I am a native of East Tennessee- with roots here. My great great grandfather, John Stoltzfus, donated the land for the Concord Mennonite Church at Lovell Road. My great grandfather Christian Stoltzfus was chairman of the committee that started Farragut High School and my great aunt Amanda Stoltzfus was principal during the first year. My grandfather, Charles Ferris, was the first dean of engineering at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville (he also played on the first U.T. football team).

My father, Bob Scott, came to the University of Tennessee from Memphis and stayed in Knoxville after graduating. He was an insurance man with M.F. Flenniken Co. in Knoxville. I have had strangers come to me, when they heard who I was, and say “ your father was the finest man I ever met”-quite a legacy. He was also an athlete- he played basketball for UT and was one of the best handball players and golfers (hole-in-one three times) in Knoxville.

My mother, Katherine (Kitty) Scott was from Knoxville. My brother, Charlie Scott, played basketball for U.T. and my sister, K. K. (Scott) Cooper, worked for the Knoxville News-Sentinel before going to Florida.

My wife, Julia, is from Knoxville. Her father, John Montgomery was an ophthalmologist and a cattle breeder in Knoxville and McMinn County. Her older brother, John Montgomery Jr. is a retired ophthalmologist, former red angus breeder and developer. Her younger brother, Tucker Montgomery is a physician and a lawyer.

Julia and I have been married for 53 years. We have two sons. Rob Scott is a computer engineer with EVENTBOOKING.COM in Knoxville. Joe Scott is a physician in Murfreesboro. We have six wonderful grandchildren.

I went to Knoxville High School and West High School and graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in chemical engineering. I also have a masters degree in chemical engineering from the University of Cincinnati and I attended UCLA. I am a licensed professional engineer (since 1962) in the state of Virginia.

I worked in the chemical industry for 15 years with duPont, Olin and Shell Chemical Companies in Delaware, Texas, Virginia, California, New Jersey, New York and Alabama. I have worked in design, construction, chemical manufacturing (synthetic rubber, heavy chemicals, pesticides, consumer products and pharmaceuticals), government research and development (Oak Ridge National Laboratory and U.S. Army Signal Corps R&D Laboratory) and economic evaluation of manufacturing projects. I left industry and taught at what is now Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville for 26 years before retiring (when I started at Pellissippi State there were only six full time faculty members). I still think of myself as a manufacturing person and I am interested in new manufacturing methods and I want to see the United States manufacturing some of almost everything we use.

I lived in Arizona, South Carolina, New Jersey and Alaska while in the Army. I had a small farm (2.6 acres with an old barn, steers, sheep, ducks and chickens) near Princeton, New Jersey when I worked in New York City. I acted as my own general contractor in building the house we now live in.

I am currently a member of the following organizations:

• Church of the Savior-UCC
• Technical Society of Knoxville
• Tennessee Ornithological Society
• Sierra Club
• American Institute of Chemical Engineers
• Mensa
• American Association of Retired People
• Audubon Society

I have been interested in studying nature since I took bird study merit badge in the Boy Scouts and I probably would not have directly gone into a job in industry manufacturing pesticides. When I completed graduate school I went to work for Shell Chemical Company making synthetic rubber. Shell transferred me to the Agricultural Chemicals Division making consumer products, pharmaceuticals and pesticides. Most of the people who made pesticides regarded environmental concerns as unwarranted and they had an “us versus them” attitude. I remember being in a meeting to design a new plant and one of the other engineers stopped what he was doing , looked at me and said “ Scott, you are the closest thing to a double agent I have ever seen.” But, I never did anything I didn’t believe was in the long term best interest of my employer and when Shell started the plant the Shell top management gave the plant manager a pointed directive “you will be a good neighbor.” Later on, the plant was given an award by the State of Alabama for being a good neighbor.

I still enjoy nature and I look forward to trips to Mount Leconte with the hardier members of my family each year.

I am a person who looks to the future. My first personal computer was an Apple 2 computer with serial number 11401. When you think about how many personal computers have been sold since and how few 11401 is for the entire world then you can see I was there early. I bought a Honda Civic hybrid car in the first year they were available and I later bought a Mercury Mariner hybrid which was one of the first American made hybrid cars. My next car will be a plug in hybrid. The house I built has ground fault breakers on every outlet and it has a fire sprinkler system -both of which will be required in homes someday.

The following is an essay written by my grandson, Calvin Scott , several years ago:

Leadership Attributes

Many characteristics define America’s great Presidents. One such distinction is their leadership ability, although they exhibit several great qualities. These attributes can also be seen in my grandfather, Bob Scott, who is currently running for congress.

The courage to stay strong

Courage is not giving up, even when the odds are against you. My grandfather has shown courage in several ways. One of them is in the very fact that he is running for congress, against not only a man, but a family which has created a legacy by holding this seat for 43 years. His opponent, John Duncan, is one of the Republicans who have held this seat since before the Civil War! Nevertheless, Bob Scott is running against John Duncan, in spite of every obstacle in his way.

Self-confidence

Self-confidence is believing in yourself and believing that you can do what you need to do. Bob Scott shows confidence in understanding that his opponent has had this seat for twenty years, (even though he once signed the Newt Gingrich “Contract with America” which would have set term limits) and is not going to give it up easily.

An ability to learn from errors

The ability to learn from errors is being able to admit you are wrong and not make the mistake again. Bob Scott has held positions in other places, and learned from each of them. However, as some people say, John Duncan has “been there too long and he doesn’t have any new ideas.”

A Willingness to Change

Our world is constantly changing, and so candidates must be flexible. Bob Scott has been in many environments across 9 states, including Arizona and Alaska, served in the army, and taught at Pellissippi State for 26 years. Thus, he has experience in changing environments, and can adapt.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is being able to connect with the people close to you, to see how they think and how to handle them. Bob Scott has a natural ability to put people at ease, and to connect with them.

Self-control

Self-control is being able to hold yourself together in exasperating situations. Bob Scott has been in many stressful situations. One such situation was when he ran for this office for the first time. He almost won the primary, but in the end he lost. However, he did not become frustrated.

A Popular Touch

Having a popular touch means knowing how people think. Bob Scott displays a popular touch by, instead of spending extravagant amounts of money, distributing cheap DVD’s and using the Internet and other new technology to persuade people and keep a finger on the pulse of the state.

A Moral Compass

Having a moral compass means knowing what is right and sticking to it. Bob Scott has a moral compass and is one of the wisest people I know. His ethics lead him to act honorably, and take care of those around him.

A Capacity to Relax

Being able to relax is one of the best things a candidate, or anyone, can be. Bob Scott is definitely able to relax and have fun with his grandchildren! We play board games, and do all kinds of things together! Of all of these qualities, I believe he exhibits this the most.

A Gift for Inspiring Others

Inspiring others is an amazing gift, and to have it is to be able to motivate others to do what must be done. Bob Scott can make others understand the situation and show them what they need to do to improve it.

Overall, these are the best qualities for a leader to have. My grandfather Bob Scott displays all of them to some degree, and so I believe he would be a good congressman.