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Shortly after I arrived at the Cherokee Scout in March 2003, I set about hiring a full-time staff photographer, a first for the local newspaper. We needed to hit a home run on the new hire since most weekly newspapers – and even many dailies – don’t have such a position, and we did with Scott Wallace.
Scott came to Cherokee County by way of Florida, where he had spent years as a professional photographer for commercial businesses. However, he really enjoyed working with the Key West Citizen, which is what led him to apply with us. With a fantastic portfolio on hand, hiring Scott was an easy call, and for the next nine years before retiring he made the Scout much more visually appealing.
One of the most interesting people I’ve ever met, Scott could talk in-depth about politics, religion and life in general, and had strong opinions on all three. We were part of the same church for a while, and he joined my family for Christmas dinner one year – I still have some of the Frankincense and Myrrh he gifted us.
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Scott was a photographer and a photojournalist, but most of all he would want to be known as an artist. We had extended “conversations” about what photos to use in print because the editor and I would want the one that told the story the best, while he wanted to run the picture that was the most artistic and colorful.
While that seemed annoying at the time, I miss those debates because it showed just how much Scott truly cared about every image he took. He won too many awards to list, and a couple of his first-place honors are still gracing the walls of the Scout’s newsroom.
Scott was 74 when he passed away on Oct. 13, 2023, after having a stroke. He had a big heart, so maybe that was the appropriate way for him to meet God.
You can check out some of his first-class work over the next quarter at The Mill Building, 104 Tennessee St. in downtown Murphy, where the “Photography of Scott Wallace” exhibit kicked off Friday night. Special thanks to the Cherokee County Arts Council and McNabb Properties for making sure this talented artist is remembered in the place he came to know and love.
Memorial Day
t’s a shame rainfall canceled the ceremony set for Monday morning at Konehete Veterans Park in Murphy, as no holiday for veterans is as serious and somber as Memorial Day. American Legion Post 96 is still to be commended for all it does to honor our veterans.
For those who have never volunteered to serve nor lived with the potential of being drafted into U.S. military service, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and the like may not have much meaning. However, without them the country we know and love would simply not exist. Every freedom we enjoy today was purchased with a price – and, in all too many cases, it took the highest cost of all.
Our veterans deserve more than just a pat on the back and “thank you for your service” – they also deserve to be treated like the heroes they are by the federal government. Proposed cuts to veterans health care and other benefits should be met with a resounding no. These brave men and women had their country’s back when we most needed them, and we should have their backs today.
David Brown is publisher of the Cherokee Scout. Call 828-837-5122 or email email, dbrown@cherokeescout.com.