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Judge Scott: Respected on bench, beloved by his friends

The late Judge John Scott wasn't just a civil-rights pioneer and respected jurist, he was a warm and down-to-earth friend

Date published: 4/22/2008

By Rob Hedelt

WHEN OUR sons spent 13 years together in city schools, from kindergarten plays to the senior prom, I found a good friend in John Scott.

You can't help but get to know someone on the path that goes from elementary-school plays to high-school awards assemblies.

But I really got to know the extraordinary man known by friends as "Scottie" when our sons played football together at James Monroe High School.

From the days when his son Jeff showed extraordinary leadership skills as an eighth-grade quarterback until the boys' undefeated senior season, Scottie and I were there to cheer them on.

Traveling hither and yon to those games--to the Northern Neck, the Eastern Shore and elsewhere--gave the two of us and our wives many memorable, pride-filled evenings.

But there was one other thing Scottie and I shared that created another bond: a true love for food.

You see, whenever our kids played games, John and I helped organize where parents would eat beforehand.

Playing Washington & Lee in Montross?

Hit the Driftwood seafood restaurant at Coles Point.

Taking on King William at their place?

Pack into a Vinny's there two hours before kickoff.

And so on, from Chincoteague to Amelia.

In four years of high school play, we left no entree untouched.

Those special nights and Scottie's quick, contagious sense of humor we came to know were on my mind last week hearing the unwanted news of his death.

At the age of 59, the pioneering civil rights lawyer, judge, husband and proud father had passed away at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Hearing the news, I immediately began flashing back to the many good times we'd shared.

Thinking back to the first time we met, I remembered being struck by how unassuming, humble and personable he was.

Yes, he was a circuit judge who had blazed legal trails of all sorts as the first black jurist hereabouts.

And yet, when we parents gathered for games or events, there was no pretense.

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Date published: 4/22/2008