WILLIAMSBURG—Richard A. Scott, 91, formerly of Weems, passed away in Williamsburg on August 3, 2026. He had been in declining health for about a year and succumbed at The Williamsburg Landing.
Richard (or “Dick” as he was called by many) was born in New York City on June 18, 1935. He attended Brooklyn Tech High School and graduated from CCNY as well as Columbia University. He became a CPA and practiced in Massachusetts for several years, then returned to school and obtained his PhD from American University. He became a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he taught for several years.
In May, 1977, he married Rita Miller. They lived in Richmond, in the Fan, until 1982, when they both accepted positions in Charlottesville, Richard at The University of Virginia, where he taught accounting and international finance for the McIntire School of Commerce. For over 10 years, he took a class of UVA students to Europe each summer to study international finance, visiting London, Geneva, Tubingen, Munich, Paris and Brussels. He was appointed the Carman G. Blough Professor of Commerce and served as Director of Graduate Studies. He retired from UVA in 2000.
Richard and Rita built a home in Weems and moved to the Northern Neck full-time after retirement. He became involved in many pursuits while living in that beautiful area on the Rappahannock River. He joined the Stripers Masters Swim Team at the YMCA, where he met many new friends, traveling to swim meets up and down the East Coast, from Maryland to Florida, for several years, competing on relay teams as well as soloing in the breaststroke and butterfly. Turning 80 was a cause for celebration for Richard—that put him in a new age bracket in swim meet competitions. Rita attended many of his swim meets and served as his “groupie.”
Richard and Rita also became members of Campbell Presbyterian Church, where he sang in the choir and served as an elder. He was also a member of the Rappahannock Pistol and Rifle Club and enjoyed shooting at the range in White Stone with friends.
Richard maintained friendships with a group of men from high school and college, known as “The Gators.” The Gators met annually for reunions in various spots along the East Coast up until the early 2000s when most of them had passed away; these friendships spanned 60-80+ years.
Boats were another enjoyable part of Richard’s life-both power boats and sailboats. He spent much of a year repairing a sailboat after Hurricane Isabel had bashed it where it was docked on Carter Creek.
Some of his happiest hours of life at “The River” were spent working as a volunteer at the Animal Welfare League, first as a dog walker and later as a shop volunteer, doing anything the shop volunteers asked him to do. Richard and Rita were also major capital contributors to the Northern Neck Partners for Pets shelter.
In 2020, Richard and Rita moved to Williamsburg. Richard is survived by his wife and best friend, Rita; and a son and daughter-in-law, Craig and Amanda of Austin, Texas; as well as two grandsons.
Richard was cremated and will be interred at the UVA Columbarium at a future date. Services were private.
Memorial donations may be made to the Animal Welfare League of the Northern Neck, Box 975, White Stone, VA 22578; or The Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Neck, P.O. Box 654, 517 North Main Street, Kilmarnock, VA 22482.
