By Sara StrongThis week, Randy Scott’s old and new friends are remembering him in the same way — as a good guy, who worked hard and made time to play hard.His relatives are remembering Scott, Hardwick, as a loving and giving member of their family. The 55-year old was killed Saturday when his motorcycle collided with a car driven by South Dakota Congressman Bill Janklow at a rural Moody County, S.D., intersection, near Trent. The intersection was specifically at 240th Street and 480th Avenue.Scott was westbound behind friend, Terry Johnson, when Janklow ran a stop sign while driving south.The investigation by the South Dakota State Patrol will conclude the point of impact and speed at which the accident took place. They are waiting for results of blood alcohol tests from both drivers. Janklow suffered only minor injuries.Scott’s friends describe the tragedy as a cruel irony. He had just purchased the motorcycle this spring and was so proud of it. After years of working hard, he intended to take time to enjoy himself. He had even quit smoking.‘So many good qualities’The accident itself is getting regional and national attention, but local people are focusing on Scott.Besides close friends and family, and those who knew him best, much of Rock County recognized Scott as an outgoing man with a large farm and cattle operation and gravel truck business.Russell Knutson, rural Magnolia, said Scott was a "unique individual" with many unsung talents.Knutson and Scott had been friends since attended school together in Hardwick. Even now they talked daily, and worked together on farm equipment, construction projects and almost anything one or the other had going. "He had so many good qualities," Knutson said. "He even had a memory like an elephant. If you met him once, he’d remember you and talk to you again."Knutson said Scott was non-judgmental and was known to reach out to people outside his group of best friends. "There was absolutely no shyness in him," Knutson said. "He could talk to President Bush and then turn around and talk to a bum on the street."Knutson, his wife, Kris, and their four children will miss the time they spent with Scott.Kris Knutson said, "He had a heart as big as Texas, that’s for sure."Russell Knutson said, "Anyone who disliked him probably had a lot of dislikes in life. He was a happy person who knew how to cheer up people, even when he could use the cheering up."Knutson saw his friend for the last time Friday.Other friends, Craig and Lori Martinson, haven’t known Scott that long, but grew close to him last year.Martinson, rural Hardwick, said he is serious when he says Scott was a true giver.For example, Martinson wanted to borrow some things for work on his acreage, and instead of just loaning him tools, Scott helped Martinson with the work."He was just one of those guys who would do anything for you," he said.Scott graduated from Luverne High School in 1967. He graduated from Pipestone Vocational School in 1968. He joined the U.S. Army on Jan. 21, 1969, and was honorably discharged on Oct. 20, 1970. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal. Scott was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Hardwick. He was an active member of the Hardwick Fire Department from 1983 to 2003, serving as fire chief and for the past eight years, as assistant fire chief. He was also a past commander of the Arthur Moeller Legion Post #478 in Hardwick. Survivors include a son, J.R. Scott; two daughters, Brandee Scott, and Tess Johnson. His mother, Marcella Scott, still lives in Hardwick.
