Highest honors at CSU

Orme became a full professor in 1995, and in 2009 CSU honored him with its highest award, making him a University Distinguished Professor for his excellence in research.

Gregg Dean, a veterinarian, professor and head of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, was a young graduate student at CSU when he first met Orme in the late 1980s. It was an exciting time to be studying immunology, when scientists discovered “the beautiful means used by the immune system to recognize virus-infected cells,” he said.

Orme delighted in scientific debate and particularly enjoyed challenging the dogma and paradigms of his field, noted Dean, who went from being Orme’s student to eventually serving as his supervisor.

“Ian delighted in challenging those in administrative roles and was most happy when he was stirring the pot,” said Dean. “His approach was not necessarily kind and for that, he was not apologetic. His goal was to stimulate thought and action. Those that accepted Ian’s challenge were rewarded with interesting debate and camaraderie. Ian leaves a legacy of students and trainees who he inspired to be curious and think critically.”

Patrick Brennan, a University Distinguished Professor who studied tuberculosis and leprosy in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, was a friend and colleague of Orme’s over the last 32 years. When Orme arrived at CSU, the two researchers formally established the Mycobacterial Research Labs, a world-renowned group that now includes 20 scientists’ laboratories.

Brennan described Orme as “original” in his scientific pursuits and achievements, his mental quickness, and his writing. He also had “that English sense of humor and irreverence that only the Irish and the English themselves can fully appreciate,” said Brennan.

Some of Orme’s most notable accomplishments include receiving the Roussel Prize, an international research award, in 1994, and the Charles C. Shepard science award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1999. He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 2002, and in 2014 a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Orme has more than 300 publications to his name and authored more than 30 scientific chapters. He proposed nearly 300 grants during his career, raising in excess of $100 million in research funding.

‘An independent thinker with a beautiful mind’

Mary Jackson, a professor and director of the Mycobacteria Research Laboratories​ at CSU, said that Orme was like no one else she had met before: an independent thinker with a beautiful mind, and a larger-than-life figure.

She first met him when she joined the University as a postdoctoral fellow in 1999.

“I was intrigued by how much people in his group loved him, the many stories of Ian’s acts of generosity, the opportunities that were given to them and that they felt would not have been possible anywhere else,” she said.

The tuberculosis research field has lost a great immunologist, Jackson added.

Jenny Harding, Orme’s longtime research coordinator, worked with him for nearly 24 years. She remembers the first impression she had of Orme during a job interview.

“I walked in and Ian was quite gruff,” she said. But he was like a big bear on the outside, with a kind heart and a generous soul.

He offered her the job on the spot, and remained her supervisor until the day of his transitional retirement from CSU, on May 12, 2017.

Harding said many people described Orme as a visionary. “He could see the whole picture,” she said. “He didn’t get caught up in the details.”

Stargazing and soccer

Harding and Orme bonded over their mutual love of stargazing.

“He was very much into astronomy,” she said. “He had different telescopes, and we would go to his house when there was a celestial event that was worth seeing. He had a book of stars and would mark off the ones he would see.”

Soccer – or football, as it is known in his native United Kingdom — was also a very important part of Orme’s life. Born Aug. 9, 1952, Orme was adopted as an infant by a working-class couple, and became an athlete in his school years. When he moved to Fort Collins, he launched a soccer club, and, subsequently served as a coach.

Later in life, Orme connected with his biological family and discovered that his affinity for sports came from his birth mother. He has traveled back to the UK to see the family every year since finding them.

Harding said she truly believes Orme left behind no unfinished business, other than enjoying retirement and his summer cabin.

He was the type of person who told you if he appreciated you, she said. He kept a paper calendar and, each year, he would meticulously transfer all of the birthdays, all of the anniversaries and other important dates.

“He would always have a big circle around Administrative Assistant’s Day,” said Harding, with a smile.

He is survived by his wife of 36 years, the former Eileen Aquavella, and two sons, Joseph Allen Michael Orme and Robert James Steven Orme.

A celebration of life will be held this fall in Fort Collins. In lieu of flowers, the family requests considering making a donation to the CSU College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Please make donations payable to “CSU Foundation” and note “CVMBS Memorial Fund-Dr. Ian Orme” in the memo line, or donate online.