Necrology

Stuart Lothian Scott '61

Aug. 21, 1938-Feb. 25, 2019

Stuart Lothian Scott ’61, a commercial real estate service and investment management executive of Lake Bluff, Ill., who served Hamilton as chair of its Board of Trustees, was born in Montreal, Canada, on Aug. 21, 1938. A son of the former Jean Lothian, a homemaker, and David Scott, an actuary, he prepared for college at Wayland Academy in Wisconsin.

Following his arrival at Hamilton, Scott pledged Chi Psi fraternity. He was a member of the honor society Nous Onze, competed on the wrestling team, and trouped with the Charlatans. He noted in his 50^th reunion yearbook that among his fondest Hamilton memories were “Shakespeare class where Ed Barrett often wept over moving passages, [and] Dean Tolles, his shirt stained with orange juice and sprinkled with cigarette ashes, lecturing me on underachieving and helping me get into law school.”

With his newly minted degree in English literature in hand, Scott headed to Northwestern University School of Law where he earned his J.D. in 1964. He began his career as an attorney with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and from 1966 to 1973 served as senior vice president and director of Arthur Rubloff & Co.

In 1973, Scott began what would become a highly distinguished career in real estate when he joined LaSalle Partners, Inc., in Chicago as chief executive officer. Following a merger with a British firm, he served as the founding CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle. Scott played a central role in building the company from a small regional firm into a leading global commercial real estate services and investment management operation with approximately 6,700 employees based in more than 100 key markets on five continents.

Scott served as chairman of the board of directors of LaSalle Hotel Properties from 1998 to 2000, and then again from 2009 to 2018. He also chaired the LaSalle Street Fund (LaSalle Investment Management’s first institutional commingled fund), the Florida Office Property Company, and other LaSalle-sponsored funds. He retired as chairman in 2004.

Throughout his career, Scott was dedicated “to the challenge of bringing professionalism, superior services, high ethical standards, and a commitment to act always ‘in the client’s best interests’ to the commercial real estate industry,” a published obituary noted. Those efforts were recognized in 1999 when he received the Real Estate Executive of the Year award from Commercial Property World. In 2004, the Urban Land Institute presented him with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

Scott joined Hamilton’s board as an alumni trustee in 1985. In 1989, the same year he became a charter trustee, Scott and his father established the Christopher George Scott Scholarship in memory of his brother, a member of the Class of 1962 who died in a tragic accident prior to completing his undergraduate degree. Throughout the years he chaired the Campaign for the ’90s, the Trustee Committee on Residential Life, served as president of the Chicago Alumni Association, and headed the Annual Fund.

Under his leadership as chairman of the Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2008, the College experienced impressive gains in academic standing and financial strength. His tenure also saw the construction of several new facilities, notably the Taylor Science Center. Hamilton recognized Scott with an honorary degree in 2009. 

“Stuart was a man of great conviction, integrity, and vision,” wrote President David Wippman in a note to the campus community upon Scott’s death. “His love for Hamilton was profound, and he demonstrated that affection by giving considerably of his time and donating generously to support College priorities. He made difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions because he knew they were in Hamilton’s long-term best interests.”

Devoted also to his community, Scott was a long-time director of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, where he headed its board for seven years. He was also a trustee of the African Wildlife Foundation, a Nairobi-based non-governmental organization, and of NumbersUSA, a Washington, D.C-based education and research foundation.

Once asked why Hamilton has meant so much to him, he replied, “I have spent my life in business. I’m so glad I studied no business at all at Hamilton, but enriched my life with liberal arts instead.”

Stuart L. Scott ’61 died on Feb. 25, 2019, at the age of 80. He is survived by the former Anne O’Laughlin, his wife of 37 years; seven children, including Phoebe Scott ’06 and Christina Scott Feingold ’91; and nine grandchildren. He was on campus last May for the graduation of his granddaughter Penelope Tornes ’18.

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