A season for every calling: Alum Jack Scott’s path through ministry, academia, and public office

While he was growing up in Sweetwater, Texas—a small railroad town between Dallas and El Paso—Jack Scott’s life was shaped by three pillars: family, school, and church. Raised in a denomination often marked by biblical literalism, Scott was baptized at age 12 and regularly took his seat in the pews of his local congregation, where his father served as an elder and his mother taught Sunday school.

“By the time I graduated high school, I had decided to be a minister,” Scott ’62 B.D. says. “At that time, to me, serving God was the number one thing in life.” He followed in the footsteps of his father and enrolled in nearby Abilene Christian College (now called Abilene Christian University). There, he served on the debate team, where he honed his public speaking skills, and was student body president. 

Everything was going according to plan until one of his mentors mentioned that he would be a great fit for graduate school. “I didn’t need a graduate degree to preach in the Church of Christ,” he says, “but all of a sudden the possibility of being a college professor in a religion department was something I was considering.” He graduated in 1954, preached at a small church for a year, and returned to Abilene as an assistant to the president. It was his first taste of life in higher education, and he was hooked.

What followed was a career marked not only by remarkable achievement, but by a remarkable evolution—in profession, in geography, and most notably, in thinking. Now 92, Scott looks back on his life and its many lessons in For Everything There is a Season: A Memoir, published by Abilene Christian University Press. 

From preacher to professor

After a year preaching in Texas and assisting the president at Abilene, Scott learned of an opening for a minister in New Haven. Seeing the chance to pursue both ministry and advanced study—something he would need if he decided to make the transition to teaching at a college—he moved east, built up a modest congregation, and enrolled at Yale Divinity School.

At Yale, Scott began shedding the doctrinal rigidity of his upbringing and embracing a broader, more inclusive theology. “This was a turning point for me,” Scott says. “Even though I intended to stay in the Church of Christ, I was no longer as strictly doctrinal as I had been, and that was certainly due to the outstanding teaching and classes that I took at YDS.” 

Scott vividly remembers the impact of studying Catholic thinkers like Thomas Aquinas and Francis of Assisi—a practice that would have been unheard of in his hometown—and taking courses in sociology and religion. “I began to realize that I could be a strong believer in the teachings of Jesus, while also embracing the idea that there are some elements of the New Testament that were customs of the age and don’t necessarily need to be followed today,” he says. “I could appreciate other traditions and still maintain a strong Christian faith. I could emphasize the spirit of the New Testament, rather than focusing on some of the details.” 

Scott’s new perspective not only shaped his religious understanding, but his personal values as well. He became a vocal advocate for civil rights, gender equity, and public service. “My views moved in a more liberal direction,” he says, “and that growth started at Yale.”

YDS also helped Scott lay a foundation for a new career. By the time he graduated, he discovered a love for campus life and thought he could succeed as a professor while ministering on the side. He accepted a position on the faculty at Pepperdine University, moved with his wife and young children to the West Coast, and taught courses in New Testament studies, ethics, and church history. Over the years, while he enjoyed teaching, Scott found himself increasingly drawn to leadership. “When you’re in a leadership position,” he explains, “you can have a greater impact on the institution.”

By the early 1970s, Scott had earned a PhD in American history from Claremont Graduate University and moved into higher education administration full-time. His career spanned deanships and presidencies at multiple colleges, including Orange Coast College, Cypress College, and Pasadena City College (PCC), where he spearheaded a $100 million capital improvement campaign and later had an administration building named in his honor.

A turn toward public life

Scott’s move from higher education to politics wasn’t something he planned. But after he made a name for himself at PCC, local leaders in Pasadena approached him about running for the California State Assembly. Though initially hesitant, Scott recognized the opportunity to shape education policy on a broader scale. “I knew how to raise money, and I knew politics was a contact sport,” he says. “But I also knew I could make a difference.”

He won his race by nine points, going on to serve four years in the Assembly and eight years in the State Senate. There, he chaired both the Education Committee and a key budget subcommittee, authoring legislation that helped reshape California’s education system. At the end of his second Senate term in 2008, at age 75, he retired from office. Little did he know that he wasn’t finished serving yet.

As he was just starting to enjoy retired life, Scott was tapped to serve as chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the largest higher education system in the nation with two million students on 116 campuses. “I told them I wasn’t interested in applying,” he says with a laugh. “But if they offered the position to me, I’d accept for a limited time.” He stayed until age 79.

A life marked by change 

Scott’s memoir does not shy away from hardship. He writes movingly about the death of his youngest son, a promising young attorney killed in a tragic accident. He also shares the pain of losing his wife of 66 years, who passed away after a long battle with a rare neurological disease. “She was the most influential person in my life,” he says.

Today, Scott remains active in education policy, serving on nonprofit boards and mentoring others. He volunteers with the Salvation Army, counseling men in recovery. And he stays connected with his four children and 11 grandchildren, many of whom live locally.

Scott hopes his book and life story will encourage readers to reexamine long-held beliefs, consider a career in public service, and find hope for healing after loss. “My life has been marked by change, and I embraced the seasons of life as they came,” he says. “I went through changes of career, changes in geography, and changes in my own thinking. I thought writing a memoir would be cathartic for me, and helpful for others who might learn from my story.”

Melissa Kvidahl Reilly is a New Jersey-based writer and editor who specializes in higher education, religious education, and business-to-business subjects.