Remembering Dr. Lawrence Dorr 

We at Operation Walk Pittsburgh have learned that the founder and moving spirit of Operation Walk, Larry Dorr, M.D., passed away last week after a brief illness.

It is very difficult to overstate what Larry meant to us personally and to the Operation Walk Pittsburgh organization as a whole. 

Larry was the creator and guiding force behind the Operation Walk. His chapter, Operation Walk Los Angeles, was the first in what has grown to be a worldwide organization of more than twenty, individual chapters, including our own.

Larry was one of the most prominent, well-known and innovative orthopaedic surgeons of his era. He began his career when hip and knee replacement surgery was being recognized and established as one of the most important surgical interventions of the 20th century. He quickly became a recognized worldwide spokesman and advocate for procedures that have changed the lives and outlooks of millions.

As hip and knee replacement surgery was being established and accepted throughout the world, Larry realized that this highly successful but relatively expensive technology was beyond the reach of patients in impoverished countries. So, with the help of personal friends and supportive patients, he created Operation Walk, which carried out its inaugural mission to Cuba in 1997. His team in Los Angeles became the model for all other Operation Walk chapters to follow.

Larry was an inspiring figure and mentored us as we founded and organized Operation Walk Pittsburgh in 2008. He made himself, as well as his staff, available to us and guided us through the early phases of our existence. As we grew, he remained our lamp post, providing guiding organizational values and encouragement.

Larry will be remembered for his larger-than-life personality, energy, imagination, enthusiasm and persistence. He created an enormous impact on the field of orthopaedic surgery, but he hoped that Operation Walk would be his greatest legacy. In this, we believe he succeeded. 

Operation Walk Pittsburgh has and will continue to carry out its missions in a way that Larry enthusiastically endorsed and applauded. Our chapter has always been and will continue to be extremely grateful to him both for his leadership and support. He will be dearly missed.

You can read Dr. Dorr’s obituary here.