In presbytery meetings if someone was needed to finish populating an ordination commission or take a seat on a committee, Scotty was often willing to help. He always had a word of encouragement for other ministers and provided wise assistance to many pastors during his numerous years of ministry. He was a kind and patient man.

When we met I was told that everyone called him Scotty because of his homeland. He looked the part with his thick white hair, matching bushy moustache, glint in his eyes, and ever-present smile. If he had been Irish, I would say he had a leprechaun-like quality about him. During a conversation I made the mistake of calling him Scotch which elicited a polite but emphatic response, “Scotch is a drink; people from Scotland are Scots.” I purposed not ever to make that mistake again. His wife Ruth was always cordial as she showed guests needlework and trinkets from her homeland Sweden scattered throughout their home. I never asked them how a Swede and a Scot managed to get together, but they were a loving couple that were hospitable to all and faithful in ministry together.

One time my wife and I were dinner guests of Scotty and Ruth. As we waited for the meal, I was seated in the living room chatting with Scotty when I viewed his study through a pair of glass doors, so I asked if he would show it to me. Setting in front of his desk was a nice wood book case with glass doors where he shelved his prized antiquarian titles. It was a nicely done piece and it was obviously made by hand. The touch of handicraft was observed in a few smidgens of misalignment and some saw kerfs that had passed their stop marks, but it had a wonderful patina with its surfaces colored by time and touch. Scotty informed me that his father had built the case many years ago in Scotland. When Scotty was a lad and the family finished eating dinner, the table was cleared so his father could turn it into a joiner’s bench for sawing, planing, chiseling, and fitting panels and joints to create furniture for the house, extended family, and selling to others.

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