Dr. Charles Waldo Scott

NEWPORT NEWS — Dr. C. Waldo Scott, a local civil rights pioneer who headed the surgery departments of two Peninsula hospitals, died Saturday at Sentara Hampton General Hospital after a long illness. He was 76.

His death came just four days after his son, Rep. Robert C. Scott, was sworn in as the state's first black congressman since Reconstruction.

In 1952 Dr. Scott became the first black appointed to the Newport News School Board in the 20th century. His efforts to open doors for black politicians on the Peninsula helped pave the way for his son's political success, local leaders said.

"It meant a great deal to Waldo to have his son elected as a U.S. Representative, said Philip Walker, a retired Newport News attorney, who worked with Dr. Scott on the Political Action Committee, an organization that worked to give blacks a political voice on the Peninsula.

Bobby has done a great deal, but the opportunity for him to do so is thanks largely to the work his father did with these committees 30 and 40 years ago, said Walker. Waldo's hard work paid off."

William Harvey, president of Hampton University, called Dr. Scott a pioneer and a giant among men. There are many people who are powerful, with lots of money, but they are not giants. Waldo was a pioneer as a surgeon when black surgeons didn't have the opportunities white surgeons had. He was a friend, a confidante and a mentor to many aspiring young professionals, including myself. They don't make them like him anymore."

Nita Wilkinson, a former classmate of Dr. Scott's at Huntington High School, remembers that he wrote in their class yearbook of his desire to be a great doctor. "And a great medico he did become," said Wilkinson. "He was the most gentle man I ever met, both as a doctor and as a person. There are some shoes no one can ever fill, and those are the shoes of Dr. Waldo Scott."

A native of Atlanta, Dr. Scott moved to Newport News when he was 2 years old.

He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Howard University in Washington, D.C. He graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Medical School.

He began practicing surgery in Newport News in 1948, at Whittaker Hospital, now Newport News General Hospital, where he served as medical director and acting chief surgeon from 1948 to 1958, when he became chief surgeon. He joined the surgical staff of Dixie Hospital, now Sentara Hampton General, in 1949 and was chairman of its department of surgery from 1968 to 1970.

Dr. Scott also served on the staff at Mary Immaculate Hospital and was a consultant in thoracic surgery at the Veterans Administration Hospital. Named diplomate of the American Board of Surgery in 1948 and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons in 1951, Dr. Scott was an honorary member of the John H. Hale Surgical Society of the Carolinas and served as state vice president of the National Medical Association in 1952-53.

Dr. Gregory Carter, an area surgeon, says he spent 15 to 20 years standing over an operating table with Dr. Scott. "Waldo was a very methodical, dedicated surgeon. He was a doctor's doctor, a surgeon's surgeon. He never missed a sponge count."

Dr. L.D. Britt, medical director of the shock trauma unit at Norfolk Sentara Hospital, said, "He was the definition of inspiration. He was a premiere surgeon and role model for many young surgeons."

The longtime Newport News resident retired from active practice as a surgeon in 1987 but continued to be involved in a wide range of community affairs.

Dr. Scott, a lifetime member of the NAACP, served on the Newport News School Board from 1952 until 1958 and was appointed to another four-year term in 1962.

Dr. Scott was honored by many organizations and awarded numerous citations during his illustrious career. In 1955 he received the Distinguished Merit Award of the Peninsula Junior Chamber of Commerce. Other awards included the Distinguished Service Award of the Virginia Teachers Association, Man of the Year Award of the Peninsula Chamber of Commerce in 1957 and the Commonwealth of Virginia General Assembly Commendation Award in 1988.

He served on the vestry of St. Augustine's Episcopal Church.

Dr. Scott served on the board of directors of the Virginia Council on Human Relations, was a member of the Newport News-Warwick Tuberculosis Association and the executive board of the Peninsula Welfare Council. He was a past president of Old Dominion Medical Society, a member of the board of visitors of Norfolk State University and the first Virginian to be elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Scott served in numerous leadership capacities with the Hampton Roads chapter of the American Red Cross since 1969.

Dr. Scott is survived by his wife, Mae H. Scott; a daughter, Valerie S. Price of Newport News; three sons, Charles W. Scott Jr., U.S. Rep. Robert C. Scott of Newport News and Dr. Jon L. Scott of Hampton; five grandchildren, Michelle Foster, Michael Foster, Jocelyn Scott, McKinley L. Price II and Marcia S. Price.

There will be an Omega Fraternity Service at 7 p.m. Tuesday with visitation from 7 to 8 p.m. at Cooke Bros. Funeral Chapel.

A funeral will be held at noon Wednesday at Hampton University Chapel by the Rev. Ralph E. Haines. The body will be placed in the chapel by 10 a.m. Burial will be in Hampton Memorial Gardens, Hampton. Friends and relatives should assemble at the residence by 10:30 a.m.

Memorials can be made to St. Augustine's Episcopal Church, 2515 Marshall Ave., Newport News 23607 or the American Red Cross, Hampton Roads Chapter, 4915 W. Mercury Blvd., Hampton, 23666.