A funeral service is being conducted this morning in Fresno for Marine Lt. Col. Gordon Scott, the father of former City Manager Mark Scott.
A veteran of World War II – he participated in the historic battle for Iwo Jima – and the Korean War, Lt. Scott died last week. The City Council adjourned last night’s meeting in his honor.
The younger Mr. Scott served as City Manager, with impact and distinction, for an abbreviated period, from June 2009 until April 2010, when he resigned to return, with his wife, to his hometown of Fresno to be near and care for his parents. He became City Manager of Fresno.
“This makes Mark’s move back to Fresno the more meaningful,” said Councilman Mehaul O’Leary. “I am glad to know he could spend his last years with his father.”
As the successor to Jerry Fulwood at City Hall, Mr. Scott quickly became a popular choice. There was wide disappointment when he departed, and he loyally remains in touch with friends through relationships he kindled while in Culver City.
“He was a great man in my eyes,” Mr. Scott said of his father. “Proud but never boastful. A teacher and a Marine.
“Yes, I had discipline in my life…but with a soft touch.
“He was also something of a journalist, having taught it in schools for years, and he practiced it in the Marine Corps.
“As my brother, the college journalism professor says, ‘He knew where to put an apostrophe.’
“He also knew how to talk and how to listen to people,” Mr. Scott said. “That served him well and maybe helped shape his sons.
“My Mom is 87. She is vibrant. We are all missing Dad, but we are doing okay.”
Mr. Scott may be contacted at mark.scott@fresno.gov
