Orville Pitts
Some might call him a jack-of-all-trades. During his life, but not always at the same times, Orville Pitts has been a boxing champion, a public servant, a Democrat, a Republican, and a father.
On Tuesday, Pitts passed away at the age of 81 as a result of sickness.
Tall for his age, Pitts began boxing as a teenager. Then, he wasn’t known as a Wisconsin phenomenon in the sport. As he continued to pursue fights, he became a prominent name among boxers in his home state.
According to a July report by Boxing.com, the mid-weight athlete won the Wisconsin Golden Gloves Championship in 1950 and was named Outstanding Open Division boxer.
He would then move on to the semi-finals in Chicago, then the Pan-American Games in Mexico City. In that 1955 tournament, he took the gold medal the middleweight event. The United States took second of seven places that year in the tournament, bested only by Argentina.
In 1955, he began a college career at the University of Wisconsin that wouldn’t deter him from boxing, but bring him closer to it on a collegiate level. He boxed for the UW team and won every match.
Pitts faced racial prejudice when the team took on Louisiana State University when his white opponent forfeited.
In 1962, Pitts graduated from UW and moved on to law school.
By 1968, he’d been elected as a Democrat into his first public office position as a Milwaukee alderman.
He was the second African American member of the Common Council.
However, the city alderman made a political 360 in 1972 when he joined the Republican Party.
He would later campaign for President Richard Nixon.
Pitts served on the Common Council for two terms before returning to the Democratic Party.
In the late 1980’s, he fell into a bout of drug use and alcoholism. Into the following decade, Pitts became familiar with the police. However, he later became a spokesperson for the community in the fight against alcohol and drug addiction.
Pitt has been admired for his activism within the community, public work, and athleticism. His myriad of talents did not go unnoticed. Nor will they be forgotten.
Pitts is survived by his daughter, Kim Kess. The public is invited to attend a visitation on Saturday, April 4 between 10 and 11 a.m. Funeral services will take place at 21600 W. Capitol Dr. in Brookfield at Krause Funeral Home.