Alma Lee Scott

Alma Lee Scott "Scotty" 81, Wausau, died Sunday, June 29, 2008 at Aspirus Hospice House, Wausau. Scotty was born in Balboa, Panama, where her father Archibald Scott was director of the Army-Navy YMCA. Her mother, Alma Gladys Lee Scott, had been a missionary in Costa Rica. Scotty never knew her mother, who died giving birth. She was raised by her mother's parents on their farm in Annandale, Minn. Her older half brother, Hugh, and half sister, Barbara, remained with their father. They sometimes came along with their father when he visited Scotty at the farm. During her years at Annandale High School, she met teachers and others who encouraged her to study vocal music and also introduced her to the Lutheran church. Some of these people became lifelong friends. While at St. Cloud State Teachers College, she served as president of the Lutheran Students Association and co-editor of The College Chronicle , and was appointed to Who's Who Among Students in Colleges and Universities. At St. Cloud Technical High School, where Scotty taught Physical Education, she met fellow teacher Dan Chamberlin and his wife, Ditz, who owned a cottage on Lake Tomahawk near Minocqua, Wis. They introduced her to Mrs. John P. Sprague, director of the nearby Clearwater Camp for Girls, and this changed the course of Scotty's life. For more than 20 years, Scotty was on the staff at Clearwater in almost every capacity from cabin counselor and waterfront staff to Head Counselor and Assistant Director. It was at Clearwater that she discovered sailing, and it became her passion. She began by attending a Red Cross Small Craft School, and soon was in charge of the sailing program at Clearwater. Eventually, she did her Masters thesis on the techniques of teaching sailing. One of her favorite quotations was from the Water Rat in The Wind in the Willows: "There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats... " At Clearwater, Scotty also acquired a deep love for the Northwoods and for Lake Tomahawk in particular. When Joe and Mable Wright were ready to sell their beloved 1920's log cabin in the Pottawattomie Colony, they were looking for a buyer who would cherish it as they had. Scotty was only thirty years old at that time and was living on a school teacher's salary, but she had the quality of appreciation the Wrights were seeking. They made every accommodation so that she could buy it from them, and she gratefully received it as a treasure to be preserved and passed on in the same way. For 50 years, this was her summer retreat. As she had hoped, she celebrated her 80th birthday and her 50th year of ownership at Lands End in the summer of 2006. Camp counseling also played a role in her transition from a career in Physical Education to one as a High School Guidance Counselor. After nine years of teaching Physical Education at the college level, including several years each at the College of St. Catherine and at Macalester College, she moved into counseling and academic advising. This change, along with her desire to be closer to the cabin, brought her to Wausau in 1962. After a few years at Wausau Senior High, she spent the bulk of her career in the guidance department of Wausau West High School, retiring in the spring of 1986 after more than 22 years in the Wausau school system. Above all, Scotty had intense and close friendships at every stage of her life. She had the ability to connect at a deep and personal level. Each of us who knew her had a unique relationship with her, and will feel her loss in a different way. She is survived by her brother Hugh Scott, Riverside, Cal. and her sister, Barbara Scheer, Omaha, Nebr. Memorial services will be at 1:00 p.m. Monday, July 7, 2008 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 630 Adams Street, Wausau. Rev. Sean Motley will officiate. Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Home, 1302 Sixth Street is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Ascension Lutheran Church, Minocqua, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Wausau, Aspirus Comfort Care and Hospice Services or the charity of the donor's choice. Online condolences at www.petersonkraemer.com