Date of death: 4/25/2009
Saint Meinrad Class: PD 2012
John Wyeth “Jock” Scott died suddenly at his home in Alexandria.A devoted husband, father and grandfather, Jock was a dedicated member of his community. Besides practicing law, he was a college professor, a published author, a former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives and a devout student of the Catholic religion.Born on June 29, 1947 in Alexandria, Jock was a 1965 graduate of Bolton High School. He completed his B.A. at Tulane University in 1969 and while in New Orleans, met the love of his life, Dominican College student Cyndy Henderson. He went on to study law at Louisiana State University, married Cyndy in 1970, and received his Juris Doctor in 1972.Jock returned home to Alexandria to begin his law practice, and decided to run for the Louisiana House of Representatives District 26 seat. Though considered a newcomer to politics, his passion, hard work and determination helped him win the general election (as one of the House’s youngest members) and he continued on to serve three terms.In 1986, he wrote To The Victor: A Novel of Louisiana Politics. During his final year in the House, the National Republican Legislators Association named him “National Legislator of the Year.Following his 12-year tenure as a State Legislator, Jock followed his dream of becoming a teacher while still maintaining his law practice. He obtained his Master and Doctorate degrees in History at Louisiana State University and was an adjunct professor of history at LSU at Alexandria for over ten years. He also has taught at Louisiana College, LSU-Baton Rouge, and Northwestern State University.Jock chose to write his doctoral dissertation about his great-aunt, Natalie Scott, who was widely recognized as a literary and cultural dynamo with a colorful personality. Over the past ten years, his research into her letters, photos and narratives in Tulane University’s archives led to numerous scholarly articles and came to fruition with the recent publication of his masterpiece, Natalie Scott: A Magnificent Life, which was published in 2008.Information obtained from thetowntalk.com on April 28, 2009.