Scott’s long tenure on the Denison Board of Trustees began in 1992. During his 24 years as an Active Trustee, he served on the Buildings & Grounds, Enrollment, Finance & Audit, Student Development, and Trustee Affairs Committees, chairing Finance & Audit from 2002-2008. He served as Vice-Chair of the Board from 1993 until his retirement in 2016, when he became a Life Trustee.
In his professional life, Scott served for more than a dozen years as chairman of the board and CEO of Franklin Electric Co. Inc. During his tenure, Franklin Electric became a global technical and market leader in pumping systems, while the company’s stock price increased more than 400 percent. Prior to joining Franklin Electric, Scott spent his career with Owens-Illinois, Inc., a manufacturer of glass, plastic, and paper packaging materials. He became OI’s chief financial officer in 2001 and left the company in 2002 to join Franklin Electric.
Scott’s business acumen was called on during his service as chairman of the board of Schneider National, one of the nation’s largest trucking and logistics companies, from 2009 to 2014, and as a board member of Welltower for 20 years. During his service on the board at Welltower, the company’s market capitalization increased from $600 million to $40 billion. In addition, Scott served on the boards of Columbus McKinnon Corporation and the Toledo Museum of Art.
Scott’s dedication to Denison was well and widely known. He served in myriad roles through the years, including as a Career Advisor, President of the Alumni Board, National Chair of the Annual Fund, Campaign Volunteer, and a member of a Presidential Search Committee. He also volunteered as a Class Reunion Committee member, Co-Chair of his Reunion Gift Committee, and Parents Advisory Council member. Scott and his family generously supported the development of the Trumbull Aquatics Center, which is ranked as one of the top collegiate aquatics facilities in the country. It has served as the site of the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships since 2014.
During his student years, Scott was co-captain of varsity football, president of Delta Upsilon Fraternity, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Scott and Margy’s three sons, Matthew ’99, Benjamin ’03, and Will ’05 attended Denison. Like their dad, they were captains of Big Red varsity sports teams.
Whether at Board meetings or in personal interactions, Scott’s wisdom and insight was always greatly valued. He will be deeply missed. Our sincere condolences go out to Scott’s family, especially to Margy, Matthew, Benjamin and Will.
A memorial service will be held later. The family suggests tributes to the Toledo Museum of Art, Denison University, Good Grief of Northwest Ohio, or the Black Swamp Bird Observatory. The Denison flag will fly at half staff for a period of three days in Scott’s memory.