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Ronald B. Scott

April 26, 2024

Ronald Bruce Scott (October 4, 1945 – February 20, 2020) was an American author, journalist, media advisor and former staff writer for Time Magazine, and also a member of a small editorial team that founded People Magazine in 1974. He was best known for Mitt Romney: An Inside Look at the Man and His Politics, his 2011 independent biography of then presidential candidate Mitt Romney,[1] written from the point of view of a critical but fellow member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[2] In 2005, Scott became the first commentator to highlight how Romney changed his positions on both abortion and same-sex marriage during his bid for presidential election.

Ronald B. Scott
Ronald B. Scott
Born
Ronald Bruce Scott

(1945-10-04)October 4, 1945
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
DiedFebruary 20, 2020(2020-02-20) (aged 74)
Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Utah
Occupations
  • Staff journalist
  • biographer
  • novelist
  • pundit
SpouseDiana Lynn Watt Scott

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Scott worked briefly for United Press International in 1970 before accepting a position with Time, Inc. in New York, where he reported for its magazines Time, Sports Illustrated and Life Magazine, and People.[3]

His debut novel Closing Circles: Trapped in the Everlasting Mormon Moment was published in 2012, followed by his second novel, The Mending, in February 2019.[4]

Scott died on February 20, 2020, after a short battle with cancer. He lived in Westport, Connecticut and had been working on a third novel, part of a collection of loosely connected short stories.[5] He was the father of five children, grandfather of three, and was married to Diana Lynn Watt Scott for more than 43 years.

Life edit

Scott was born in Salt Lake City, Utah to Robert Ronald Scott and Lillian Haws Scott. From 1965-67 he served as a full-time volunteer missionary for Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New England. He studied journalism at the University of Utah while a reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune and The Deseret News.[6] He worked briefly for UPI in 1970 before taking a position with Time, Inc. in New York City.[7] Later he wrote for Time, Sports Illustrated and Life Magazine, and was a member of the small editorial team that founded People Magazine in 1974.[8] His two novels have been compared in style to the works of John Cheever and Philip Roth.[5]

He worked as a senior corporate officer of Lotus Development based in Cambridge, MA, the software developer of 1-2-3 and Lotus Notes,[9] and at Ogilvy & Mather, a global advertising and communications company based in Manhattan.

Career edit

Journalism edit

Scott wrote on subjects ranging from Muhammad Ali to the physician and inventor Willem "Pim" Kolff.[10] After Ali's championship victory in Kinshasa, Zaire, Scott travelled with him throughout the United States and was the first to report that Ali was likely married to two women simultaneously; Belinda Boyd Ali and her "travelling companion" Veronica Porche.[11][12] For People Magazine, he helped cover the 1976 United States presidential election of Jimmy Carter and prepared numerous stories on the Carter family, including several on "First Brother" Billy Carter.[13]

Non-fiction edit

In a 2005 article for Sunstone,[14] Scott highlighted Mitt Romney's move to the populist right on abortion, stem cell research, gun control and gay rights.[15] The article was subsequently widely quoted or used as a primary source on Romney's early political career.[16]

In 2011 he published Mitt Romney: An Inside Look at the Man and His Politics. He had begun the project in 2010, when he had been assured that the book would be authorized and written with the cooperation of the family.[17] Both had very similar family histories, and are distant cousins; in Scott's words, "it is a classic Mormon arrangement, we share the same great-great-grandfather, but different great-great-grandmothers."[16] Scott was aware of Romney at BYU when he was an editor at Utah, and had idolized his father, George W. Romney. However, Romney's team wanted heavy editorial input into the book, and after a number of consultations and providing drafts[7] to campaign officials such as Romney's chief spokesman campaign chief Eric Fehrnstrom and Beth Myers,[18] Scott ultimately decided he wanted to maintain control and thus the book was published unauthorized. However Scott did maintain close contacts with some members of the family and campaign, and the book is built from numerous first hand interviews.[19] Because the family was generally not accessible to the media, Scott became one of the few available people to turn to for family information, and was thus frequently interviewed during this period.

