Margaret and James Scott Memorial Award

This bursary is presented in memory of James (Jim) and Margaret Scott, who for many years, lived two houses west of Palliser (now known as Sask Polytech Moose Jaw) campus.

Jim received his grade 12 and industrial vocational diplomas from Moose Jaw Technical Collegiate (now A.E. Peacock Collegiate) and was awarded the National Light and Power prize for electrical engineering. After graduation, he was employed by Moose Jaw Light and Power, eventually working on the expansions to the British American (B/A) Oil Refinery (now the Moose Jaw facility of Gibson Energy). Hired by the refinery after the expansion was completed, he continued to work there for the next 40 years, through several changes in plant ownership. Jim was received his Red Seal certification as an electrician in 1968, and soon after began his studies in Automatic Controls for Power and Process via correspondence with SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology). Jim retired from the plant (now owned by Petro-Canada) in the early 1980s, took out a business license, and returned to the plant as a contractor for the next 10 years. Eventually, two people were hired to replace him. He passed away at the age of 93 in 2011.

Margaret received her B.Ed. at University of Saskatchewan and moved to Moose Jaw for her first teaching job. She taught for 22 years in the Moose Jaw Public School system, 21 years of which were spent at King George School, mainly teaching English and math.

Jim and Margaret valued education in all its forms; both were life-long learners with a wide variety of interests in such areas as culture, history, science and technology, and current affairs. Before her passing in 2022, Margaret established the Margaret and James Scott Memorial Award to support students in Jim’s area of expertise, as electrical engineering and instrumentation are programs offered at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.