Walter Scott Jr.

Walter Scott Jr.
Suzanne and Walter Scott
Born	1931 Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Colorado State University
Occupation	Former CEO, Peter Kiewit Sons' Incorporated
Net worth	$3.6 billion (February 2015)[1]
Children	6
Relatives	=

Walter Scott Jr. (born 1931) is an American civil engineer, philanthropist, and former CEO of Peter Kiewit Sons' Incorporated.

Education

He graduated from Colorado State University in 1953 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.^[2]

Career

Scott was first elected to the Peter Kiewit Sons' Incorporated board in 1964. In 1979, he was elected president. When Peter Kiewit died later that same year, Scott was selected to succeed him as chairman.

He sits on the board of Berkshire Hathaway, and is a childhood friend of Warren Buffett.^[1] He is also on the board of directors of Burlington Resources, Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises, Level 3 Communications Inc., MidAmerican Energy Holdings, RCN Corporation, Valmont Industries, and Peter Kiewit Sons' Inc, and is the chairman of the Open World Leadership Center at the Library of Congress.^[3] He is a director of the Joslyn Art Museum, Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation, and the Omaha Development Foundation. Nationally, he is a director of the Horatio Alger Association and the National Forest Association.

Scott is chairman of Level 3 Communications.^[4] The corporation is one of the firms created by the 1998 separation of the two operating divisions of Peter Kiewit Sons' Inc. Since the split-off, Scott now serves as chairman Emeritus of Peter Kiewit Sons', Inc.

Philanthropy

Scott consistently ranks among the wealthiest Americans. With his wife, Suzanne, he founded the public, non-profit Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation which has funded the Scott Atrium & Education Center at University of Nebraska Medical Center,^[5] the Scott Technology Center^[6] in Omaha, and The Summit: Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve.^[7]

In June 2010, when Warren Buffett appealed to him to join the Giving Pledge, he partially accepted, stating that after his death his remaining estate will go into his eponymous foundation.^[8]

In 2011 he committed $10 million to the construction of Engineering II, a $70 million, 122,000 square feet (11,300 m²) building which will house interdisciplinary energy, environment and health programs at Colorado State University.

In November 2016 it was announced Scott would be donating $53.3 million to Colorado State University School of Engineering, CSU's largest ever gift, and that the College of Engineering at CSU will be renamed the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering, becoming the only named college of engineering in the state of Colorado.^[9]

Collector

In 1996 Scott acquired the original sales document of the Louisiana Purchase for his private collection.^[10]

Honors and awards

Scott was the 1997 recipient of the Horatio Alger Award.

He became an Eagle Scout in 1946 and is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.^[7]

Personal life

Scott's second wife Sue Scott had been a good friend of his first wife, Carolyn, who died in 1983, but did not know Walter. They married in 1987 at their place of worship, Countryside Community Church. Suzanne died in 2013.^[11]

References

1. "Walter Scott, Jr.". Forbes. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
2. "Walter Scott Jr, Biography" (PDF). Walter Scott Jr, Biography. Colorado State University. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
7. Sendor, Julia (October 23, 2010). "Boy Scouts of America New major donors and jamboree dates announced". Raleigh Register-Herald. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
8. "The Giving Pledge". Givingpledge.org. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
9. Whaley, Monte. "Colorado State gets record $53 million donation from graduate Walter Scott Jr.". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
10. "Louisiana Purchase Manuscript Goes on Public Display". News.nationalgeographic.com. Retrieved July 29, 2010
11. "Suzanne Scott, 'intelligent and energetic philanthropist,' dies at 83". Omaha.com. 2013-09-09. Retrieved 2016-11-15.