Obituary of John Scott

untitled1 John Frederick Scott John Frederick Scott, age 67, of Buckhannon, West Virginia died on May 31, 2010, at the Louis A. Johnson Veterans Administration Medical Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He was born in Buckhannon on October 26, 1942, the son of the late Minnie Esther Scott and Charles Frederick Lemon. At the end of World War II, his parents divorced, and he was adopted and raised by his maternal grandparents, the late John Bogue Scott and Blanche Kerr Scott of Buckhannon. John was a 1960 graduate of Buckhannon-Upshur High School, and a 1967 graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in political science. He also attended Rutgers-Newark College and West Virginia University. John enlisted in the United States Army following his freshman year at Wesleyan, serving as an information specialist, and participated with the First Armored Division during the Cuban Missile Crisis. All tolled, John amassed more than 45 years in journalistic communications. His professional career included employment with The Republican Delta during high school and college, beat reporter for the Morgantown Dominion News, state capitol and political reporter for the Charleston Daily Mail, state capitol reporter for United Press International, and editor-in-chief of the Record Delta. His professional experience further included seven years of service as executive director for the West Virginia Republican State Committee, communications director for Kanawha County schools, and assistant executive secretary for the West Virginia School Boards Association. John returned to his hometown in 1990, where he continued his labor of love for his alma mater, West Virginia Wesleyan College, serving as the College’s Director of News Services for nearly five years. A gifted writer, John was hired by the Record Delta in 1995, becoming the newspaper’s editor-in-chief. John earned numerous press awards from the WV Press Association during his many years with the Delta. John was honored in 2002 by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History with the West Virginia History Heroes Award, that recognizes the dedication and labor of those going beyond the call of duty to ensure the success of local history, genealogy, preservation and museum organizations. He retired from the Delta in 2003, but remained very active working for Wesleyan on many projects and becoming involved in a number of civic projects and local political campaigns. John loaned his wordsmith skills to the 2015 Plan assisting the Planning Commission in realizing the community plan currently being considered for adoption by the Buckhannon City Council. On May 17, 2010, John became the first recipient of the Buckhannon-Upshur Chamber of Commerce’s Unsung Hero Award for his behind-the-scene contributions to his hometown. He served as a member of the City of Buckhannon’s Planning Commission and Animal Care and Control Commission. John’s unique writing style and bubbly personality endeared him to many. He is survived by his brother, Michael Saggese, of Caldwell, New Jersey, cousin Sonja Scott Bayless of Mt. Claire, West Virginia, and former wives, Tina Holmes of Charleston, and Ann Powell of Martinsburg. In addition to his parents and grandparents, he was preceded in death by his uncle David Scott, and his step-father, John Saggese of Paducah, Kentucky. In lieu of flowers, John Scott requested that friends make contributions in his memory to the John Frederick Scott Liberal Arts Scholarship Fund at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Friends will be received at the West Meditation Chapel in the West Virginia Wesleyan College Martin Religious Center on Wednesday, June 2, from 1-4 and 6-9 PM. Services will be conducted in Wesley Chapel on Thursday, June 3, at 11:00 a.m., with Wesleyan’s Dean of the Chapel, the Reverend Angela Gay Kinkead presiding. Interment will follow in Heavner Cemetery. Buckhannon VFW # 3663, Frank B. Bartlett Post # 7 American Legion, DAV Chapters # 5 & # 36 will conduct military honors at the graveside. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.polingstclair.com. Poling-St. Clair Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Visitation Wednesday, June 2, 2010 from 1-4 & 6-9 PM West Meditation Chapel at WVWC Funeral Service Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 11 AM Wesley Chapel Burial Heavner Cemetery