Elder Richard G. Scott is an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was born in 1928 in Pocatello, Idaho and received a degree in mechanical engineering. He worked on nuclear submarine and power plant development before being called as a general authority in 1977. Elder Scott teaches the importance of family history, obtaining revelation, and the eternal blessings of marriage. He finds joy in painting and emulating beauty in nature.

1. Elder Richard G. Scott
By: Rudy Becerra, Whitney Baldwin, Mindy
Jensen, and Shari Okuda

2. Date of birth & current age
November 7, 1928 (age 83)
Place of birth
Pocatello, Idaho
Where he was raised
At age five, the family moved to
Washington DC

3. Where he was educated
& what he studied
George Washington
University with a
Bachelor of Science in
Mechanical Engineering

4. What he did occupationally before
becoming an Apostle
“Scott was interviewed for a job on a top-secret project involving nuclear
energy. The interview seemed to go poorly since, when Scott mentioned his
recent missionary service, the volatile Captain snapped, "and what do I care
about your mission?" When asked what was the last book he read Scott had
to answer truthfully "the Book of Mormon". When all seemed lost Scott
stood to leave but Rickover told him to wait, saying that he had only been
testing his confidence, as to whether he would be true to what he
believed, since this would be a difficult project. He was then offered the job
in the immediate staff of Captain Rickover working on the design of the
nuclear reactor for the Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine of the
U.S. Navy. He later completed what was an equivalent to a doctorate in
nuclear engineering at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in
Tennessee, but due to the classified nature of the work, a formal university
degree could not be awarded. He also worked on the development of the
first commercial land-based nuclear power plant.”

5. -Married and Sealed to Jeanene Watkins July 16, 1953, in the Manti Temple
-7 Children Total
Early in their marriage the Scotts lost two children. A daughter died just before birth, and six weeks later their
two-year-old son died in heart surgery.
-Jeanene Watkins Scott passed away May 15, 1995
- Never Remarried
-Married for nearly 42 Years!
- Sealed FOREVER!

6. “I will be able to be with
“ I am confident that my beloved Jeanene and
when, in our future, I will our children forever
see her again beyond the because of that sacred
veil, we will recognize that ordinance performed
we have become even more with the proper
deeply in love.” priesthood authority in
the house of the Lord.”
“I remember one day I took some of those little round paper circles that form when you punch holes
in paper, and I wrote on them the numbers 1 to 100. I turned each over and wrote her a message, one
word on each circle. Then I scooped them up and put them in an envelope. I thought she would get a
good laugh.
When she passed away, I found in her private things how much she appreciated the simple messages
that we shared with each other. I noted that she had carefully pasted every one of those circles on a
piece of paper. She not only kept my notes to her, but she protected them with plastic coverings as if
they were a valuable treasure. There is only one that she didn’t put with the others. It is still behind
the glass in our kitchen clock. It reads, “Jeanene, it is time to tell you I love you.” It remains there
and reminds me of that exceptional daughter of Father in Heaven.”

7. Did he serve a mission?
Yes: Called to serve in the
Uruguay Montevideo
Mission
Mission President?
Yes: The Argentina North
Mission in
Cordoba, Argentina

8. Why a Mission?
Jeanene Watkins, told Scott that she would only marry a returned
missionary in the Holy temple of the Lord, Scott weighed and
measured then applied for missionary service.
. . . “Twice in his life, people urged Richard Scott to refuse mission
assignments - once when he was a young man and later when he was
called to be a mission president. In both cases, they warned him that
his career as an engineer would be seriously jeopardized. But both
times, he chose to accept the call.”
. . . "When I was very young," he says, "I made a covenant with the
Lord that I would devote my best energies to his work. I have
repeated that covenant throughout the years."

9. How long he has been an ordained Apostle?
October 1, 1988 – Present (24 Years)

10. Other Callings
He was called as a member
of the First Quorum of the
Seventy on April 2, 1977
Served as a member of the
Presidency of that Quorum
from October
1, 1983, until his present
calling.

11. Interests and Hobbies
As a child Elder Scott’s parents
encouraged him as well as his sibling's to
take apart and rebuild mechanical things
to discover how they worked. His
parents even trusted them to repair the
family car. He said “one time, as a
joke, we put a caboose whistle on the
exhaust manifold of that car!”
 Elder Scott was the class President in
High School and played the clarinet in
the band and was also a drum major.

