Grange Hall of Fame – John W Scott

Name: John W. Scott Date of Birth: December 8, 1917 Place of Birth Born: Robinson Township, Allegheny County, PA Date of Death: February 10, 2012 Place of Death: Harrisburg, PA Residence as an adult: Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

Biography:

John Walker Scott was born to Frank and Nellie Scott in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and educated in the public schools of the same County.  In 1935 the family moved to Butler County and continued to farm.  John married Dorothy McCandless in 1939 and three sons were born to their union: James, Thomas and David.  The family lived in a house next to his parents on the same farm. It could be said of John that his work was never done, as he would pick up milk from some 20 other farms every morning and deliver it to the local dairy, and in the evening drive another 35 miles to pick up a load of lime for a neighbor.

John joined Unionville Grange No. 1971 soon after moving to Butler County, and brought in a new member by his marriage to Dorothy. He was active in the Grange and became Master in 1948, and Pomona Master in 1955.  His first elected position at the State Grange level was that of Master in 1962.  He had previously served six years as chairman of the State Grange Education Committee.

John served his community as an elected member of the Butler County Island Independent School Board, President of the Slippery Rock Area Joint School Board, and President of the County Extension Board in addition to being a member of several other ag related boards. He was active in the Mount Zion Baptist Church at Isle and served as a Sunday School teacher and the Superintendent, and a member of the Church Board of Trustees.

Had it not been that the PA State Department of Forest and Waters had condemned 14,000 acres in Butler County, which included the Scott Family Farm, Mr. Scott would probably not have left the farm to become a full-time State Grange Master.

As State Grange Master he traveled extensively, conducting leadership conferences in every area of the state.  Master Scott appeared before PA House and Senate Committees many time to lobby for agricultural and educational issues. The Grange was successful in calling for a Constitutional Convention limited to presenting four amendments rather than a rewrite. Governor Scranton appointed Mr. Scott to the Special Constitutional Study Committee to recommend proposed amendments.  Those were approved in a state-wide referendum

In addition Master Scott served on a number of state boards in the areas of agriculture and education appointed by Governor Scranton and Shafer.

During his tenure as State Master the Grange was instrumental in securing improvement in eminent domain laws with the passage of “The Eminent Domain code of 1964” insuring that landowners would receive 80% payment within 60 days of the condemnation, without prejudice to their right to seek fair compensation. Master Scott was directly involved in the adoption of the Susquehanna River Compact which led to the creation of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.

The National Grange Centennial was celebrated in Syracuse, New York in 1967. Pennsylvania celebrated with programs in every Pomona in support of the session, including a special conferral of the Sixth Degree in Troy in northern PA. In recognition of Master Scott’s leadership and the activity of the Grange members, Governor Raymond P. Shaffer signed a proclamation for Grange Week in the Commonwealth.

While State Master, Brother Scott also served the National Grange as Gatekeeper, 1963 – 1965; Secretary, 1965 – 1969 and then as Master, 1969 – 1979.  He and Dorothy crisscrossed the country to build membership and programs to strengthen rural America and the citizens who lived there.  He met with Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter to talk about and promote agricultural programs for the nation and the world.

National Master Scott’s first challenge in Washington, D.C. was to raise funds to satisfy a mortgage on the National Headquarters at 1616 H Street N.W.   The women of the Grange stepped up and produced and sold thousands of cookbooks to the tune of $300,000.  His support of all departments of the Grange resulted in programs for youth and young marrieds, and the publication of songbook in Sign Language.

In 1980 Mr. Scott returned to his home in Mechanicsburg and went to work for the PA Department of Agriculture as the Chief of the Fruit and Vegetable Inspection Division, where he worked for ten years.  After retirement he logged more than 10,000 hours as a volunteer at the Harrisburg Hospital.  When his health permitted he was a faithful Patron of Husbandry to the end by mowing the grass on the PA State Grange Headquarters in Harrisburg.

John had dropped out of high school to work on the farm, but earned a diploma in 1986, in time to attend the 50^th anniversary reunion of his original class.

Bibliography:

• Pennsylvania State Grange History, Centennial Edition, 1973
• Historical Excerpts of Pennsylvania State Grange, 125^th Anniversary Edition, 1998
• Pennsylvania State Grange website – Historical Highlights of the John W. Scott Administration
• Pennsylvania State Grange Journals of Proceedings, 1961 – 1968
• National Grange Journals of Proceedings, 1962 – 1979
• Obituary, John W. Scott, Sunday Patriot News, February 12, 2012