65
Genealogy was another hobby of Mr.
Roberts, and he served as a board member
and fellow at the New York Genealogical
& Biographical Society.
Mr. Roberts was predeceased on Novem-
ber 7, 2012, by his wife of 34 years, Sylvia
“Sis” Dillon Roberts. His brother, Brinton
Roberts ’56 also predeceased him. Sur-
vivors include his sister, Polly Roberts; his
children, John B. Roberts ’89, Mary E. Rob-
erts, Laura Y. Roberts, Isabel R. Corbin ’93,
Samantha R. Strife, and William D. Roberts;
and eight grandchildren.
1959
Michael McCormick Orr
a Marine veteran
and lifelong out-
doorsman, died
in Tucson, Ariz.,
on April 22, 2015,
six days after his
74th birthday.
Mr. Orr was
born in Chicago,
Ill., on April 16,
1941, to Louise McCormick and Mont-
gomery Meigs Orr of the Form of 1929.
He grew up in Wayne, Ill., and attended
Elgin (Ill.) public schools and Northwest-
ern Military and Naval Academy in Lake
Geneva, Wisconsin, before enrolling at
St. Paul’s School as a Fourth Former in
the fall of 1956.
Mr. Orr listed radio, photography,
archery, fishing, and hunting among his
interests on his SPS application. He also
enjoyed participation in his Boy Scout
troop. He was a diligent student, though
he preferred to spend time outdoors.
Mr. Orr served as treasurer of the Rifle
Club and was a member of the Missionary
Society and the Scientific Association.
He competed in football and hockey for
Delphian and rowed with Shattuck.
After a gap year, during which Mr. Orr
worked at the Dukane Corporation in
St. Charles, Ill., he enrolled at Wabash
College in Crawfordsville, Ind., eventually
graduating with the Class of 1969 after
years of active military duty.
Mr. Orr joined the U.S. Marine Corps,
serving in Vietnam aboard the
USS Topeka
– a Cleveland Class Cruiser from World
War II, recomissioned as a missile cruiser.
Awarded the Double Distinguished Rifle
and Pistol Shooter Awards, he was honor-
ably discharged in 1964, shortly after the
Gulf of Tonkin incident. He went on to
earn his M.B.A. in 1973 from the Univer-
sity of Chicago.
On November 15, 1986, Mr. Orr mar-
ried Kristina Ryder. The couple had one
daughter, Emma Louise, born on Novem-
ber 30, 1989.
In his business career, Mr. Orr held var-
ious positions at International Harvester
in Warrensville, Ill., before moving to Cal-
ifornia, where he worked as an estimator
and project manager for large construction
companies. In the early 1980s, he embarked
on his own venture as a consultant in
Tucson, Ariz., estimating projects for the
construction industry.
As a young boy, Mr. Orr spent his sum-
mers in Montana’s Madison Valley with his
uncle, Arthur Orr V of the Form of 1939,
and his family, including cousin Richard
Montgomery “Monty” Orr ’64. The family
spent time primarily at Bear Creek Ranch,
Indian Creek, and Antelope Basin. Mr. Orr
loved fly-fishing, hunting, and shooting.
Later in life, he purchased a home in Jeffers,
Mont., and spent increasing periods of time
with his family there in the summers,
before returning in late fall to his primary
residence in Tucson. He was very happy
in Montana and made many friends there.
Mr. Orr is survived by his wife, Kristina;
his daughter, Emma; and his sister, Bon-
nie Miskolczy.
1971
John French Gilligan
a family practice
doctor and father
of two, died sud-
denly, of a brain
hemorrhage, on
May 4, 2015, in
West Linn, Ore-
gon. He was 62
years old.
Mr. Gilligan was
born on November 3, 1952, in Newark, N.J.,
to Joseph K. Gilligan and Virginia Klotts
Gilligan. His family, which included a
sister, lived in Sands Point, N.Y., and Mr.
Gilligan was a product of the Port Wash-
ington, N.Y., public school system, attend-
ing South Point Elementary and John
Philip Sousa Junior High, before enrolling
at St. Paul’s School as a First Former in
the fall of 1965. On his application to the
School, he listed football, chemistry, sculpt-
ing, and carpentry among his interests.
At SPS, Mr. Gilligan was a fine athlete,
competing in football and hockey for
Isthmian and rowing with Shattuck. He
also played varsity football. Mr. Gilligan
was a member of La Junta, the Acolyte
Guild, and the Missionary Society and
served as a Third Form inspector. As a
Sixth Former, Mr. Gilligan completed
an Independent Study Project, teaching
math and Spanish at a local elementary
school in Concord, N.H.
For three years, from 1973 to 1976,
Mr. Gilligan served in the U.S. Army.
He earned a National Defense Medal
and was a member of the 1st Infantry
Division Society. He was stationed for
a time at Fort Riley in Kansas. After his
discharge, he returned to college, earning
a B.A. in radio/television and sociology
from Kansas State University in 1979.
Mr. Gilligan was married on Decem-
ber 22, 1973, to Leslie Lee Crocker. The
marriage ended in divorce.
In 1984, Mr. Gilligan earned his M.D.
from UTESA, Universidad Tecnol
ó
gica
de Santiago in the Dominican Republic.
He remarried to Jacqueline Armovit in
May 1992, and together they had two
sons, Joseph, born in March 1997, and
Herminio Johannes, born in May 1999.
The couple divorced in 2007.
Mr. Gilligan resided in Florida for 10
years, before moving to Kenosha, Wis.,
in 1992, where he completed a family
practice residency. The Gilligans relo-
cated to Portland, Ore., in 1996, and Mr.
Gilligan practiced family medicine for
many years with the Pacific Medical
Group in Beaverton, Ore.
Mr. Gilligan loved a good joke, was
known as a character with a great sense
of humor, and was someone who found
joy in taking care of others. He loved
being a doctor and cherished being a
father to his two boys.
Survivors include Mr. Gilligan’s sons,
Joseph Gilligan and Herminio Johannes
Gilligan.
