ORR DIES IN HOBART

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31113, 16 July 1966, Page 15

ORR DIES IN HOBART

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) HOBART, July 15. Sydney Sparkes Orr, aged 51, the former professor of philosophy at the University of Tasmania, died in the Royal Hobart Hospital this morning. He had been in the hospital a fortnight with pneumonia and a heart complaint. His death has ended a bitter controversy. Mr Orr was appointed to

the chair of philosophy at the University of Tasmania in 1952 at the age of 37. He was summarily dismissed from the chair on March 26, 1956, after allegations of misconduct with a girl student, Suzanne Kemp.

He brought an action for wrongful dismissal against the university in the Supreme Court of Tasmania which found that the allegations of sexuaff misconduct with Miss Kemp, which Mr Orr denied, were true and that Mr Orr had been properly dismissed. The High Court subse-

quently confirmed the judgment

In February, 1960, a 25-yeer-old man was charged with having attempted to shoot Mr Orr at bis Sandy Bay home. He was cleared. In December, 1963, the chancellor of the university. Sir Henry Baker, and four prominent council members resigned in protest against proposed terms of settlement in the Orr case.

The proposal was to pay Mr Orr 32,000 dollars and to remit all costs of the 1956 court .case.