Extracted from The Shreveport Times (Shreveport, LA)
Orlis R. “Shorty” Long
MINDEN, LA - Funeral services for Orlis R. “Shorty” Long, long-time Minden businessman and civic activist, will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, July 29, 1993 at First Baptist Church with Rev. Richard O. Knott and Rev. Jack Kennedy officiating. Burial will follow in the Gardens of Memory Cemetery in Minden under the direction of Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Minden, La.
Long passed away Tuesday, July 27 at Minden Medical Center following a sudden illness. He was 65.
He was a graduate of Harris High School in Claiborne Parish, and served in the United States Navy during World War II. He was a 1959 graduate of Louisiana Tech University. While at Tech, he served as assistant basketball coach until his graduation.
After graduation he became vice president of Rucker Pharmaceutical and, in 1972, founded UAD Laboratories. In 1975, he founded Long Specialty Advertising, a company he operated until 1990. For the past three years, he had been heading the engraving department at Minden Athletic Supply.
When Long moved to Minden in the late 1960s, he immediately became active in civic and school affairs.
As a member of the local Chamber of Commerce, he served as chairman of the industrial committee and in 1977 was named Industrial Volunteer of the Year for the state of Louisiana. He finished as runner-up in a 14-state competition for the regional award.
He was active in assisting city government, serving as a member of the Minden Planning Commission and a member of the Minden Housing Authority.
Long was active in local civic organizations as a member of the Minden Lions Club, the American Legion, and a sustaining member of the Boy Scouts of America. He was a past president and member of the board of directors of Pine Hills Country Club, and was one of several original organizers of the Minden Tennis and Aquatic Club.
Long was prominent in promoting both Louisiana Tech University and Minden High School. He was past president of the Webster Parish Tech Alumni Association, helped direct the annual La. Tech Alumni Banquet and served on the board of directors of the Louisiana Tech Alumni Association. In 1983, he was named La. Tech Alumnus of the year, and was named La. Tech Fan of the Year in 1986. He was also a member of the La. Tech Cager Club.
He had long been active in promoting and awarding the Jackie Moreland Scholarship Fund, a fund he helped establish, which assisted students attending La. Tech. He also served as a volunteer area scouting assistant for La. Tech, and counseled student athletes planning to attend the university.
At Minden High School, he was a member of the MHS Quarterback Club, and assisted in fundraising activities. Long was voted the Minden High School Fan of the Year in 1984.
He was one of the original members of the board of directors of the annual Universal Amateur Baseball Association World Series, and was instrumental in helping the city of Minden obtain the event. He headed the committee which was responsible for selling sign space on the newly renovated Griffith Stadium, the home of the World Series.
Long was a member of the Minden Presbyterian Church, and served in many capacities. He was a member of the Board of Deacons, the Board of Elders, a trustee and a Sunday School teacher for many years. He also served as a representative to the Red River Presbytery. During the church's building campaign, Long took a leadership role in fundraising.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Patsy Kelly Long.
Survivors include one son, Robert Ray Long, Atlanta, Ga.; four daughters, Brenda Summersell, Pensacola, Fla., Kathy Copeland, Minden, Patti Morgan, Bossier City and Jan Anderson, Midlothian, Tex.; six grandchildren, John Davidson, Matthew Morgan, Michael Morgan, Brandon Summersell, Daniel Anderson and Kymberly Anderson; one great grandchild, Lauren Davidson and one nephew, Don Long.
Donations may be made in Long's name to the Minden Presbyterian Church Building Fund and to the Jackie Moreland Scholarship Fund at La. Tech.
Rose-Neath Funeral Home
Thursday, July 29, 1993
Minden, La. 377-3412