Former student remembers Scully's devotion

To the editor:

It is with sadness that I read of the passing of Dr. Mark Scully. He was president during my years at SEMO from 1970 to 74. Scully was a distinguished man and a true friend of the students. I will always remember with great fondness my weekly meetings with him. I had been told he was unapproachable. I took it upon myself to visit him in his office one Wednesday morning, a visit I would make frequently over the next two years.

He was a gracious host and would take time out of his busy schedule to talk to me about the university, its past and his hopes for the future. Needless to say he knew me on a first-name basis as he did so many students. He was adamant about the grounds and their aesthetic appearance. Only later in life would I have the opportunity to visit all the other universities in Missouri, only to realize the beauty of SEMO's campus and his accomplishments.

How proud I was when he agreed to speak at the Accounting Club banquet the year I served as its president, because I had secured the most eloquent speaker any organization could hope for. I will always remember his advice to me that night and his words of encouragement on how to control one's nerves before speaking to an audience.

Scully did more for SEMO than anyone can measure, because he established the foundation for the future in his present. His passing is a loss, his existence a gift.

JOHN GILBERT

Jefferson City, Mo.