When the citizens of the Soddy-Daisy community in north Hamilton County decided to fight off any annexation efforts and created their own municipality in 1969, the first mayor selected by the vote of four other commissioners was Malcom Luther “Max” Orr (1924-2024) who died at the age of 99.
Although born in Henegar, Al., he spent most of his life in the northern part of Hamilton County where he graduated from Soddy-Daisy High School in 1943, played football and basketball, and served as class president for three years.
Like many veterans of military service Max downplayed the fact that he flew 29 combat missions as a navigator on a B-24 bomber in the Pacific Rim and was awarded the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, along with achieving the rank of Lieutenant First Class.
A successful businessman in the building industry he also taught carpentry courses at Kirkman Vocational High School and construction supervisor classes at Chattanooga State.
The two separate and equally independent communities of Soddy and Daisy joined together to take the joint steps to create the City of Soddy-Daisy after a Metropolitan Government Committee was formed to create the same type of superb political leadership in Hamilton County as Nashville and Atlanta.
To escape being included in said plan a petition for a referendum to incorporate into the present separate municipality was narrowly approved by a vote of 744-689 after public hearings were held at both the Soddy and Daisy Elementary Schools.
The mayor of Collegedale who had previously voted to also create a separate city within Hamilton County appeared to share his community’s experience and to answer many direct questions by proponents and opponents on the issue of incorporation.
Max, during his four year tenure as mayor, guided the new town through its original tasks of initially establishing a police department, volunteer fire department, garbage service, a city park and ballfields near Soddy Lake since 1989 and a street maintenance program.
Local historian and Soddy-Daisy City Attorney, Sam Elliott, cited a memorable quote by Mayor Orr when he took office in July 1969:
“Chattanooga is safe from annexation by Soddy-Daisy, at least for the present.”
(The current political environment in Hamilton County continues to provide heated discussions in 2025 that could benefit from the past community service and wisdom of Malcom “Max” Luther Orr!)
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