12.  While preparing for College Elder
Scott was determined to earn his
own way. He was very creative in
his adventures to accomplish that
goal. He…
 Worked on an oyster boat off the east
coast
 Cut down trees in Utah for the forest
service
 Repaired railroad cars for the Pacific
Union

13. Elder Scott was the family fix-
it man
 Elder Scott enjoyed working with
his hands, he took care of..
The plumbing
The electricity
Anything else that needed
work
He built a deck onto their
home and designed and built
an additional living room,
master bedroom, and
bathroom onto a previous
home.

14. Elder Scott finds joy in emulating beauty, in life and nature through painting
as well as water coloring. Elder Scott first developed an interest in painting
40 years ago when he was observing a friends artistic skills. He says “He
showed me a little bit about watercolor, which was fascinating to me. I went
to the library , got some books, started to study, and then had the privilege
of studying with a very competent watercolorist for a few lessons.”

15. As Elder Scott became interested in painting he said “ something
inside of me said, try it.” But he told himself that he had never
before had any type of artistic ability and that all he will do is
prove that he has none. Fortunately he did try and was
persistent. His paintings have been on display at Deseret Book
as well as copies of his original paintings are for sale.

16. As a Family  They were interested in Jazz
music
Elder Scott developed many interests
in his life, but most of them were Collected and listened to
shared with his wife.
South American folk music.
Both enjoyed painting, water
coloring
Enjoyed birding. He states,
“ There’s a bird feeder in the
backyard, and when the family
eats out on the patio, there’s
always at least one pair of
binoculars on the table.”

17. Elder Scott has distinguished himself as an individual of
science, art and “the soul of a man whose priorities are
centered in God and family.”

18. Elder Scott Teaches us the
Importance of Family History

19. Family History
Elder Scott over saw significant changes in the Genealogy
department of the church. Those changes included:
• applying technology to research
• changing the name from Genealogy to Family History
• simplifying steps to identify ancestors
• moving away from training genealogists
• increasing microfilming records
• internationalizing family history centers
• decentralizing key functions away from headquarters

20. Family History
“Do you young people want a sure way to eliminate the
influence of the adversary in your life? Immerse yourself
in searching for your ancestors, prepare their names for
the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the
temple, and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for
them to receive the ordinances of baptism and the gift of
the Holy Ghost. As you grow older, you will be able to
participate in receiving the other ordinances as well. I can
think of no greater protection from the influence of the
adversary in your life.” – Elder Richard G. Scott, “The Joy of
Redeeming the Dead”, October 2012, General Conference

21. Though he played a significant role as changes
were made to the Family History Department,
Elder Scott states:
“They were made in accordance with inspired long-range
goals established by the First Presidency and the Quorum
of the Twelve,” he says. “And I was fortunate to come to
that position after a great foundation had been laid by my
predecessors—and to have the help of experienced
Managing Directors and a devoted management staff. I
have worked with outstanding individuals before. But I
have never been blessed to serve with a more
dedicated, capable, devoted group of men and
women, nor more consistently felt the guiding influence
of the Spirit than during this singular experience in the
Family History Department.” (lds.org)

22. • http://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-
all-the-world/making-your-temple-experience-
more-sacred?lang=eng

23. He teaches us How to Obtain
Revelation and Inspiration

24. How to Obtain Revelation and
Inspiration
“When I am faced with a very difficult matter, this is
how I try to understand what to do. I fast. I pray to
find and understand scriptures that will be helpful.
That process is cyclical. I start reading a passage of
scripture; I ponder what the verse means and pray
for inspiration. I then ponder and pray to know if I
have captured all the Lord wants me to do. Often
more impressions come with increased
understanding of doctrine. I have found that
pattern to be a good way to learn from the
scriptures.” – Richard G. Scott, “How to Obtain Revelation and
Inspiration for Your Personal Life”, April 2012 General Conference

25. Ways to Enhance Revelation
• Eliminate emotions that will drive away the Holy
Ghost
• Be cautious with humor or inappropriate laughter
• Avoid exaggeration or loudness in what is stated
• Exercise, sleep, and good eating habits can
increase our understanding and capacity to
receive revelation
Richard G. Scott,“How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life”, By
Elder Richard G. Scott, April 2012 General Conference
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/how-to-obtain-revelation-and-inspiration-for-your-personal-
life

