George W. Scott, retired TV transmission engineer, veteran, dancer, and masters track and field champion, has died at 101
He started his celebrated track and field career when he was 88. In the nascent days of TV broadcasting, he was the person who told late-night viewers: “This concludes our broadcast day.”
George W. Scott, 101, of Warminster, retired TV transmitting engineer with Philadelphia’s groundbreaking WPTZ-Channel 3, Air Force veteran, decorated masters division track and field champion, and longtime basketball player and dancer, died Sunday, Aug. 7, of complications from a recent stroke and dementia at Ann’s Choice senior living community.
Mr. Scott, a radar and radio expert for the Air Force during World War II, worked at WPTZ and its pioneering TV successors for more than 30 years. Stationed in an office filled with monitors and cutting-edge electronics, and situated among the half-dozen tall transmitter towers in Roxborough, he oversaw early TV broadcast transmissions day and night in the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s.
He was a member of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia, and his children tried to stay awake when he worked the late shift because he was the one who announced on air at midnight: “This concludes our broadcast day.”
A skilled amateur basketball player and tireless dancer throughout his life, he began competing seriously in track and field in 2009 when he was 88 and won dozens of medals at the Penn Relays, Keystone Games, Senior Olympics, National Masters Championships, and other events.
At 97, he was the oldest competitor at the 2018 Penn Relays, and he won his fourth consecutive gold medal in the 100-meter dash for 95- to 100-year-olds. He also won medals over the years in the 60- and 200-meter runs, long jump, broad jump, triple jump, shot put, discus, and hammer throw.
A video that chronicled his Rocky-like preparation for the 2015 Penn Relays has more than 3,000 views on YouTube.
Mr. Scott, known as Scotty to friends and family, got his start in track and field when a fellow basketball player at the Doylestown YMCA, recognizing Mr. Scott’s health and competitive nature, suggested he give it a try. “He said, ‘Scotty, at your age and the shape you’re in, you have to do track and field,’ ” Mr. Scott told The Inquirer in 2018. “I told him I hadn’t done anything like that since 10th grade. But he showed me a few things, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Born Oct. 16, 1920, Mr. Scott grew up with his maternal grandmother in South Philadelphia and learned to play serious basketball from the Sphas, an early professional team that sometimes practiced at a nearby playground. He played hoops until he was 96, most often at the Doylestown YMCA, and was most proud of his passing skills.
He also showed teammates and opponents, according to his son, Jeff, “perhaps the only two-hand set shot they had ever seen.”
He graduated from South Philadelphia High School, was drafted into the Air Force in 1942, and earned a two-year degree in television technology at Temple University after his discharge. He married Ethel Jones in 1941, and they lived in Hilltown, and had sons George, Michael, Jeff, and Thomas, and daughters Kathleen and Patricia.
His wife; sons George, Michael, and Thomas; and daughter Patricia died earlier. He met Dorothy Bischoff at a dance, and they married in the early 2000s. She died in 2007.
Before moving to Ann’s Choice 15 years ago, Mr. Scott and his family lived on 3½ acres in Hilltown and cared for cows, chickens, sheep, pigs, and cats. Handy around the house and adept at electronics, he built his own organ when he was young and collected early televisions.
He enjoyed all kinds of dancing, from the jitterbug to ballroom, and he and his girlfriend, Helen Helmuth, taught dance classes and hosted a monthly sock hop at Ann’s Choice. He also liked to laugh and share puns he created with family and friends.
“People were drawn to him,” his son, Jeff, said. He allowed the Penn Memory Center to study his brain over the last few years, and he donated it to the center for further study and his body to the Humanity Gifts Registry at the University of Pennsylvania.
» READ MORE: 97-year-old George Scott returns to Franklin Field as a Penn Relays runner
“He was a kind, even-tempered man who taught his children to treat everyone the same,” his son said. “He was quick-witted and had a knack for making people feel comfortable.”
Mr. Scott often said his secret to long life was staying active. “He always said: ‘Keep moving.’ But I think his kind temperament also had a lot to do with his longevity,” his son said.
In addition to his son and daughter Kathleen, Mr. Scott is survived by nine grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and other relatives.
A dance in his honor is to be held at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 24, at Ann’s Choice, 30000 Ann’s Choice Way, Warminster, Pa. 18974, and a celebration of his life is scheduled for 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Doylestown YMCA, 2500 Lower State Rd., Doylestown, Pa. 18901.
Donations in his name may be made to the Doylestown YMCA, 2500 Lower State Rd., Doylestown, Pa. 18901.