Richard G. Scott
Encyclopedia
Richard Gordon Scott is an American
nuclear engineer and a current member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Currently, he is the seventh most senior apostle among the ranks of the church.
, to Kenneth Leroy Scott and Mary Eliza Whittle. At age five, the family moved to Washington DC, where his father worked in the Department of Agriculture. His father was not a member of the LDS Church at the time, and his mother was marginally active until the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture of the time, church apostle Ezra Taft Benson
, named Kenneth Scott as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture in the administration of Dwight D Eisenhower. Benson's influence led to his father's conversion and the reactivation of his mother. In 1988, as church president, Benson would later call Richard Scott to become an apostle of the church.
Encouraged by his bishop and home teachers
, Richard Scott had attended church sporadically at times during his youth but he felt out of place, as on the sidelines looking in. He also lacked some confidence socially and athletically at school, although he excelled academically, and was a class president, as well as played the clarinet
and bass drum
in the marching band.
During the summers he worked various jobs to earn money for college. Working on an oyster boat off the coast of Long Island New York during one summer he found that, at times, the hardened fishermen mocked him for not drinking alcohol until a man went overboard and 17-year-old "“Scotty," as the only sober man on board, was told to put on his fins and mask and sent over to look for him. Another summer, he cut down trees in Utah for the forest service and repaired railroad cars. Yet another summer, he started working as a dishwasher for a logging company in Utah and later moved on to assistant cook.
with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. At the time, he was dating Jeanene Watkins, the daughter of a senator from Utah. When she categorically stated that she would only marry a returned missionary
in an LDS Church temple
, Scott's career plans changed and he applied for missionary service. He was assigned to serve in the Montevideo
Uruguay
Mission
of the church. Jeanene graduated in sociology and left the day after graduation for a mission to the northwestern United States. After they both completed their missionary service, they married in the Manti Utah Temple
. It was during his missionary service that Scott was able to fill "all the voids of loneliness” he had felt since his youth.
The Scotts had seven children with five reaching adulthood. Their first son died after an operation to correct a congenital heart condition. Their second daughter lived only minutes and died just 6 weeks before the death of their first son. Jeanene Watkins Scott died on May 15, 1995 after a short battle with cancer.
for a job on a top-secret project involving nuclear energy. The interview seemed to go poorly since, when Scott mentioned his recent missionary service, the volatile Captain snapped, "and what do I care about your mission?" When asked what was the last book he read Scott had to answer truthfully "the Book of Mormon
". When all seemed lost Scott stood to leave but Rickover told him to wait, saying that he had only been testing his confidence, and whether he would be true to what he believed, since this would be a difficult project. He was then offered the job in the immediate staff of Captain Rickover working on the design of the nuclear reactor for the Nautilus
, the first nuclear-powered submarine of the U.S. Navy. He later completed, what was an equivalent to a doctorate in nuclear engineering at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
in Tennessee, but due to the classified nature of the work, a formal university degree could not be awarded. He also worked on the development of the first commercial land-based nuclear power plant. He worked with Admiral Rickover until 1965 when he was called to preside the Argentina
Cordoba
Mission of the church, with his wife and family accompanying him. One of his missionaries was D. Todd Christofferson
, who would later be called to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles with Scott.
On his second return from Argentina, Scott joined other former Rickover staffers who had a consulting firm in nuclear engineering, working out of Washington, D.C.. He stayed there until his call to be a general authority
of the church in 1977.
, he served as a stake clerk and as a counselor in a stake presidency before he was called to preside over the Argentina North Mission in 1965, where he stayed until 1969. He then served as a regional representative of the Twelve
in the Uruguay
, Paraguay
, North Carolina
, South Carolina
, Virginia
, and Washington, D.C areas. He was called as a general authority
in April 1977 to serve as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In 1983 he was called to the Presidency of the Seventy and on October 1, 1988 he was called to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles after the death of the quorum president
Marion G. Romney
.
As a seventy, Scott served as managing director of the Genealogical Department and Executive Administrator of the church for Southern Mexico and Central America
.
As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Scott is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator
. Currently, he is the sixth most senior apostle in the Quorum and the seventh most senior apostle overall.
firesides and at general conferences
of the church. In these settings he is known "for delivering compassionate talks ... looking directly into the camera, and pleading for repentance and improvements in the lives of members. He emphasizes the Savior's compassion and willingness to forgive past transgressions, and pleads for members to repent and move on with their lives."
In 2007, Scott wrote Finding Peace, Happiness and Joy, his first book written as an apostle. It carries on many themes from his talks such as repentance and finding happiness through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Some of his more memorable speeches delivered in General Conference are:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
nuclear engineer and a current member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Currently, he is the seventh most senior apostle among the ranks of the church.
Early years
Richard G. Scott was born on November 7, 1928, in Pocatello, IdahoIdaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, to Kenneth Leroy Scott and Mary Eliza Whittle. At age five, the family moved to Washington DC, where his father worked in the Department of Agriculture. His father was not a member of the LDS Church at the time, and his mother was marginally active until the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture of the time, church apostle Ezra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson was the thirteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 until his death and was United States Secretary of Agriculture for both terms of the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.-Biography:Born on a farm in Whitney, Idaho, Benson was the oldest of...
, named Kenneth Scott as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture in the administration of Dwight D Eisenhower. Benson's influence led to his father's conversion and the reactivation of his mother. In 1988, as church president, Benson would later call Richard Scott to become an apostle of the church.
Encouraged by his bishop and home teachers
Home teaching
Home teaching is a responsibility of priesthood holders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Home teaching is a church program designed to allow families to be taught in their own homes, in addition to weekly church services...