26. He teaches us about the Eternal
Blessings of Marriage

27. Eternal Blessings of Marriage
“Two of the vital pillars that sustain Father in
Heaven’s plan of happiness are marriage and the
family. Their lofty significance is underscored by
Satan’s relentless efforts to splinter the family and
to undermine the significance of temple
ordinances, which bind the family together for
eternity. The temple sealing has greater meaning as
life unfolds. It will help you draw ever closer
together and find greater joy and fulfillment in
mortality.” -- Elder Richard G. Scott, “Eternal Blessings of
Marriage”, April 2011, General Conference

28. Eternal Blessings of Marriage
“Once I learned an important lesson from my wife. I traveled extensively in my profession. I had
been gone almost two weeks and returned home one Saturday morning. I had four hours before I
needed to attend another meeting. I noticed that our little washing machine had broken down
and my wife was washing the clothes by hand. I began to fix the machine.”
Jeanene came by and said, “Rich, what are you doing?”
I said, “I’m repairing the washing machine so you don’t have to do this by hand.”
She said, “No. Go play with the children.”
I said, “I can play with the children anytime. I want to help you.”
Then she said, “Richard, please go play with the children.”
When she spoke to me that authoritatively, I obeyed.
I had a marvelous time with our children. We chased each other around and rolled in the fall
leaves. Later I went to my meeting. I probably would have forgotten that experience were it not
for the lesson that she wanted me to learn.
The next morning about 4:00 a.m., I was awakened as I felt two little arms around my neck, a kiss
on the cheek, and these words whispered in my ear, which I will never forget: “Dad, I love you.
You are my best friend.”
If you are having that kind of experience in your family, you are having one of the supernal joys of
life.
Richard G. Scott, “The Eternal Blessings of Marriage”, April 2011, General Conference

29. Expressions of Love
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkOnH36S_pY&fea
ture=em-share_video_user

30. Elder Scott is an Apostle of the Lord. I know this
without a doubt. He speaks to all of us with love
and pleads for us to repent because he loves us. I
learned many principles but I think I learned the
most and what will stick with my forever is how to
love unconditionally and pursue talents and leave
our comfort zones. Elder Scott once said “I
appreciate my wife’s enthusiasm…she has a
tremendous enthusiasm for life. I appreciate her
deep spirituality. It was one of the things I
recognized in her before I knew much else about
her, and it has been a constant source of strength all
our married life. We’ve always worked together,
and feel that we support one another.” I know that
through his example I can become a better mother
and wife to my family. He has showed and reminded
me how important it is to Love the Lord, repent and
make my family my number one priority.
I really appreciated learning about his steps in becoming a painter. He tells of a time when he
tried to convince himself to not even try, but he persisted and found something that made him
extremely happy. I can and will apply this to my life, not only in developing talents but in my
daily life with my family and friends. Elder Scott is an excellent individual to emulate, and I
intent to do so. -Whitney Baldwin

31. I had the opportunity to meet Elder Scott when
my father was put into a Stake Presidency 4
years ago. He was such a kind and gentle man.
He was so careful to speak to all of the little kids
and shake each of their hands.
He spoke of his love for his wife and told us that
when she passed away he made a goal that he
would go to the Temple every week. He has
never missed a week.
The Spirit was so strong as he bore his
testimony of our Savior. I know he is an Apostle
of the Lord and is called to be a special witness
of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for living
prophets and apostles on the earth today. --
Mindy Jensen

32. Sources
• www.lds.org/ensign/1985/01/elder-richard-g-scott-putting-god-and-family-first?lang=eng
• http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=13214225
• "General Authorities." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day-Saints. LDS. Web. 3 Nov 2012.
<http://www.lds.org/church/leader/richard-g-scott?lang=eng>.
• "Richard G. Scott." Wikipedia. N.p.. Web. 3 Nov 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_G._Scott>.
• "Richard G. Scott." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day-Saints. N.p.. Web. 3 Nov 2012.
http://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/what-are-prophets/bio/richard-g-
scott?lang=eng>.
• "Richard G. Scott." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day-Saints. N.p.. Web. 3 Nov 2012.
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/the-eternal-blessings-of-
marriage?lang=eng>.
• "Richard G. Scott." LDSindex.org. N.p.. Web. 3 Nov 2012.
<http://www.ldsindex.org/ga/apostles/richard_g_scott.html>.