Class Dismissed DR. SCOTT CLOSES CHAPTER AT W&J WITH MEMORABLE LAST LECTURE “I am just speechless at the number of people who actually remember me,” said retiring Washington & Jefferson College professor John Mark Scott ’69, Ph.D., hours before giving his last lecture to a packed room at the First Presbyterian Church on a rainy May evening. Scott’s family, friends, colleagues, and former and current students attended the lecture titled, “A Child of the College: One Boy’s Story,” though, with classes continuing for another week, his students still had a few more lectures left to enjoy. Talking before the lecture, Scott admitted how much he will miss the College, especially Old Main. “I love W&J, but I am in love with Old Main. Old Main lives. When classes change, the floors vibrate. This place has a heart and a pulse and a mind of its own, and I really adore that,” he said. He also will miss his regular coffee sessions with students. “We have consumed something, this semester alone, in excess of 45 pounds of coffee,” he proudly shared, noting that this number trumped his old record by nine pounds. Usually, students stopped by in the mornings and afternoons, relaxing in his office, where, in the days leading up to his retirement, a disco ball still dangled from the ceiling, a rubber chicken perched on a shelf, and a tapestry of Pope John XXIII hung near a poster of Clint Eastwood. But instead of taking these items home, Scott auctioned off these and other memorabilia to benefit the student organization Presidents Without Borders (see page 9); even though he is retiring, Scott keeps finding ways to help his students. Despite his love for W&J, Scott feels that it is time for him to step aside. Compared to his colleagues, he has little interest in the latest technological trends. “I am, in fact, of a different era,” he said. “I’m not trying to be hard on myself; I’m just being realistic. I sit on rock piles. I still howl at the moon.”
John Mark Scott takes a few moments in his classroom on the fourth floor of Old Main before delivering his last lecture to the W&J community.
“Indeed, the story of the College would have happened without me. My presence changed nothing, but I cherish my part of the story.” – JOHN MARK SCOTT ’69, PH.D.
Though ready to retire, Scott had one more story to share with the campus community, which led to the composition of what would be his last formal lecture at W&J. The ceremony, which kicked off with congratulatory remarks from President Tori Haring-Smith, Ph.D., was highlighted by a performance from the male W&J Camerata Singers, who sang Scott’s personal request—“The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” After an introduction from longtime friend and colleague Robert Dodge, Ph.D., Scott took a second to express his gratitude to all in attendance before starting his lecture. The story began, he said, about 60 years ago in W&J’s Thompson Memorial Library, where he visited frequently as a child with his father, who, at 92 years old, joined Scott’s family in the audience. His memories of those visits remain vivid; in particular, he recalls the impeccably dressed faculty members, several of whom began their teaching careers around 1910. “A quick count of rolling decades would suggest that I, personally, have touched more than 100 years of life at the College, or perhaps, more accurately, that 100 years of the life of the College have touched me,” he said. Scott’s resume is short: outside his brief years in the military, being a W&J professor has been his only occupation. Yet, he described the path to this career as “all so very accidental.” When he was a student at W&J, he never expected to be interested in Russian; that passion developed as a result of being drafted into the Army. And while in the military, he certainly never dreamed that he would become a teacher. But Scott’s life and that of the College kept intersecting, and, in his mid-20s, he accepted a junior appointment at W&J. “For some peculiar reason, the authorities never got around to firing me,” joked Scott, who has been employed by the College for more than 30 years. Nearing the end of his lecture, Scott told the audience that his story and the College’s story are, in his mind, “two halves of the same story.” He added, “Indeed, the story of the College would have happened without me. My presence changed nothing, but I cherish my part of the story. I’m richer for it by many measures.” As the clapping slowly subsided after Scott returned to his seat, Haring-Smith approached the podium again with what she called “one point of disagreement” with his lecture. Scott looked questioningly to the President until she gave her explanation: “I believe that your presence has changed this institution.” On this note, the church roared with applause in agreement.
To watch Dr. Scott’s last lecture, visit www.washjeff.edu/magazine.
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SUMMER 2011 MAGAZINE
– GEORGIA SCHUMACHER ’10 SCHUMACHER IS PURSUING A MASTER’S IN PROFESSIONAL WRITING AT CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY.