Scott Travis

1950 - 2025

Scott Travis was born under a new moon, and his life was characterized by growth and renewal. He grew up with his younger sister Sue and little brother Danny in the Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn. And he was always proud of being from the "South Side". He was also proud of the dirt baseball field he built with his buddies so they could play game after game until dusk. He loved the formal Sunday dinners at his maternal grandparent's house, recalling Grandma Thelma's roast lamb and homemade mint sauce. Grandpa Parrish took Scott to his job at the Field Museum and after retirement, they went to White Sox games. On the way home they would secretly stop for White Castle hamburgers and rehash the game. Cementing a lifelong love of baseball.
In High School Scott started volunteering at the local hospital. When an F-4 Tornado struck the town; Scott walked through torn up streets to get to the hospital to help treat the influx of causalities. Encouraged by this experience, Scott started pre-med courses at St. Procopious College. A lifelong Episcopalian, he valued the contemplative life of the Benedictine monks and formed a still, thoughtful, countenance that remained part of his character for the rest of his life.
Scott enlisted in the US Army Medical Corps and served as an Operating Room Specialist from 1972-74. While in the Army, he married his first wife Marilyn and over a year later they welcomed their daughter, Chandra Marie. His young family later joined him while he was stationed at the US Army Hospital in Germany. Working in the hospital, Scott saw the devastating effects of the Vietnam War on soldier's bodies and minds. He was disturbed by the military's practice of incarcerating soldiers with addictions in the hospital. Moved to action; he asked if he could start a pilot program to take the soldiers out on educational hikes through the local countryside. Later, Scott was tasked to find a community outreach project, and he volunteered to work on an archaeological excavation of Mainz Cathedral. Exposed to the intellectual challenges of archeological field work, this experience ignited in him a lifelong passion for archeology.
Honorably discharged, Scott set about using the GI bill to study southwest archeology and history at Northern Arizona University. During this time Scott and Marilyn welcomed their son Colin Sterling. At some point Scott developed a true talent for whistling. And his repertoire ran the gambit from showtunes to classical music. He used this skill to calm the baby, entertain his daughter, cue colleagues he was leaving the office, or to communicate contentment. At some point his cousins nicknamed him "Uncle Whistle".
After Scott and Marilyn divorced, Scott started working for the National Park Service as part of a field crew conducting an archeological survey of Wupatki National Monument. Scott found his niche in archeological survey work. Survey work fed his natural curiosity; stirred his love of landscape archeology and developed the physical and mental toughness to do the work. His beautiful hand drawn pace and compass maps revealed an artist's soul and a scientist's mind.
After his marriage to Tara (Sidles) Travis, Scott and Tara built careers with the National Park Service. They initially moved from Flagstaff to Santa Fe, New Mexico. But it wasn't long before Scott returned to Arizona to direct the "Canyon del Muerto Archeological Survey Project" at Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Relocating to Navajo country, Scott and Tara formed a special connection to the canyon community and the park. For many summers Scott, Tara and Colin could be found at the cottonwood field camp at the base of Twin Trails.
After a three-year stint in the Southern Arizona Office while Tara pursued her PhD at ASU, Scott returned as the park superintendent. This time his he focused on working with the Navajo community on landscape restoration. The results of these consultations was the initiation of the "Canyon de Chelly Watershed Restoration Project". In total, Scott and Tara spent 14 years at Canyon de Chelly and eventually bought a home in Flagstaff, Arizona. Tara was always by his side while pursuing her own career and educational goals. The final years of his career were spent as Chief of Research and Resource Management at Mesa Verde National Park. Scott and Tara celebrated 39 years of marriage in 2025.
In his 60's Scott enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren Ryan, Makenna and Eli when they would visit from TN. He would take them to archeological sites, fish in a local pond, and play games like corn hole where his baseball skills were on full display. Unfortunately, his retirement was cut short by dementia. Whereas some would view this diagnosis as tragic; his family views it as a revelation. It was an unexpected opportunity to see his innate joy of life and sweetness of character. His love, kindness, and compassion were on full display. Scott's eyes lit up when he saw his wife Tara and he always rallied when his daughter Chandra would visit. His beautiful soul touched many during his illness. The family would like to thank the staff at Northern Arizona Hospice and especially nurse Rayne Melo-Tilleria who provided much needed support to Scott and his family.
A memorial service will be held at Flagstaff Federated Community Church at 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 30.
He is survived by his wife, Tara Travis; daughter, Chandra Harrison and Wayne; grandchildren, Ryan, Makenna and Eli; sister, Sue Travis; brother, Dan and Kimberly Travis son, Chase; brother-in-law, Tobin Sidles and Shawne children, Nate and Lindsey; sister-in-law, Jennifer Plattis and Jeff, their daughter Jesse; and aunt, Sindie and Randy Pietz and their children Mariah, sons, Jak and Burke and Justin Pietz and son Wes.