CSM USA (Ret) Terry H. Scott

CSM (Ret) Terry H.
Scott
January 26, 1918-
February 4, 2017
of Jupiter, FL- Command Sergeant Major, USA, ( Ret.) Terry H. Scott, City of Columbus tennis pro from 1968 to 1987, died at his home in Jupiter, Florida Feb. 4, 2017 with his wife, Jeanne Blackmon Scott, at his side. A Celebration of Life service, officiated by the Reverend Dr. Michael Stewart, will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, February 13, 2017 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Columbus at 8827 Heiferhorn Way, Columbus, GA 31904.
On Jan. 26, 1918, Terry Scott was born to Gwendolyn Terry Scott and Holcomb Harris Scott in Ogden, Utah. A few years later, the family moved to a house on a steep rocky bluff overlooking the Willamette River in Oregon City, Oregon. There he spent his youth growing up during the Great Depression. He enjoyed lifelong close and loving relationships with his parents , his older sister, Helen, and his younger siblings, France and Marge, all of whom lived to be seniors but preceded him in death.
At age 11, his love of tennis began when he taught himself to play the game with a makeshift wire for a net. He rarely met a sport he didn't like, so he played football, basketball and tennis in high school. He earned scholarships for football and basketball which took him to Gooding College in Idaho, where he won the 1937 Idaho Collegiate Tennis Championship. He later transferred to Oregon College where he lettered in track, basketball, baseball and tennis. His education was interrupted when he was in an auto accident and while taking a semester off was drafted for service in World War II.
His Army career began with Airborne training at Ft. Benning, GA, where he met and later married Laura Thomas Scott in 1944. One of his happy memories from those early days at Ft. Benning was playing forward on the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment's barnstorming Army team that defeated the New York Celtics, Auburn, Georgia, and Florida.
In 1945 he served in the 515th Parachute Infantry Regiment in France. His Army service took him to Alaska, Korea, Kansas, Germany twice, and Louisiana, but he returned to Ft. Benning for two tours during which he formed lasting friendships with teammates who played on Army volleyball, softball, baseball, badminton, and basketball teams. During his Army years, he won six Third Army Championships and Four Fifth Army Championships in tennis , as well as playing on the All-Army team. In 1968 he retired as a Command Sergeant Major, Infantry, with seven ribbons and a battle star.
His second career began after his Army retirement, when he became the first year-round tennis pro for the City of Columbus. At the time, only the Lake Bottom courts existed, but later he was also the first pro for the new Cooper Creek Tennis Center. During his 19 years as a tennis pro, he won nine Southern championships in his age group , two father-son titles with his son, Randy, a father-daughter title with his daughter, Kim, and 37 senior state titles. He once told an interviewer that sports had kept him healthy, but he was most pleased with the people he got to know through coaching and playing.
He had a chance during those years to finally complete his education, earning a BA in English and a Master of Education degree from Columbus College. Another of his passions was literature, and he remained an avid reader in his nineties.
When he retired from being the city pro, at age 70, he was not ready to retire from tennis or other sports. He was active on local tennis teams and as a senior coordinator for CORTA. His competitive spirit led him to National Senior Games in Norfolk, VA and Pittsburgh , PA, where he won gold medals in tennis in 2003 and 2005 and also medaled in some track events. In 2006 he was named the Outstanding Adult Tennis Player in the State of Georgia. At the age of 89, he was inducted into the Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame.
He belonged to the Masonic Lodge, BPOE-111, VFW, American Legion, Airborne Society, 17th Airborne Society, 507th Airborne Society, MENSA, GSTA and was a life member of the USPTA.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Laura, who died in 2006.
He is survived by his wife, Jeanne Blackmon Scott; his three children with Laura Scott: Michelle Midgette (Hallas), Randy Scott (Joan) and Kim Spicer; five grandchildren: Yale Scott (Leslie), Alicia Schwartz (Matt), Thor Scott, Hunter Spicer, and Hayden Spicer; five great-granddaughters; and four step-children: Michael Blackmon (Kristen), Jeanne Edmonds (Stan), Gay Blackmon and Keely Blackmon. .
He lived a long, active, full life, made rich by the love of family and friends, and by his passion for sports.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Trustbridge Sunflower Care Group, 5300 East Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33407.