John Scott, a recipient of the British Columbia Medal of Good Citizenship award, was born in Calgary, Alta in 1943. This prestigious award is bestowed upon individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the wellbeing of their communities through their exceptional long-term volunteer efforts and John certainly fits that description.
John was an apprentice soldier at the age of 16 which made the Canadian army his legal guardian from the age of 16 to the age of 18. He credits that experience for his service-oriented career. When he completed his apprenticeship, he was posted to Winnipeg with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. During his career, he served in various military bases in Canada, Germany and Cyprus.
While he was serving in the army, he happened to drive through Prince George (in 1961) on his way to Dawson Creek. He loved what he saw of the city and hoped to one day return and perhaps make Prince George his home. Little did he know that all of that would come to pass.
John said, "After I was released from military service in 1977, I accepted a job offer in Prince George working for Acme Strapping and I have been here ever since. I worked for the company as a service representative and worked on the lumber strapping machines for 14 years. My area covered everything from 100 Mile House west to Prince Rupert and everything in northern B.C.
"Later I worked for Del Schneider Hydraulics as a technical sales representative followed by sales in the sawmill industry. I worked for P.G. Valve and Fitting selling Swagloc valves and fittings, then Canadian Wallamet Industries, then IKS and finally Camco Industries as a salesman selling saws and knives for the sawmill industry.
"I retired in 2004 due to medical problems. I was only 61 and I was misdiagnosed with lung problems only to learn later that I had some pretty serious heart problems that literally stopped my heart from beating. The first time that my heart stopped beating we were out at Francois Lake and a friend of mine who had CPR training worked on me and saved my life until the fire engines along with medical help showed up at our camp.
"This was a close call. I was diagnosed as having a heart attack caused by blockages and required four stents. Later I was found to have blockages to all five of the major blood vessels to my heart which prompted a five-bypass or quintuple bypass surgery which made all the difference in the world.
"I recovered from the surgery, we sold our 100 acre farm out at Hoodoo Lake and we moved into town."
John's early retirement allowed him to become an even more active volunteer with the Royal Canadian Legion. He has been a member since 1979.
John met his wife Wilma Wilson in 1962 on a blind date when he was stationed in Winnipeg, Man.
Wilma, who was born in 1943, was working in the purchasing department for Bristol Aero when she met John.
She said, "we got married in 1963 and I followed John in his military career as we were transferred from place to place. When the children started to arrive, I happily became a stay-at-home mom. We had two boys; Steven (deceased) and Glen (Lorna) and with our blended families we have five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
"When we came to Prince George, I worked on a temporary basis at the College of New Caledonia to a full-time position in the printing department. I printed all the course exams and all the printing requirements for the CNC faculty. I loved the job and the people and after 26 years of service I retired in 2003."
Wilma served as the secretary on the board at the Legion for many years but her favorite position was membership chairman. As the years went by, she was always available to fill in as needed but has since retired to allow younger members to carry on.
Over the years, John has volunteered for local organizations including the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 43, served as the Northern B.C. Representative for the Canadian Army Cadet League and he is a staunch advocate for the Connaught Youth Centre. He is currently the vice president of the Royal Canadian Legion BC/Yukon Command.
He started the Nechako Scout District, served as the district commissioner, the assistant provincial commissioner and was a Scouting Cubmaster for the 15th Cub Scout pack.
John said, "I would like to take this opportunity to thank Pathfinder Endeavours Ltd. for all the work they did making the renovations for our new Legion premises at 1116 Sixth Ave. Much of their work was donated and they get the credit for the gorgeous bar in the Branch. There were many other volunteers, too numerous to mention them all, who donated both their time and money toward the new Legion. Thank you to each and every one of you.
"As young soldiers, we were taught by Second World War veterans and Korean War veterans who had been through a war that we needed to pay back. They were certainly big on teaching us young fellows that we always needed to say thank you for what we received. They always repeated that we should be grateful and pay back. Those veterans did so much for me; if it hadn't been for them who knows which direction I might have gone.
"My heart is all around the veterans and what the Legion stands for. Unfortunately, our membership is down and we desperately need members and especially younger members. I just want to mention that a person male or female no longer needs a military or a family military background to become a member."
