Scott never forgot community’s kindness

Ed Scott’s passion for his hometown was fostered during his formative years and born from the tragic death of his father.

When Scott was only five years old, he lost his father, Anthony J. Scott in a railroad accident. One of nine children, Scott leaned on his family and the community for support.

During this tough time, the people of Whitehall reached out to help him and that experience and those in the subsequent years left an indelible mark on Scott’s psyche.

“Ed has empathy for his hometown,” said his sister Elvira Neumann. “When we lived there it was a thriving place. It was quite different, and when that disappeared, he became very concerned with what happened with the town.”

That concern led Scott to establish a fund to benefit Whitehall after his death. In all, Scott has donated $822,000 to a half dozen different organizations in the community, a testament to his unwavering support of his hometown.

Scott was born on Nov. 21, 1936 in Whitehall, the son of Anthony J. Scott and Catherine (Tasciotti) Scott. He had four sisters: Madline Palmer, Irene Llewellyn, Elvira Neumann and Julia Scott and four brothers: Joseph Scott, Emilio Scott, Gino Scott and Anthony Scott.

He attended Whitehall High School (back when it was on School Street) and graduated in 1954. Following his graduation, Scott enlisted in the United States Army and after less than a year was transferred into the United States Army Security Agency. He continued to serve in the Army Reserves until Oct. 22, 1962.

Following his discharge from the service, Scott attended Bentley College in Waltham, Mass., graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting in 1964. He obtained his master’s degree from UCSF in San Francisco in 1975.

“After graduating he took a job with Stone & Webster in New York City for a short amount of time before moving to San Francisco,” Neumann said.

While in the Golden Gate city, Scott was employed by Bechtel Corporation for 15 years where he reported to former Secretary of State George Schultz.

He was then employed by Pacific Gas and Electric in San Francisco until his retirement in 1991.

“Although he lived a majority of his adult life on the west coast, he always kept in touch with Whitehall,” Neumann said. “He always subscribed to the Whitehall Times and stayed up to date with what was happening in his hometown.”

Neumann said her brother was always interested in sports, particularly football and kept close tabs on the athletic exploits of his nieces and nephews, and of course, of his hometown Railroaders.

He was a member of American Legion Post 83, was very active with Skene Manor and enjoyed to travel in his free time.

Nuemann said Whitehall maintains a close connection between its residents that Scott never forgot about.

“People knew your family and who you were-it was a warm atmosphere where people looked out for each other.”

Scott passed away earlier this year on July 10, but through his generous donations, his memory lives on.

“He never forgot his hometown,” Neumann said. “It’s quite remarkable.”