Tom W. Scott Dies; Father of Gemini, Apollo Astronaut

Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Tom William Scott, the father of Gemini and Apollo astronaut David Randolph Scott, died at his La Jolla home of natural causes. He was 86.

Scott, who began his 28-year military career in 1929 as an Army flying cadet, died Thursday.

During World War II, Scott was a base commander at Burtonwood Air Depot in England, the main U. S. maintenance depot for aircraft being used in Europe. He also served as deputy commander of the 20th Air Force during the Korean conflict, overseeing the United States’ long-range bombing of Communist forces in Korea.

Scott, whose military honors included the Bronze Star and two Legions of Merit, retired in February, 1957, and moved to La Jolla four years later.

Scott was a 1926 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. He was a La Jolla Town Council trustee from 1966 to 1972 and became involved in the rejuvenation of the La Jolla Shores Protective Assn. in 1962.

His son, David, became an astronaut in 1963 and flew on the Gemini 8 and Apollo 9 space missions before being named commander of Apollo 15. David Scott is now president of a Palmdale, Calif., company that provides engineering and marketing services for commercial space projects.

Scott is survived by his wife of 58 years, Marian; sons David of Manhattan Beach and Tom Jr. of Birmingham, Ala.; and four grandchildren.

A memorial service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday at St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church. Burial will be in Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery.