Douglas Scott

In Memory of Douglas W. Scott – 1937-2025

Born 88 years ago in Torrance, California to Esther Soule Scott and Kenneth C. Scott, both of whom were musicians, Douglas Warren Scott took easily to the stage. He played trombone in the band for his own prom at Phineas Banning High School in Wilmington, California. When he began post-secondary studies at Occidental College in Pasadena, renowned choir director Howard Swan convinced him he could sing, and at one point, Doug hosted his own 15-minute local radio show. In 1956, he was paid $500 for a hit single (no royalties), “Cherry Lips” sung by the Robins. The day after Oxy graduation in 1959, Doug began a summer band contract in Las Vegas at the Desert Inn; a favorite memory from that experience was playing the trombone introduction for Kay Starr’s “Wheel of Fortune.”

A summer’s worth of the Las Vegas lifestyle inspired Doug to pursue a teaching credential and to make performance his hobby. He taught history / social studies at his high school alma mater, and he was then asked to transfer to the newly built Carson High School where he founded the school band, writing the Colts’ fight song. In order to be closer to his Orange County home and his two children, Kenneth and Naomi, Doug then took a band director and social studies job at Huntington Beach High School. Summers and weekends, he began working at Disneyland in security where he hosted visitors ranging from Tiny Tim to Henry Kissinger. In 1971, his connections with the music world landed him a spot as bass in the barbershop quartet, The Dapper Dans of Disneyland where he sang on weekends and in the summer until his retirement in 1997. During this time, Doug continued his teaching career, earned a master’s degree, and found his truest educational calling as an award-winning economics teacher at Marina High School in Huntington Beach.

Doug and his wife Mary moved to Murphys, a gold rush town in Calaveras County, California in 1997 where his performance career shifted to drama. Doug became a fixture in the robust theater scene in the region, appearing in 24 plays, most notably as a member of Stage 3 Theatre Company in nearby Sonora.

While living in the Sierra Foothills, Mary and Doug not only traveled the world, but they joined Arnold Rotary Club, where Doug was a two-term president and a district assistant governor. He frequently served as MC for Rotary events. A highlight of the Scotts’ service in Rotary District 5220 was participating in a wheelchair project in Ecuador. In 2014, when they moved to Sun City Palm Desert, Mary and Doug joined the Rotary Club of Palm Desert. The couple’s gradual contributions to the Rotary International Foundation earned them recognition as Major Donors, contributing to Rotary International’s good works around the globe.

Doug was a 32^o member of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. During the 1970's, he served as conductor of  the Al Malaikah Shrine Band in Los Angeles. In 2015, he was honored with a 50-year pin from Al Malaikah.

Throughout his life, Doug was an avid baseball fan, preferring to bestow his loyalty upon the Padres and the Giants. He was known for his collection of minor league baseball caps and for singing an up-tempo “Star Spangled Banner” at many a minor league park. Most of all, Doug was devoted to his wife Mary, his daughter Naomi Scott of Las Vegas, his son Ken Scott of Pasadena, CA, daughter-in-law Sharon, and his ballerina granddaughter, Roen Scott. His sister Judith Scott Dutko predeceased him, but he was glad to have retained ties with his nieces Tania Dutko Daniels of Charleston, SC and Kelly Dutko Brock of Kingwood, TX and their families.

The curtain on the stage of life closed for Doug on August 13, 2025. A memorial for Doug will be held at 11:00 am on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at Forest Lawn’s Ramon Chapel in Cathedral City, CA. Anyone wishing to attend is asked to RSVP by emailing memorialdoug@gmail.com. A gate pass for the post-memorial luncheon will be provided.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Palm Desert Rotary Club Foundation for local scholarships at P.O. Box 10101, Palm Desert, CA 92255.