MS HC50

Recognizes Billy J. Orr upon his retirement as Executive Director of the Mississippi State Fair Commission and expresses the Legislature's gratitude for his leadership.

Orr served as Executive Director from 1978 to 1999 and returned to lead the entity from 2009 until his recent retirement, now serving as Public Relations Director.

Under Orr's leadership, the fairgrounds emerged as the principal economic engine for downtown Jackson, including recovery from the 1979 Easter Flood and approximately $19 million in renovations and improvements in the early 1990s.

The 2014 Mississippi State Fair achieved record-breaking attendance of 712,798 visitors, making it the largest fair in the Deep South under Orr's management.

Orr is a Mississippi State University graduate with a degree in forestry and a retired Army Colonel with 26 years of military service.