From These Roots

William Fletcher Scott was born on September 30, 1876, in Fairfield County, South Carolina to parents John Austin Scott and Arabella Holmes Scott. The Scotts were a very well-educated family. John Austin Scott was a medical doctor, and Arabella was the daughter of a medical doctor. William was their oldest son, and they named him after Arabella’s father, William Fletcher Holmes. After William, they went on to have seven more children together.

Scott would not follow in his father and grandfather’s footsteps. Instead of medicine, Scott pursued a career in education. He first attended the University of South Carolina and then graduated from Furman University in 1900 with a degree in literature. While at Furman, Scott played on the baseball team and was the corresponding secretary of the Philosophian Society. After graduating from Furman, Scott taught school in Fairfield County, SC.

In 1903, Scott was offered the position as the 5^th principal of North Greenville High School. When he arrived in Tigerville, the new men’s dorm was only two-thirds complete, and the money was gone. Scott and the trustees knew that completing the dorm was essential for the survival of North Greenville. So, Scott set out every weekend to different churches to raise money to complete the dorm. Despite the financial struggles, Scott thought highly of his new school. He wrote, “Discipline and restraint are hardly ever necessary. The scenery is such as to infuse and inspire the student to attain great honor and incline his heart to God who is maker of these beautiful mountain peaks.”

During his year at North Greenville, the school obtained a state charter as a state high school. High schools were still rare in the state at the time, so the charter was a great step forward for North Greenville. However, by the end of the spring 1904 term, it seemed that the dorm would never be finished so Scott resigned as principal.

After leaving North Greenville, Scott took a position as an English teacher at Welsh Neck High School which was the predecessor to Coker College in Hartsville, South Carolina. Eventually, Scott taught Latin at Welsh Neck, and he stayed there until 1908 when he accepted a position as the superintendent of Ninety-Six schools.

During his time in Ninety-Six, Scott married Julia Haltiwanger on April 15, 1909. Julia was a talented musician and had studied piano at the New York Conservatory. Scott was a talented singer, so the couple enjoyed performing together. The couple had three children together including William Elliott, George Lea, and Gloria “Scottie” Rochelle.

From 1910-1912, Scott served as the superintendent of Barnwell High School before accepting a position as superintendent of Johnston High School in Edgefield County, South Carolina. At Johnston High School, Scott oversaw the construction of a new school building and raised the reputation of the school. The Scotts remained in Johnston for eight years and were well loved in the community.

On December 16, 1919, tragedy struck the Scott family when their youngest son, George, died from heart failure while outside playing with his dad shortly before his second birthday. George had suffered from heart issues in the past, and his loss was hard on the family and the community. Shortly after George’s passing, in January 1920, Scott accepted a position as the superintendent of the new combined Batesburg-Leesville High School.

Scott remained as the superintendent at Batesburg-Leesburg for over a decade. He was still in that role in 1933 when his wife, who was only 47 at the time, passed away from kidney disease. Just a few months after the loss of his wife, Scott returned to the Edgefield, SC area to serve as superintendent of Greenbriar School.

Scott found love again a couple of years later and married May Crouch Wright on June 10, 1935. The last couple years of his life, Scott taught history at the University of South Carolina’s summer school. He passed away from throat cancer on November 11, 1937, and is buried next to his first wife Julia at the Mount of Olives Cemetery in Johnston, SC. In 1963, one wing of the former men’s dorm, Lawton Hall, was named in honor of William Fletcher Scott. Lawton Hall was torn down around 1981.