John Scott was born on April 6, 1945, in Syracuse, NY, to John J. Scott and Lucy Frances Scott, nee Halpin. When John was five years old his father, a military war correspondent, was killed in the Korean conflict. As a member of a military family Father John received his elementary and secondary education at different places in the USA and Canada. Upon graduation from high school in 1963, Father John entered Saint Martin's College receiving his bachelor's degree from same in 1967. He did graduate studies at Saint Meinrad School of Theology, Indiana University and the University of New Mexico receiving a doctoral degree from the University of New Mexico in 1980. Father John was a lifetime academic specializing in American history. He spent many years researching the history of Saint Martin's in the archives of Saint Martin's, Saint John's University, Collegeville, MN, and Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, PA. This culminated in 1995 with his writing and publishing the centennial history of Saint Martin's entitled, This Place Called Saint Martin's. In 1975, Father John, just thirty years old, was named president of Saint Martin's College. He served in this position until 1980 when he returned to teaching. He worked tirelessly advancing Saint Martin's Abbey and Saint Martin's University until Alzheimer's disease forced him to curtail and then terminate these activities.

Reference: John Scott Obituary (2012) - Olympia, WA - The Olympian. (2012, April 12-13). Legacy.Com. Retrieved July 26, 2023, from https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/theolympian/name/john-scott-obituary?id=18438545