Larry Orie
Larry Orie born in 1946 at Whittaker Memorial in Newport News. He has lived in the Newport News area most of his life. Orie was the first African American firefighter in Newport News, beginning his long and illustrious career in 1968. Throughout his thirty-three year career in the fire department, Orie accomplished many firsts, most notably becoming the first African-American chief of the Newport News Fire Department in 1991. Orie would serve in this position until his retirement in 2001.
Orie still has many memories of his childhood and years in school, in particular, remembering the tight knit nature of the African-American community in Newport News. To this day, Orie continues his life of service to others in the Newport News area through various community groups he is involved in.
-Interview and biographical information recorded in 2015.