It was decades ago, during his junior year at Bridgeport High School, Kurt Newbrough had an encounter with the man that he said “would change his life.” Newbrough, a 1981 BHS graduate, had determined that college wasn’t for him and he needed a trade or a skill that could help him have a successful life.

 

Newbrough did what some people in Harrison County aren’t aware is available of on the educational front. He signed up for classes at the United Technical Center that was and still is located off Route 19 behind the old Gore Junior High School.

 

“I knew when I was in high school, pretty early on, I probably needed to get some kind of technical background,” said Newbrough. “I just wasn’t cut out for a full four- or five-year run at a college.”

 

And thus Newbrough’s journey would begin. One of the earliest stops had him encountering the person who would make an impact on him in ways he could never imagine. The man was James, “Jimmy” or even “Big Jim” Scott, who was long-time educator at the UTC. In fact, he taught there for 35 years.

 

On Monday, James Patrick Scott passed away at the age of 73. Before he left this earth, he had managed to do more than raise his own family. He managed to raise, through his own wisdom and gentle touch, hundreds if not thousands of others through his time as an educator. Collectively, they’re all “Jimmy’s kids.” It’s proof of why teachers still make – and always have – a difference.

 

Kurt Newbrough was one of “Jimmy’s kids.”  And he has no problem talking about it and how Scott made a difference in his life.

 

“Do I remember my first encounter with him? I absolutely do. It was intimidating,” said Newbrough with a laugh.

 

For those that never met Jim Scott, he was a big man. He was a man’s man with sturdy shoulders, rugged good looks and a square jaw that only added to the reality that when he looked you directly in the eye it was a wise thing to look back.

 

“He had this stout structure and I was in high school so I was like everyone else thinking I was big and bad and then you saw Jim and you’re pausing for a second because he had a presence,” said Newbrough. “The good news was that he knew my dad so the introduction was a little kinder than I anticipated.

 

“The thing is that once you got to know him, which generally took about an hour to figure out, he was all about teaching youth, teaching masonry and teaching you about life as well. As good as he was about teaching masonry, it’s those things he taught you about life – things you had to step back before you realized what he was doing – that made a difference,” said Newbrough. “For a lot of reasons, and Jim was certainly one of them, my years in high school proved to be fun and productive.

 

“I can still remember being in his masonry class and there would be a break and he’d just talk to you and put you at ease,” he continued. “Then, he’d break out pepperoni rolls and chocolate milk; he was just being kind and helping people not only be comfortable with him, but with themselves.”

 

There’s sometimes a fallacy I’ve noticed as it relates to UTC; even when I was in high school not many years after Kurt Newbrough. Some believe it’s reserved for students who don’t do well in school, that aren’t involved. Nothing could be further from the truth and a guy like Newbrough proved that.

 

At BHS, he was the Student Council president his senior year, a good student and a pretty good athlete. Kurt, who I actually had the pleasure of working for when he was a  partner at Thrasher Engineering (and also one of  the best people I’ve worked for), has been going full throttle since high school.

 

“After I graduated, I had a small masonry business and Jim would come and help me with my business. How incredible is that? He went beyond teaching to helping. He went well beyond trying to make sure I could be successful just by being a good teacher,” said Newbrough. “The thing is, it wasn’t just me that he helped out. His impact is so far beyond just me that I don’t know how you measure it.”

 

Newbrough did say there were students at UTC – just like at every high school or any level of school for that matter – that were reclusive. There were students that didn’t want to be there or anywhere for that matter.

 

There were kids, Newbrough said, that were putting in time until they could get out of school. Kurt Newbrough said that is where he saw Jim Scott work his magic with students from Bridgeport and every other school that fed students there.

 

“There were some students that needed special nurturing and Jim could do that in his own way. He would take those kids and spend extra time with them; talk about things other than technical trades and got to know them personally,” said Newbrough. “He reached deep into that shell and pulled people out of it and once they were out of their shell he made them like what was inside of that shell. That was a special gift that he gave freely to anyone that needed it. He was always about giving.”

 

He was about giving all the way through his final days. He was eager to see his grandkids play football this past Friday – three of them – and other family members involved with cheerleading for Robert C. Byrd against Fairmont Senior. He was still ready to invite you into his house and talk with you. And he always had the door open for anyone in his family and beyond that only the confines of his spacious Harrison County farm could ever possibly hold.

 

James Scott shared himself and his love with all in his massive family to the point you wondered how he had time to love others. Yet he did that and he did it in droves. Well beyond the special touch he left on those who were his blood, there is the touch of decency and humanity that he left on countless numbers of people like Kurt Newbrough.

 

A guy like Newbrough, now nearly 35 years removed from high school that is by anyone’s definition successful on many fronts. From his recent time as a partner at what is now the Thrasher Group to being the president of Energy Surveys, Inc., today, he has no problem giving credit to a man who meant the world to him.

 

“When I find out about Jim (Monday) I told my wife that I just lost my second father and it was a person she never met, which is my only regret,” he said with his voice cracking with a shade of emotion. “He was a great role model, the ultimate role model because he touched you in ways that meant so much and you wouldn’t realize he had done it until you stepped back and looked at the big picture. He touched my life in more ways than I can imagine. I’ve said it before, there are not enough good things to say about him. I hope people realize how his passing is truly a devastating loss to our community. Jim Scott mattered.”

 

He mattered to many and proved why – as Newbrough said – he mattered on every possible front.

 

The long-time teacher showed  why family matters. He showed why caring and nurturing mattered. And, yes, he showed why educators matter.

 

They don’t make too many of them like Jim Scott any more. Rest in peace friend. Your work here is complete.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Kurt Newbrough during his prep football playing days at Bridgeport High School, while Jim Scott is shown outdoors,which is a place he loved to be. Third photo shows Newbrough and his wife Barb today, whiel bottom photo is a recent picture of Jim Scott at one of his grandchildren's events. Top photo courtesy of BHS Journalism Department, while Jim Scott photos courtesy of Jennifer Scott Banko.