Scott
TysonScott
TysonScott first came to Idaho State University at the beginning of the 1985 Spring Semester as an intern student. The internship was one of his last requirements for a degree in outdoor recreation offered by another ISU (Illinois State University). At Illinois State, Scott had been active in and worked for the Outdoor Program, a nationally respected program, philosophically very similar to Idaho State's program. There he had served as a Senior Trip Coordinator, and from 1982 to 1984, he had been the Manager of Outing Center Equipment Rental.
In the fall of 1984 while attending the first National Conference on Outdoor Recreation, held in Bozeman, Montana, Scott became acquainted with the Idaho State Outdoor Program. Impressed with what he learned about the program, he decided that Pocatello was the place to do his internship. His application was immediately accepted. The fact that there wasn't any money available for a internship stipend didn't deter Scott. He went anyway.
It didn't take long for Scott to prove his worth. He was a hard worker, full of ideas and energy and willing to spend inordinate amounts of time with the program. Midway through the semester, money was found in the Student Union budget and he started receiving a well-deserved stipend for his work. When his internship was completed, he stayed on with the program, continuing to work part time. Then finally in late 1988, a new position was created, and along with Ron Watters and Dana Elle, he became an official full-time member of the staff.
Scott's specialty was rock climbing and he instructed all of the Outdoor Program's climbing classes. He dusted off a climbing contest which the outdoor program had sponsored in past years, gave it a new name (Pocatello Pump) and spiced up its format. Scott's new formula was irresistible to climbers, and in a few short years, the Pocatello Pump was attracting competitors from all over the nation.
Scott thoroughly enjoyed mountaineering and made ascents of peaks throughout the west. He also climbed in South America, and with Pat Lang, a math professor at Idaho State, successfully reached the summit of Denali (Mt. McKinley) in June of 1990.
Scott also had a strong interest in outdoor cooking, and started the Dutch oven cooking classes at the Outdoor Program. To this day, the Dutch oven classes are among the program's most popular.
The Outdoor Program didn't occupy all of Scott's time. He was also busy working on a master's degree in counseling. After receiving his degree, he decided it was time to move on, and in August of 1995, Scott left the Outdoor Program to take a position with the Pocatello school district as a counselor.
Scott cared deeply for and was well-liked among students. He also
left something for future Idaho State students. For years, he worked
to establish an indoor climbing wall at the University. Along the
way, he experienced many set-backs, but he doggedly kept at it. After
Scott took a counseling job, the torch was passed on to others, and finally
in March of 1998, the Idaho State
University Climbing Wall was completed. For Scott, the wall,
one of the largest climbing walls ever built at a university, was a fitting
and lasting legacy to a job well done.
