Beloved educator was ‘always willing to help’
For VorisGlasper, Ira B. Scott Sr. was more than just an educator — he was a father figure.
Glasper said many of his other Blackmale classmates at E.O. Smith Junior High felt the same way, looking up to the man who always had knowledge to impart to his students. Years later, when Glasper went on to become a dentist, Scott became his patient.
Scott, a retired educator in the Houston area and the oldest livingmember of the historically Black Omega Psi Phi fraternity , died Nov. 10. He was 103.
“He taught us how to be respectful young men,” said Glasper, 81. “He taught us how to accept responsibility. He always emphasized the fact that an education was the path to upward mobility, in this country and our lives.”
Scott was born an only child to
Joseph and Alzadia Scott inWillis on March 25, 2017, according to an obituary provided by his son. He attended Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, a historically Black private college, and pledged Omega Psi Phi in 1938.
He received a degree in education and had a storied career as a teacher, landing his first job in a small community near Shreveport, La. Even though he couldn’t swim, Scott would often transport his students across a stream to the schoolhouse in a makeshift boat, according to the obituary.
Aftermoving to New Orleans and starting a job at the YMCA,
Scott met Evelyn Rhoda Landix. They were married for 69 years. Landix, who had a long career as an educator for the Houston Independent School District, died in 2013.
The couple eventually moved to Conroe and had two sons, Carl and Ira Jr., now 74 and 75 respectively.
Scott taught at Booker T. Washington High School in Conroe and at Wheatley High School in Houston, according to his obituary.
While living in Conroe, Scott started the first Boy Scout Troop for Colored Boys in Montgomery County.
Eventually, Scott moved his family to Houston. He got a teaching job and was later named principal at E.O. Smith Junior High, now called The Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men. He started another Boy Scout troop, this one for those living in FifthWard.
Scott received an advanced education at Texas Southern University. The Scotts also had a third child, Vernon, now 57.
State Rep. Harold Dutton, who also attended E.O. Smith Junior High in the mid-1950s, remembers Scott as pleasant and kind to others, loaning lunch money to students who didn’t bring enough.
Always well-dressed, Scott also modeled how to remain calm during a crisis, Dutton recalled.
“He rarely if ever got angry at anything,” said Dutton, 75. “He was always pleasant, always had a smile, always willing to help somebody else. It was like having a dad away from home because he exhibited all the things that
you hope to find in a dad.”
Ira Scott Jr. said his father would constantly correct the grammar of his children while they were growing up. He was amazed at his father’s handwriting, which he said remained “pristine” even in old age.
Scott also worked for Germolene Chemical Co., selling janitorial supplies to historically black universities. During summers, Ira Scott Jr. would sometimes tag along and get to visit universities across Texas and Oklahoma.
Ira Scott Jr. recalled that his father also kept him and his brothers busy selling newspapers, cutting grass and running errands for neighbors.
He made sure the family regularly attended services at Trin
ity United Methodist Church.
Scott remained a faithful member of his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, throughout his life. His son recalled Scott often bonded with other fraternity brothers, no matter their age. He liked to play dominoes and go to lunch with them.
“He was a staunch believer in the fraternity helping young men grow into manhood and be better men,” said Ira Scott Jr.
Raymond Bourgeois, a fraternity brother, described Scott as an elegant man with a sense of humor. He celebrated his birthdays in style.
Dutton and Bougeois both recalled celebrating Scott’s 90th birthday party at a bar.
For his 100th birthday, Bour
geois printed out $100 bills with Scott’s picture on them. Scott walked into his birthday party wearing a white suit.
“You can imagine the atmosphere around him was always pleasant,” said Bourgeois, 68.
Scott remained active as a centenarian, mentally sharp and taking walks.
Faith, family, fraternity, friendship and fellowship — those were the core values of Scott’s life, his son said . A funeral was held Friday morning at Trinity United Methodist Church in Scott’s honor.
“He was a strong advocate of that approach to successful long living,” his son said.