A review in the political magazine On the Issues said that the book provides numerous new insights into the evolution of Romney's stances, often focusing on how the LDS Church viewed the issue and how Romney reconciled his views with the church's views...It's not explicitly about Mormonism at all—but the author is a Mormon who knew Romney well through church ties, and who evidently did not like Romney very much. Hence it is an unauthorized biography, which to readers means it is more honest than one which must pass muster with the Romney campaign."[1]

Scott's assessments of Romney's skills as a politician were mixed. He described him as pragmatic and a problem solver, but also noting that he was a "control freak" who "doesn't read people well" and "doesn't anticipate blindside attacks and therefore is ill prepared to deal with them". At numerous points he criticizes him as a "flip-flopper".[20]

Fiction edit

His debut novel Closing Circles: Trapped in the Everlasting Mormon Moment, set primarily in Manhattan and its suburb of Westport, Connecticut, was published in 2012.

It was followed in February 2019 by The Mending.[16]

Works edit

  • Mitt Romney: An Inside Look At The Man and His Politics. WA: Globe Pequot Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0-7627-7927-7
  • Closing Circles: Trapped In The Everlasting Mormon Moment. WA: Gray Dog Press, 2011. ISBN 978-1-9361-7849-0
  • The Mending. New York: Austin Macauley Publishers, 2019. ISBN 978-1-6418-2473-6

References edit

  1. ^ a b Gordon, Jesse. "An Inside Look at the Man and His Politics". OnTheIssues, April 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2014
  2. ^ "Mitt Romney: a Biography". Time Magazine, May 2011
  3. ^ "New Primary Rules and Schedule Could Favor Mitt Romney". politisphere.com, February 15, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2014
  4. ^ "Ronald B. Scott". Authors Guild. Retrieved 23 February 2019
  5. ^ a b "About R. B. Scott". themuss.net. Retrieved March 10, 2019
  6. ^ Scott, Ron. "A Plea for Sanity". Deseret News, October 13, 1978. Retrieved October 18, 2014
  7. ^ a b Smith, Ben. "A Complicated Romney Family". Politico, November 22, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2019
  8. ^ "Ron Scott Named Deseret News Sports Editor". Deseret News, September 9, 1978
  9. ^ Dougherty, Philip. "People". New York Times, April 12, 1985. Retrieved March 30, 2019
  10. ^ Scott, Ronald B. "A Sibling Act". People Magazine, volume 8, No. 18, October 31, 1977
  11. ^ Scott, Ronald B. "Ali Tunes Up for His Last Fight". People Magazine. volume 2 No. 6, October 31, 1977
  12. ^ Scott, Ronald B. "A Great Medical Innovator in Utah Readies the Artificial Heart", People, February 17, 1975, volume 3 No. 6
  13. ^ Scott, Ronald B. "Fame Wraps Its Arms Around Brother Billy and So Far He Says Only 'Squeeze Me Harder'". People Magazine, Volume 7, No. 23, June 13, 1977
  14. ^ Scott, R.B. "Can A Moderate Mitt Find A Way To Pennsylvania Avenue". Sunstone, November 2005. Retrieved October 18, 2014
  15. ^ "Meet the Press". MSNBC, December 16, 2007. Retrieved March 30, 2019
  16. ^ a b c "Ronald B. Scott". Authors Guild. Retrieved 30 March 2019
  17. ^ Lott, Jeremy. "Book Review: 'Mitt Romney'". The Washington Times, May 21, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2019
  18. ^ Bringburst (2012), p. 150
  19. ^ Bringburst (2012), p. 148
  20. ^ Bringburst (2012), pp. 148-49

