Allan Scott (A&S ’63, MED ’67) was still in residency at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, when a former classmate from Pitt called him and asked for a donation to the University.
“I said, ‘But I haven’t paid off my medical school loans yet.’ My friend countered with, ‘Can’t you give $20?’” said Scott acting out the conversation from five decades ago. “I said, ‘Hell, I can do that; I thought you wanted thousands.”
The Pitt Chemistry major and Med School graduate gave $100 that year.
Scott interned at Walter Reed Medical Center, did a stint in the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, and, after leaving the service, went on to enjoy a long and successful career as an ophthalmologist in Baltimore, retiring in 2014.
In 2020, a long-time friend and Pitt Trustee Alfred Moyé (A&S ’68G) traveled to Baltimore to visit with Scott. While he was there, Moyé suggested that Scott endow a named scholarship.
Although he has given regularly over the intervening years, much like when his friend asked for his first gift to Pitt, Scott's first reaction was that a named scholarship would require more money than it does
“I was surprised to learn I could endow and name a scholarship with a $100,000 gift,” Scott said.
Scott donated $200,000 to create twin scholarships—one in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and another in the in the School of Medicine. His gift to the Dietrich School made him one of the first donors to The Big DIG.
“I can’t tell others what to do with their money, but, as for me, creating the scholarships is the right thing to do and I get a good feeling out of it.” - Allan Scott
To pay for his undergraduate degree Scott worked in the mills every summer. That was no longer an option during med school so he took a position as a residence hall advisor to help cover tuition; however, it was not enough. He was wondering how he was going to pay for the next semester when Pitt reached out to him and offered a scholarship.
“Pitt was so generous with me,” he said. “I still wonder how they knew exactly what I needed to complete my studies.”