Everyone in the small town of Dothan, Alabama considered my great-grandfather, Jeff Orr, a genius with all things mechanical: a characteristic that would follow him all the years to come after dropping out of school in seventh grade. Following his mother’s death, Jeff’s father hesitantly permitted him to withdraw from school. He worked on the family farm, in their restaurant, and in their shoe and harness shop into his late teen years until he married Leila Maude. Jeff and Leila had three children: Will Jeff, Ross, and Betty Jean.
Jeff Orr at about age 55.
At the onset of the Great Depression, Jeff’s father passed away, leaving him with everything. The Great Depression was a time marked by financial plague and severe economic downturn: families suffered, companies failed, and American industrial output declined. America faced a hard road to recovery, and so did Jeff’s businesses which fell into debt. So, he started fresh in the business world by selling the businesses and purchasing his own shoe shop: “Jeff Orr’s Shoe Shop, the Only Orr’s Shoe Shop in Dothan.” Shortly thereafter, he lost his home due to the same financial problems afflicting the country. Then, a few years later, he closed the shoe shop and began work as a mechanic and parachute shop foreman at Napier Field—a military base in Dothan, Alabama built during World War II. In his spare time, Jeff enjoyed building
After the war, American industry slowly recovered and Jeff began working as a gunsmith and opened his own gun shop: “Orr’s Gun Shop,” which would be the legacy he would leave behind for his family. Jeff had an infatuation for all firearms, big as a cannon or small as a pistol. He made his living custom-making rifles and pistols for several locals and also ones for both former Congressman of Florida Bob Sikes (1957) and former Alabama governor George Wallace. Jeff was good with his hands, hand-making every part of the guns himself. He would harbor sixty to seventy guns at a time. My father, my uncle, and Jeff would shoot each and every gun to make sure there were no problems after Jeff was finished working on them. His favorite gun was one he made for a close family friend and looked exactly like the flint lock muzzleloader Daniel Boone had. Jeff’s hand-made rifles appeared in various issues of “The American Rifleman” and many articles were written about him and his guns in the town’s newspaper: the Dothan Eagle.
These are some of Jeff’s custom-made rifles.
My great-grandfather lost nearly everything during the Great Depression. However, through perseverance and faith, Jeff was able to make a come back. The trials he faced and overcame is an inspiration to all my family. His legacy left behind a message to my family: find a way through trials and tribulations no matter their extremity. He pushed through hard times and I have discovered that it is in my blood to do the same.