A large crowd of more than 200 persons attended the June 11th Celebration of Life for the late Ben Scott, which was held at the National Auto Museum in Reno. While Ben was most notable for his long tenure as the owner of Scott Motors, the celebration largely featured his love of flying.
Among the many displays on hand were those that highlighted his aerial adventures. The collection of caps that he acquired from the organizations he belonged to, such as the Quiet Birdmen, got a lot of attention. As his favorite airplane of choice was his beloved Stearman, the craft was featured in many of the photographic displays. Even the table centerpieces of flowers were topped by a cutout of the biplane.
The celebration was hosted by Ben’s widow, Sandy and featured a number of eulogists, who recounted some of the more lighthearted moments of Ben’s existence. Large screens were used following the talks that pictured Ben’s personal and professional life.
In person, Ben was a tall man of somewhat regal bearing and at first seemed unapproachable, but when you got to know him you found that he had a great sense of humor and was a very adept raconteur which made him a favorite speaker at gatherings such as the G.O.D. (Good Old Days) Club.
As a civic leader, Ben was notable as a major contributor to the growth of Reno over the years. Two of his favorite events, to which he devoted much of his time, were the Reno Air Races and the Auto Museum.
For the writer, I first became acquainted with Ben when we were neighbors on Holcomb Lane some 60 years ago. He was a young man at that time just setting out to make his mark in the world. I followed his career over the years and interfaced with him when he was President of the New Car Dealers Association.
At one point in time, he asked me to create a history of his Stearman in a booklet that he could take to the Oshkosh Fly In, where he had entered his plane in the competition. At that time he won the cherished Lindy trophy. (His Stearman is pictured below).
RENO RODEO. This week you can still catch the final days of this year’s edition of Reno’s longest running Special Event—The Reno Rodeo. An article I penned below seems appropriate at this time.
“Thin, almost to the point of gauntness, from a long winter on the range, this creature with its skin burnt to a deep mahogany by the fierce Nevada sun and weathered to leather by long exposure to wind, rain, sleet and snow, travels with back bent from long hours hunched-over or hunkered-down, on legs that are permanently bowed.
With hands calloused and gnarled, it can fingernail-snap a match into bright flame and hand-cup it against the strongest breeze to bring life to a twisty combination of hand-rolled paper and tobacco.
Slow-moving by nature, it somehow manages to reach any goal while mastering the beasts with which it shares the range. Its most riveting feature is its eyes. Squinted into mere slits in the deeply-lined face, they are invariably of a steely nature and have an almost hypnotic effect on both man and beast.
Along with a mystic and universal appeal to the female of the species, it has also earned the undying envy of its more domesticated counterparts. It— of course— is the working cowboy.”
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