Orlando Sterling Hobbs ’51

Orlando Sterling Hobbs ’51 died on July 15, 2010, in Orlando, Florida. Born in Washington, D.C., “Landy” graduated from its Dunbar High School, majored in English, was a Senior Fellow, associate editor of The Quarterly and a member of the French Club. He attended Yale Law School and graduated from Howard University Law School in 1956. After briefly practicing domestic law in Annapolis, Maryland, he embarked on a nearly 30-year career in the federal government in 1960. After a stint in the Commerce Department he moved to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ending up as a director of investigations for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). He married LaVonne Claytor in 1983, joining her family of four boys and two girls. He became nationally recognized as an expert in writing briefs for EEOC cases. He also had a landmark case in which he sued the government and won. Long a member of the First Baptist Church of North Brentwood, Maryland, he served as a junior deacon and figured prominently in the expansion of the church facilities. He was a gourmet cook, a master swimmer and a lover of classical music. He is survived by his wife, LaVonne, six stepchildren and 10 stepgrandchildren.