Sources edit

  • Bringburst, Newell G. "Three Differing Book-length Perspectives on Mitt Romney and the Mormon Question". The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal, Volume 32, No. 1, Spring/Summer 2012. pp. 148–153. JSTOR 43200675

External links edit

  • Archive of Scott's articles for People Magazine

April 26, 2024
ronald, scott, ronald, bruce, scott, october, 1945, february, 2020, american, author, journalist, media, advisor, former, staff, writer, time, magazine, also, member, small, editorial, team, that, founded, people, magazine, 1974, best, known, mitt, romney, ins. Ronald Bruce Scott October 4 1945 February 20 2020 was an American author journalist media advisor and former staff writer for Time Magazine and also a member of a small editorial team that founded People Magazine in 1974 He was best known for Mitt Romney An Inside Look at the Man and His Politics his 2011 independent biography of then presidential candidate Mitt Romney 1 written from the point of view of a critical but fellow member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints LDS Church 2 In 2005 Scott became the first commentator to highlight how Romney changed his positions on both abortion and same sex marriage during his bid for presidential election Ronald B ScottRonald B ScottBornRonald Bruce Scott 1945 10 04 October 4 1945Salt Lake City Utah U S DiedFebruary 20 2020 2020 02 20 aged 74 Wellesley Massachusetts U S Alma materUniversity of UtahOccupationsStaff journalist biographer novelist punditSpouseDiana Lynn Watt Scott Born in Salt Lake City Utah Scott worked briefly for United Press International in 1970 before accepting a position with Time Inc in New York where he reported for its magazines Time Sports Illustrated and Life Magazine and People 3 His debut novel Closing Circles Trapped in the Everlasting Mormon Moment was published in 2012 followed by his second novel The Mending in February 2019 4 Scott died on February 20 2020 after a short battle with cancer He lived in Westport Connecticut and had been working on a third novel part of a collection of loosely connected short stories 5 He was the father of five children grandfather of three and was married to Diana Lynn Watt Scott for more than 43 years Contents 1 Life 2 Career 2 1 Journalism 2 2 Non fiction 2 3 Fiction 3 Works 4 References 5 Sources 6 External linksLife editScott was born in Salt Lake City Utah to Robert Ronald Scott and Lillian Haws Scott From 1965 67 he served as a full time volunteer missionary for Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints in New England He studied journalism at the University of Utah while a reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune and The Deseret News 6 He worked briefly for UPI in 1970 before taking a position with Time Inc in New York City 7 Later he wrote for Time Sports Illustrated and Life Magazine and was a member of the small editorial team that founded People Magazine in 1974 8 His two novels have been compared in style to the works of John Cheever and Philip Roth 5 He worked as a senior corporate officer of Lotus Development based in Cambridge MA the software developer of 1 2 3 and Lotus Notes 9 and at Ogilvy amp Mather a global advertising and communications company based in Manhattan Career editJournalism edit Scott wrote on subjects ranging from Muhammad Ali to the physician and inventor Willem Pim Kolff 10 After Ali s championship victory in Kinshasa Zaire Scott travelled with him throughout the United States and was the first to report that Ali was likely married to two women simultaneously Belinda Boyd Ali and her travelling companion Veronica Porche 11 12 For People Magazine he helped cover the 1976 United States presidential election of Jimmy Carter and prepared numerous stories on the Carter family including several on First Brother Billy Carter 13 Non fiction edit In a 2005 article for Sunstone 14 Scott highlighted Mitt Romney s move to the populist right on abortion stem cell research gun control and gay rights 15 The article was subsequently widely quoted or used as a primary source on Romney s early political career 16 In 2011 he published Mitt Romney An Inside Look at the Man and His Politics He had begun the project in 2010 when he had been assured that the book would be authorized and written with the cooperation of the family 17 Both had very similar