, Richard Scott had attended church sporadically at times during his youth but he felt out of place, as on the sidelines looking in. He also lacked some confidence socially and athletically at school, although he excelled academically, and was a class president, as well as played the clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and bass drum
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
in the marching band.
During the summers he worked various jobs to earn money for college. Working on an oyster boat off the coast of Long Island New York during one summer he found that, at times, the hardened fishermen mocked him for not drinking alcohol until a man went overboard and 17-year-old "“Scotty," as the only sober man on board, was told to put on his fins and mask and sent over to look for him. Another summer, he cut down trees in Utah for the forest service and repaired railroad cars. Yet another summer, he started working as a dishwasher for a logging company in Utah and later moved on to assistant cook.
College, mission, and marriage
Scott graduated from George Washington UniversityGeorge Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. At the time, he was dating Jeanene Watkins, the daughter of a senator from Utah. When she categorically stated that she would only marry a returned missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in an LDS Church temple
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
, Scott's career plans changed and he applied for missionary service. He was assigned to serve in the Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
of the church. Jeanene graduated in sociology and left the day after graduation for a mission to the northwestern United States. After they both completed their missionary service, they married in the Manti Utah Temple
Manti Utah Temple
The Manti Utah Temple is the fifth constructed temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Located in the city of Manti, Utah, it was the third LDS temple built west of the Mississippi River after the Mormons' great trek westward. The Manti Utah Temple (formerly the Manti Temple)...
. It was during his missionary service that Scott was able to fill "all the voids of loneliness” he had felt since his youth.
The Scotts had seven children with five reaching adulthood. Their first son died after an operation to correct a congenital heart condition. Their second daughter lived only minutes and died just 6 weeks before the death of their first son. Jeanene Watkins Scott died on May 15, 1995 after a short battle with cancer.
Career
A few weeks after returning from Uruguay, Scott was interviewed by the then-Captain (later Admiral) Hyman G. RickoverHyman G. Rickover
Hyman George Rickover was a four-star admiral of the United States Navy who directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion and controlled its operations for three decades as director of Naval Reactors...
for a job on a top-secret project involving nuclear energy. The interview seemed to go poorly since, when Scott mentioned his recent missionary service, the volatile Captain snapped, "and what do I care about your mission?" When asked what was the last book he read Scott had to answer truthfully "the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
". When all seemed lost Scott stood to leave but Rickover told him to wait, saying that he had only been testing his confidence, and whether he would be true to what he believed, since this would be a difficult project. He was then offered the job in the immediate staff of Captain Rickover working on the design of the nuclear reactor for the Nautilus
USS Nautilus (SSN-571)
USS Nautilus is the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine. She was the first vessel to complete a submerged transit beneath the North Pole on August 3, 1958...
, the first nuclear-powered submarine of the U.S. Navy. He later completed, what was an equivalent to a doctorate in nuclear engineering at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle. ORNL is the DOE's largest science and energy laboratory. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville...
in Tennessee, but due to the classified nature of the work, a formal university degree could not be awarded. He also worked on the development of the first commercial land-based nuclear power plant. He worked with Admiral Rickover until 1965 when he was called to preside the Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
Cordoba
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
Mission of the church, with his wife and family accompanying him. One of his missionaries was D. Todd Christofferson
D. Todd Christofferson
David Todd Christofferson is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He has been a general authority of the church since 1993...
, who would later be called to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles with Scott.
On his second return from Argentina, Scott joined other former Rickover staffers who had a consulting firm in nuclear engineering, working out of Washington, D.C.. He stayed there until his call to be a general authority
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
of the church in 1977.
Church service
Scott has had extensive experience in church service and in leadership roles. His ability to speak Spanish has aided him in many different callings. Apart from his 31 month mission to UruguayUruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, he served as a stake clerk and as a counselor in a stake presidency before he was called to preside over the Argentina North Mission in 1965, where he stayed until 1969. He then served as a regional representative of the Twelve
Regional representative of the Twelve
Regional representative of the Twelve, commonly shorted to regional representative or regional rep, was a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1968 and 1995...
in the Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, and Washington, D.C areas. He was called as a general authority
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
in April 1977 to serve as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In 1983 he was called to the Presidency of the Seventy and on October 1, 1988 he was called to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles after the death of the quorum president
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In general, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve is the most senior Apostle in the church, aside from the President of the Church...
Marion G. Romney
Marion G. Romney
Marion George Romney was an apostle and a member of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Early life:...
.
As a seventy, Scott served as managing director of the Genealogical Department and Executive Administrator of the church for Southern Mexico and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
.
As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Scott is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator
Prophet, seer, and revelator
Prophet, seer, and revelator is an ecclesiastical title used in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that is currently applied to the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles...
. Currently, he is the sixth most senior apostle in the Quorum and the seventh most senior apostle overall.
Writings
Scott is a regular discussant at Church Educational SystemChurch Educational System
The Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non-Latter-day Saint elementary, secondary, and post-secondary students and adult learners...
firesides and at general conferences
General Conference (LDS Church)
General Conference is a semiannual world conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held in April and October, where members gather in a series of two-hour sessions to listen to instruction from Church leaders...
of the church. In these settings he is known "for delivering compassionate talks ... looking directly into the camera, and pleading for repentance and improvements in the lives of members. He emphasizes the Savior's compassion and willingness to forgive past transgressions, and pleads for members to repent and move on with their lives."
In 2007, Scott wrote Finding Peace, Happiness and Joy, his first book written as an apostle. It carries on many themes from his talks such as repentance and finding happiness through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Some of his more memorable speeches delivered in General Conference are: