Celebration of life for James Scott set for July 20 in Bellingham

A celebration of the life of James W. Scott, a Western Washington University geographer and historian, will take place Friday, July 20, 2012 at Larrabee State Park.  Please contact Janet Collins or Todd Welch via email or at (928) 863-8400 for details.

Scott, a professor emeritus of geography at Western, died on July 20, 2011.

In the fall of 1966, an appointment as assistant professor of geography brought him to Western Washington State College. In 1971, together with three colleagues from the WWU History Department -- Bill Bultmann, Larry Delorme and Barry Gough -- and with the support of WWU President Jerry Flora, he helped create the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies. He became its first director and remained as director until his retirement in 1993.

During his 27 years as an active faculty member at Western, Scott served in many capacities, including an eight-year term as chair of the Department of Geography and Regional Planning.