pg 700 More Big Hill Country 2009
Bill Scott’s grandfather, William Scott and his oldest son Samuel, age 16, came to Canada in 1932 from County Down, Northern Ireland to look for work as the feuding between the Protestant and Roman Catholic families was something the Scott family wanted to get away from.
They got work at Taber, Alberta and various other farms in southeastern Alberta and in 1925 they returned home to Ireland to bring their family to Canada. They settled on a large farm in the Dalroy district in Alberta and in March 1931 the family moved to the Glenbow district working in partnership with Chester de Ia Vergne.
In 1932, James “Jimmy” Scott (1911-1999) returned to Northern Ireland and married Elizabeth Annie (Lily) Aiken (1914-2001) in early 1934 whom he had known before. Their son William James “Bill” was born on December 15, 1934.
In 1936 Jimmy returned to Alberta bringing his wife and young son with him.
Eric L. Harvie bought the Dr. Morris property down on Glenbow Road in 1937 and Jim and Lily Scott were hired to look after the property until 1941 when Jimmy Scott’s brother Sam joined the Royal Canadian Air Force Jim and Lily moved back to the de la Vergne place to work with his father Wiiliam Scott.
Bill Scott rode a saddle horse to Glendale School from there the first few years with his Aunt Rose. Bill, like most rural children in those days, was quite shy in his first year away from his parents while attending school. Bill attended Glendale School from grade one to eight, riding down Glendale Road, back and forth with companion students, Bob Norris, Dennis, Bill and Shirley Wearmouth , his aunt Rose and the MacKenzie brothers walking alongside. The MacKenzie kid’s father Norman didn’t want the horses eating the cow’s grass so they had to walk instead of ride. Norman and a neighbour Ernie Thompson made the gates so tight to open and close and in winter the snow drifted and buried the fence line gates that it was easier to walk the two miles to school.
Bill attended Cochrane School for grades nine and ten, riding his bicycle with his neighbour Angus MacKenzie. They rode up and down Glenbow Road, along highway IA and the Big Hill back and forth to Cochrane. Bill and his parents were now living at the Drake Place, a quarter of a mile north of Eric L. Harvie’s summer home on Glenbow Road.
Mr. R.C. Burns had bought this property in 1934 and their youngest daughter Marion attended Glendale School from 1935-1937 to grade 3. (Marion was Edith Edge’s attendant when she was the Calgary Stampede Queen in 1953.) Mr. and Mrs. Bums also owned a house in Mount Royal in Calgary and Mr. Bums’ Law Office was in the Grain Exchange Building in Calgary. Mr. and Mrs. Bums were from a farming background in New Brunswick and Mrs. Bums had a fine dairy herd of Ayrshire cows with “Ness” bloodlines, a well known herd in the Maritimes.
Jim and Lily Scott were hired to look after the Bum’s farm and dairy herd in 1946, shipping cream to the Cochrane Creamery. R.C. Bums bought the Harry Hollies farm in 1942, NE Sec 6 Twp 26 Rge 3 W5M which was later owned by Jack Hawkwood.
Sam and Helen Scott and their family came back to work for his father William at the de Ia Vergne Glenbow Ranch, after the war. The Glenbow Ranch was now owned by Mr. Harvie and Sam’s wife Helen and their children had been living in Carstairs during WWII.
Bill Scott attended Mount Royal College in Calgary, near Mewata Park, for grade eleven and grade twelve. Mount Royal offered introductory university courses to students outside of the Calgary area. You had to be a taxpayer in Calgary to attend other Calgary Schools or board with city relatives. Bill boarded with Bella Thomson on 11th Avenue S.W. She was Norman MacKenzie’s widowed cousin and it was fairly close to Mount Royal.
After completing Grade 12 at Mount Royal, Bill worked for two years in the oil business. He then returned to Mount Royal and attended two years of University there. Following Mount Royal, Bill traveled to Norman, Oklahoma and completed his Engineering degree in January 1959, specializing in Petroleum Engineering. At one time, Bill seriously thought of attending veterinary college. During the summer holidays from school and after graduation he worked for Mobile Oil at Weyburn and Estevan in southern Saskatchewan. Years later he had his own small Petro Company.
While attending University at Norman, Oklahoma Bill met Sandra Lentz, who he married in 1957. They had four children Alexis, Jeff, Susan and David. In 1956, Bill’s parents, Jim and Lily Scott had taken over the dairy herd from Mrs. Burns as she had become very ill with cancer. Mr. Bums still kept a few laying hens and in the next four years or so, Jim Scott and Norman MacKenzie worked together during haying season.
In 1967 Bill bought the Verner Jensen farm in the Bearspaw district at the north end of Rocky Ridge Road, along Burma Road for his parents. They continued with their dairy operation until 1986 when they sold their cows and dairy quota. They then ran a beef operation until 1999 when Bill’s father, Jim passed away. Bill’s mother, Lily passed away two years later in 2001. The farm was sold to Inland Gravel Co.
Bill and Sandra’s (Sandi) marriage broke down in the mid 1970’s and in 1982 Bill married Anne Billard and became a father to Anne’s young family.
In 2000, Bill and his family bought a ranch in the Columbia River Valley area near Canal Flats in British Columbia. They built a Black Angus cow/calf operation. Bill’s family is involved in most of his adventures. Angus MacKenzie met Bill and his son Jeff in 2006 at a Soderglen Bull Sale at Airdrie. Here Angus was invited by Bill to drop in someday and see Bill’s Thoroughbred horses at Crossfield, Alberta. Angus plans to take him up on this offer.
Bill and Anne Scott live in the northwest corner of Calgary directly east of the Bearspaw Golf Course, north off Twelve Mile Coulee Road. Bill Scott has never lost touch with his rural background; he just added a little class to it.
