Ronald Bruce Scott (October 4, 1945 – February 20, 2020) was an American author, journalist, media advisor and former staff writer for ''
Time Magazine
''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...
'', and also a member of a small editorial team that founded ''
People Magazine
''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...
'' 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
Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...
,
[Gordon, Jesse.]
An Inside Look at the Man and His Politics
. ''OnTheIssues'', April 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2014 written from the point of view of a critical but fellow member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church). 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.
Born in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, 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
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
, Sports Illustrated'' and ''
Life Magazine
''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...
'', and ''People''.
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.
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.
[About R. B. Scott]
. themuss.net. Retrieved March 10, 2019 He was the father of five children, grandfather of three, and was married to Diana Lynn Watt Scott for more than 43 years.
Life
Scott was born in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, 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
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
. He studied journalism at the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
while a reporter for ''
The Salt Lake Tribune
''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871."
History
...
'' and ''
The Deseret News
The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...
''. He worked briefly for
UPI
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...
in 1970 before taking a position with
Time, Inc.
Time Inc. was an American worldwide mass media corporation founded on November 28, 1922, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden and based in New York City. It owned and published over 100 magazine brands, including its namesake ''Time'', ''Sports Illu ...
in New York City.
[Smith, Ben.]
A Complicated Romney Family
. ''Politico
''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...
'', November 22, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2019 Later he wrote for ''Time'', ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' and ''
Life Magazine
''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...
'', and was a member of the small editorial team that founded ''
People Magazine
''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...
'' in 1974. His two novels have been compared in style to the works of
John Cheever
John William Cheever (May 27, 1912 – June 18, 1982) was an American short story writer and novelist. He is sometimes called "the Chekhov of the suburbs". His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan; the Westchester suburbs; ...
and
Philip Roth
Philip Milton Roth (March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short story writer.
Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophicall ...
.
He worked as a senior corporate officer of
Lotus Development
Lotus Software (called Lotus Development Corporation before its acquisition by IBM) was an American software company based in Massachusetts; it was "offloaded" to India's HCL Technologies in 2018.
Lotus is most commonly known for the Lotus 1-2- ...
based in
Cambridge, MA
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...
, the software developer of
1-2-3 and
Lotus Notes
HCL Notes (formerly IBM Notes and Lotus Notes; see Branding below) and HCL Domino (formerly IBM Domino and Lotus Domino) are the client and server
Server may refer to:
Computing
*Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provide ...
, and at
Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy is a New York City-based British advertising, marketing, and public relations agency. It was founded in 1850 by Edmund Mather as a London-based agency. In 1964, the firm became known as Ogilvy & Mather after merging with a New York City a ...
, a global advertising and communications company based in Manhattan.
Career
Journalism
Scott wrote on subjects ranging from
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
to the physician and inventor
Willem "Pim" Kolff. 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. For ''People Magazine'', he helped cover the
1976 United States presidential election
The 1976 United States presidential election was the 48th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 1976. Democrat Jimmy Carter of Georgia defeated incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford from Michigan by a narrow ...
of
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
and prepared numerous stories on the Carter family, including several on "First Brother"
Billy Carter
William Alton Carter (March 29, 1937 – September 25, 1988) was an American farmer, businessman, brewer, and politician. The younger brother of U.S. President Jimmy Carter; he promoted Billy Beer and Peanut Lolita; and he was a candidate for ...
.
[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]
Non-fiction
In a 2005 article for ''
Sunstone
Sunstone is a microcline or oligoclase feldspar, which when viewed from certain directions exhibits a spangled appearance. It has been found in Southern Norway, Sweden, various United States localities and on some beaches along the midcoast of ...
'', Scott highlighted
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...
's move to the populist right on abortion, stem cell research, gun control and gay rights. The article was subsequently widely quoted or used as a
primary source
In the study of history as an academic discipline, a primary source (also called an original source) is an artifact, document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any other source of information that was created at the time under ...
on Romney's early political career.
[Ronald B. Scott]
. Authors Guild
The Authors Guild is America's oldest and largest professional organization for writers and provides advocacy on issues of free expression and copyright protection. Since its founding in 1912 as the Authors League of America, it has counted among ...
. Retrieved 30 March 2019
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.
[Lott, Jeremy.]
Book Review: 'Mitt Romney'
. ''The Washington Times
''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...
'', May 21, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2019 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."
Scott was aware of Romney at
BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
when he was an editor at Utah, and had idolized his father,
George W. Romney
George Wilcken Romney (July 8, 1907 – July 26, 1995) was an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as chairman and president of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd gover ...
. However, Romney's team wanted heavy editorial input into the book, and after a number of consultations and providing drafts
to campaign officials such as Romney's chief spokesman campaign chief
Eric Fehrnstrom and
Beth Myers
Beth Myers (born 1957) is an American political consultant, campaign advisor, and attorney who has held senior positions in the political campaigns and the Massachusetts governorship of Mitt Romney, the nominee of the Republican Party for Preside ...
,
[Bringburst (2012), p. 150] 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.
[Bringburst (2012), p. 148] 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
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
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."
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".
[Bringburst (2012), pp. 148-49]
Fiction
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''.
Works
* ''Mitt Romney: An Inside Look At The Man and His Politics''. WA: Globe Pequot Press, 2011.
* ''Closing Circles: Trapped In The Everlasting Mormon Moment''. WA: Gray Dog Press, 2011.
* ''The Mending''. New York: Austin Macauley Publishers, 2019.
References
Sources
*
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.
External links
Archive of Scott's articles for People Magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Ronald Bruce
1945 births
2020 deaths
American male journalists
American male novelists
Writers from Salt Lake City
Writers from Boston
People from Westport, Connecticut
Journalists from New York City
University of Utah alumni
American Latter Day Saints
21st-century American novelists
21st-century American male writers
Novelists from New York (state)
Novelists from Massachusetts
Novelists from Utah
21st-century American non-fiction writers
Sportswriters from New York (state)
Sportswriters from Massachusetts