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William Torrence Orth '54

Jan. 23, 1933-Jul. 2, 2021

William “Bill” Torrence Orth ’54, P’84 died at Kendal at Hanover, Vt., a continuing care community, on July 2, 2021, as a consequence of an accidental injury. A native of Greenwich, Conn., he was born on Jan. 23, 1933. He came to Hamilton from the Loomis School in Windsor, Conn., following his older brother Robert H. Orth ’49 both to Loomis and Hamilton. 

Bill majored in both economics and English literature and was a member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity. He was both a member of Doers & Thinkers honor society and the swimming team in his first year on the Hill. As a sophomore, he played hockey. While a junior, he won the McKinney Prize in public speaking and as a senior was a member of The Hamiltonian staff. He was a member of the Block “H” Club throughout his college career.

Sidney Wertimer, who was a young economics faculty member during Bill’s matriculation, was an important influence. Bill later said of his years on the Hill: “Most favorable — four years of public speaking including play reading and courses in economics/real life taught by Sidney Wertimer, and Robert ‘Bobo’ Rudd[’s] course in Shakespeare. The ability to speak on my feet was a direct contributor to my income. The development of critical thinking required to fully appreciate the provoking explanations of Sid and understand the sad and joyful performances of Bobo was the most meaningful experience of my Hamilton education.”

Building on his study of economics, Bill went on to earn an MBA at the Harvard Business School in 1956. Shortly thereafter, he joined the U.S. Army, was commissioned a lieutenant, and served in France as part of the finance corps paying soldiers then working to implement the Marshall Plan. Discharged two years later, he went to work for General Motors, where he remained until his retirement in 1988 as vice president of export. His career required frequent travel as he was responsible for the management oversight and, where needed, the restructuring of a number of GM’s overseas operations, and on one occasion he was tasked with creating an ad campaign for GM’s Australian operations. He and his wife, Myra, whom he met at Cornell University during his time on the Hill, had several extended overseas assignments in addition to Australia during his tenure with GM, including Belgium, England, France, and Japan. 

Continuing the breadth of interests he’d demonstrated while at Hamilton, Bill pursued a range of activities before and after retirement. He and Myra shared a passion for the outdoors, where they bicycled and kayaked frequently. Bill also enjoyed piloting gliders and other forms of light aircraft. During one long winter, he built an ultralight aircraft in the living room of their home and, after successfully getting it out of the house, flew it frequently with equal success.

Bill was a loyal Hamiltonian, serving on the Alumni Council and as a Career Center volunteer. He was a member of many of his class reunion committees and served two terms as class co-president with William Wetherbee ’54. He was a Joel Bristol Associate and generously supported the Orth Family Scholarship.

William T. Orth is survived by his partner, Gwen Des Cognets, his daughter Laura W. Orth ’84, a son, and two grandchildren. He is predeceased by his wife and his brother, Robert H. Orth ’49.

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Note: Memorial biographies published prior to 2004 will not appear on this list.



Necrology Writer and Contact:
Christopher Wilkinson '68
Email: Chris.Wilkinson@mail.wvu.edu

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