“The College of Arts and Sciences is so diverse — there are so many different disciplines,” Scott says. “Those changes helped me identify where I needed to land. “After college, that thought process helped me throughout my career.” Scott has learned to master many different subjects, including finance, computer technology and engineering. This ability to understand diverse subjects has helped Scott land jobs ranging from being a business consultant to working for a large engineering firm. Scott also found himself to be a driving force behind political campaigns in Houston. Scott did fundraising and campaigning for his friend Lee Brown, who became the first African American mayor of Houston in 1997. “Anyone who would let me talk, I would let them know about Lee Brown,” Scott says. Scott also helped to bring a different newcomer to the city of Houston. While serving as vice president for the Metropolitan Transit Authority board, Scott assisted in breaking ground for light rail transit, a public transportation rail system. With all these accomplishments, Scott promised never to forget his roots — and even managed to help expand those for future OSU graduates. Scott served as the Houston chapter president of the OSU Alumni Association and was a member of the national alumni board. He was an active recruiter in the Houston area of high school students and student athletes to attend OSU, and he recruited many OSU graduates for employment with Exxon. But Scott felt something was missing. “In Houston, I looked around and didn’t see any African Americans or other minorities really participating,” he says. “I talked with a number of people, and we started cranking out ideas.” One of these ideas was to create OSU’s first Black Alumni Association. Scott quickly became a founding member and the first president for the group, which exists today. Today, Scott is “trying to be retired” and enjoys traveling, fishing and exercising. The time he finds to exercise is precious to him and pays off. He says that even after graduating more than 40 years ago, he still hasn’t lost his basketball skills on the court. Stacy M. Pettit ’09 Swipe Card Fuels Alumnus’ Dreams “While it wasn’t an original idea, it was a real novel one — using computer technology,” Scott says. “The technology was out there. As I did presentations across the country, I worked to push it forward.” Pushing forward has been a recurring theme in Scott’s life. While studying at OSU, Scott was a part of the championshipwinning basketball team playing under legendary coach Henry Iba. “He was very demanding but really taught me about teamwork and agility,” Scott says. “As I was playing basketball, I had my books up too.” Those books ranged from physics books to statistics books, but Scott decided to study mathematics, earning his degree in 1967. Swipe. It’s one quick motion at the gas station and the customer is ready to remove the gas cap, refuel the car and return to the traffic-filled street. Within the past few years, Americans have learned to use their plastic debit or credit cards to save precious time at the gas station. One OSU alumnus was at the forefront of this pay-at-thepump invention. While working for Exxon, Ira Scott put together a team to drive this idea toward becoming a reality. photo by Diana Porter College of Arts and Sciences 6 alumni Ira B. Scott Distinguished Alumnus 2007 ’67 Mathematics
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