Hundreds say goodbye to Houlton educator

HOULTON – Hundreds of former colleagues, students and friends said goodbye this week to a longtime educator and friend.

Elwood Scott, 77, a former Houlton teacher and administrator, died Sept. 2 after a long illness.

At the SAD 29 board meeting on Tuesday evening, Chairman Kerry Golding called for a moment of silence.

Scott died at a health care facility in South Portland. He had taught school in Blaine and Littleton, and was principal of Houlton High School until his retirement in 1986.

On Friday, friends remembered a man who was dedicated to teaching and who worked in support of his students.

“I don’t know where to start when describing Mr. Scott,” said Sandra Plourde, a secretary in the high school guidance department. “He was just a super person to work for, and he was very fair to the kids. He was a wonderful man.”

The secretary explained that she worked with Scott for six years during the 1970s, but had known him a lot longer.

“He had a wonderful sense of humor,” Plourde recalled. “He always stood behind all of his teachers. He will definitely be missed.”

Robert Cowperthwaite, who is now principal at Houlton Elementary School, also worked with Scott.

“He was very respected for his professionalism and dedication to all of the students in the area,” Cowperthwaite said. “From my experience, his words of wisdom were very much appreciated.”

Born in Hodgdon, Scott eventually earned a master’s degree from the University of Maine. He served in the U.S. Army, stationed in the Philippines and Korea.

Scott was a constant supporter of the Dollars For Scholars program, a scholarship initiative that provides financial support for college-bound students. He was also athletic and loved to work in his garden. After his retirement from education in 1986, Scott went to work for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in Houlton.

Robert Lewis, one of Scott’s former students, recalled from his San Diego home how students “always behaved” when they were in Scott’s company.

“All it took was one glance from him and we would straighten up,” Lewis explained via e-mail. “I can still remember him standing in the hallway outside his office when he was principal, and if a student was misbehaving, just one glance from him if would do the trick. … He was a fine man.”