always the Gentleman, he demonstrated quality leadership with 
     strong convictions. His devotion and dedication to the 
     academic achievement for all of Colorado's Children was 
     without a doubt exemplary. The Citizens of Colorado are truly 
     indebted to Clair for his service on our Colorado State Board 
     of Education. I personally want to thank Clair for his 
     mentorship, leadership and most of all friendship!''--
     Pamela Jo Suckla, Chairman 3rd Congressional District 
     Colorado State Board of Education.
       ``Clair Orr is a unique education leader. His special 
     attention to rural schools has opened doors of academic 
     opportunity for hundreds of thousands of Colorado youngsters. 
     Clair's commonsense approach to pressing issues and sweeping 
     changes in public education has made him a true statesman 
     among education leaders. Clair's example of hard work, 
     boundless dedication and compassion will long be the template 
     for how the State Board of Education operates in the 
     future.''--Bob Schaffer, State Board of Education and Former 
     U.S. Congressman, 4th Congressional District.
       ``CLAIR stands for: Concern for all children, not just a 
     few; Leadership by moving boldly forward; A passion for 
     service in his unwavering commitment to make Colorado schools 
     move towards excellence; Integrity drove every decision he 
     made during his eleven years on the board; Righteousness 
     exudes from his very presence. There was never any question 
     of Clair's motives.''--Peg Littleton, State Board of 
     Education, 5th Congressional District
       ``I am honored to have served my first year on the Colorado 
     State Board of Education with my colleague Clair Orr. As the 
     newest member of the board, I found that his perspective, his 
     respect for history and his vision for the State Board of 
     Education was critical to our success as an elected board and 
     a cohesive working group. Without his sense of history and 
     where we had come, we would have--and now will--lacked a 
     critical viewpoint in our deliberations. Clair Orr will be 
     sorely missed and I wish him all the best in his next 
     endeavors.''--Karen Middleton, State Board of Education, 7th 
     Congressional District.
       ``Clair Orr has volunteered for the state of Colorado and 
     its schoolchildren for eleven years on the State Board of 
     Education. He has served as Chairman, and was also recently 
     acknowledged by the National Association of State Boards of 
     Education for his many years of distinguished service. The 
     example that Mr. Orr has set raises the bar for all of us and 
     serves to encourage others to give back to this great 
     Democratic Republic. When I was first elected to the board, 
     Mr. Orr helped get me caught up on the many issues we faced 
     and always had time to help me out with questions. The state 
     of Colorado owes Mr. Orr a debt of gratitude for his time and 
     efforts.''--Jared Polis, Member-At-Large, Colorado State 
     Board of Education.

  For Clair, though, it is not about appointments, awards or public 
recognition, it was about keeping students front and center. For this 
reason, he often traveled the hundreds of miles needed in order to 
speak at town hall meetings, meet with parents, hear from school 
boards, and visit with educators around Northern and Southeastern 
Colorado. Mr. Orr utilized the media to get his message out. He had 
regularly scheduled radio appearances and frequently wrote editorials 
for the many small town papers throughout the district.
  Clair Orr is also a dedicated family man and a successful business 
man. He has been married over 30 years to his wife Deb and has three 
grown daughters. Clair is a native Colorado resident and a fourth 
generation farmer. Mr. Orr is founder and is Chief Executive Officer of 
Agtown Technologies, which specializes in water accounting programs and 
web development for agro-businesses. One of his top clients is the 
renowned Western Stock Show. He also is a real estate broker who 
specializes in water rights sales as well as farms and ranches.
  In 2004, Clair was nominated by the Northern Colorado Business Report 
as an Emerging Entrepreneur. In 2003, he was named Businessman of the 
Year by the National Republican Committee. In 2002, he was appointed to 
the Presidential Business Commission.
  As a former member of the Board of Education in Morgan County, 
Colorado, I have seen Clair Orr work firsthand, and I have witnessed 
his drive to improve the quality of teaching in Colorado's classrooms. 
Mr. Speaker, I ask that this legislative body recognize the talents and 
successes of Mr. Clair Orr and join me in congratulating him on two 
successful and challenging terms as a State Education Board member.

                          ____________________