William Rowlett Scott was born on June 11, 1936 in Memphis, Tennessee and passed away after a long illness on March 5, 2023. He attended Bellevue Junior High and Central High school in Memphis, where he was President of the student body. He received a B.E. in Chemical Engineering in 1958 from Yale College, graduated from Yale Law School in 1961, and admitted to the Tennessee Bar in that same year. After serving in the Army Reserves from 1962-1969, he was discharged as a Captain in the Judge Advocate General Corps.
In 1961-1962, Rowlett served as the first law clerk to U.S. District Judge Bailey Brown, Jr. He was an attorney with the law firm of Armstrong Allen, PLLC from 1963-2006, where he was a partner and member of the management committee. He joined the law firm of Burch, Porter Johnson, PLLC from 2006 until his retirement in 2020. He was a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He was proud to have conducted considerable pro bono legal services, including to the Memphis Bar Association and the American Civil Liberties Union. He was a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and the American Bankruptcy Institute.
He shared a lifetime of service to numerous community organizations throughout Memphis. He was a founding member of Metropolitan Interfaith Association (MIFA) and served on the boards of Memphis College of Art, L.I.F.E. Center Inc., Concerts International, Brooks Museum of Art and the Tennessee Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, among others. He especially enjoyed his affiliations with the Egyptians and the Wolf River Society. He became an avid art collector and enjoyed traveling with his family and on canoe trips with the Sierra Club.
He was a lifetime member of St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral where he served in many capacities over the years including Chairman of the Chapter and President of St. Mary’s Manassas Alabama Redevelopment Team (SMART).
Rowlett was preceded in death by his parents Charles and Margaret Scott, his wife, Martha Chase Scott, his sister, Peggy Scott Hodges, and his brother, Charles M. Scott. He is survived by his sons, Neel Scott (Claire Levenson) of Montclair, NJ, and Cobb Scott (Amy) of Philadelphia, PA, grandchildren Conor, Ella and Rebecca, and companion Diane Rudner. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, March 14 at 2:00 pm in the Sisters Chapel at St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, 700 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN (please enter the chapel on Poplar Avenue), followed by a reception in Martyrs’ Hall.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be directed to St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral or The Tennessee Nature Conservancy.