family histories and are distant cousins in Scott s words it is a classic Mormon arrangement we share the same great great grandfather but different great great grandmothers 16 Scott was aware of Romney at BYU when he was an editor at Utah and had idolized his father George W Romney However Romney s team wanted heavy editorial input into the book and after a number of consultations and providing drafts 7 to campaign officials such as Romney s chief spokesman campaign chief Eric Fehrnstrom and Beth Myers 18 Scott ultimately decided he wanted to maintain control and thus the book was published unauthorized However Scott did maintain close contacts with some members of the family and campaign and the book is built from numerous first hand interviews 19 Because the family was generally not accessible to the media Scott became one of the few available people to turn to for family information and was thus frequently interviewed during this period A review in the political magazine On the Issues said that the book provides numerous new insights into the evolution of Romney s stances often focusing on how the LDS Church viewed the issue and how Romney reconciled his views with the church s views It s not explicitly about Mormonism at all but the author is a Mormon who knew Romney well through church ties and who evidently did not like Romney very much Hence it is an unauthorized biography which to readers means it is more honest than one which must pass muster with the Romney campaign 1 Scott s assessments of Romney s skills as a politician were mixed He described him as pragmatic and a problem solver but also noting that he was a control freak who doesn t read people well and doesn t anticipate blindside attacks and therefore is ill prepared to deal with them At numerous points he criticizes him as a flip flopper 20 Fiction edit His debut novel Closing Circles Trapped in the Everlasting Mormon Moment set primarily in Manhattan and its suburb of Westport Connecticut was published in 2012 It was followed in February 2019 by The Mending 16 Works editMitt Romney An Inside Look At The Man and His Politics WA Globe Pequot Press 2011 ISBN 978 0 7627 7927 7 Closing Circles Trapped In The Everlasting Mormon Moment WA Gray Dog Press 2011 ISBN 978 1 9361 7849 0 The Mending New York Austin Macauley Publishers 2019 ISBN 978 1 6418 2473 6References edit a b Gordon Jesse An Inside Look at the Man and His Politics OnTheIssues April 2012 Retrieved October 18 2014 Mitt Romney a Biography Time Magazine May 2011 New Primary Rules and Schedule Could Favor Mitt Romney politisphere com February 15 2011 Retrieved October 18 2014 Ronald B Scott Authors Guild Retrieved 23 February 2019 a b About R B Scott themuss net Retrieved March 10 2019 Scott Ron A Plea for Sanity Deseret News October 13 1978 Retrieved October 18 2014 a b Smith Ben A Complicated Romney Family Politico November 22 2011 Retrieved March 30 2019 Ron Scott Named Deseret News Sports Editor Deseret News September 9 1978 Dougherty Philip People New York Times April 12 1985 Retrieved March 30 2019 Scott Ronald B A Sibling Act People Magazine volume 8 No 18 October 31 1977 Scott Ronald B Ali Tunes Up for His Last Fight People Magazine volume 2 No 6 October 31 1977 Scott Ronald B A Great Medical Innovator in Utah Readies the Artificial Heart People February 17 1975 volume 3 No 6 Scott Ronald B Fame Wraps Its Arms Around Brother Billy and So Far He Says Only Squeeze Me Harder People Magazine Volume 7 No 23 June 13 1977 Scott R B Can A Moderate Mitt Find A Way To Pennsylvania Avenue Sunstone November 2005 Retrieved October 18 2014 Meet the Press MSNBC December 16 2007 Retrieved March 30 2019 a b c Ronald B Scott Authors Guild Retrieved 30 March 2019 Lott Jeremy Book Review Mitt Romney The Washington Times May 21 2012 Retrieved March 30 2019 Bringburst 2012 p 150 Bringburst 2012 p 148 Bringburst 2012 pp 148 49Sources editBringburst Newell G Three Differing Book length Perspectives on Mitt Romney and the Mormon Question The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal Volume 32 No 1 Spring Summer 2012 pp 148 153 JSTOR 43200675External links editArchive of Scott s articles for People Magazine Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ronald B Scott amp oldid 1175508896, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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