Scotty Probasco

Scott Livingston "Scotty" Probasco, Jr.[1] (November 26, 1928 – April 17, 2015) was an American heir, businessman and philanthropist.[2][3]

Scotty Probasco
Born(1928-11-26)November 26, 1928
Chattanooga, Tennessee
DiedApril 17, 2015(2015-04-17) (aged 86)
Chattanooga, Tennessee
EducationBaylor School
Dartmouth College
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
OccupationBusinessman
Philanthropist
Spouse(s)Betty Rowland Probasco
ChildrenScott Probasco III
Ellen Probasco Moore
Zane Probasco Brown
Benjamin Probasco

Early life

Scotty Probasco was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee on November 26, 1928.[4][2] His family has been involved in banking for ten generations.[3] His grandfather, Harry Scott Probasco (1858-1919), founded the American National Bank, and his father, Scott L. Probasco, Sr. (1890-1962), founded a trust company ultimately bought by SunTrust Banks.[2][3] Probasco had said that the "Probasco" family were originally Jews from Madrid, Spain who immigrated to the Netherlands and converted to Protestantism;[3] then in the 1600s, they immigrated to the U.S.[3] Both his father and grandfather attended the First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga, and were devout followers of Christ.[3]

Probasco attended the Baylor School, where he played on the golf team.[5][6] He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Dartmouth College and attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.[2]

Career

Probasco considered becoming a preacher, but joined the family business instead.[3] He served as the Chair of the Executive Committee of SunTrust Bank in Chattanooga.[2][7] He served on the Board of Directors as well as the Audit and Compensation Committees of Chattem, a Chattanooga-based producer and marketer of over-the-counter healthcare products, toiletries, dietary supplements, topical analgesics, and medicated skin care products.[7]

Philanthropy

Probasco sat on the Board of Trustees of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as well as its UTC Alumni Council, UT Development Council, and UT Foundation.[2] He has also supported the UT chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.[2] He endowed the Probasco Chair of Free Enterprise at UT, currently held by Jeff Ray Clark.[2][8] He received the UTC Alumni Board's Outstanding Service Award.[2]

Probasco also donated to the Baylor School, the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, the Chattanooga-based Benwood Foundation, Bethel Bible Village, a crisis center for neglected, abused and in-crisis children based in Hixson, Tennessee, the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, and the United Way of Greater Chattanooga.[2] He supported Republican Bill Haslam's gubernatorial campaign in 2010.[9]

Personal life and death

Probasco was married to Betty Rowland Probasco, a.k.a. Betty Probasco, and they resided in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, a suburb of Chattanooga.[2][10] They met at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club in 1953.[11] His wife was an avid golfer and a former executive at the Women's Southern Golf Association.[11][10] They had four children:

  • Zane Probasco Brown.[2] She is married to Greg Brown, who was elected as the Mayor of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee in 2006.[12] He was still the Mayor in 2012.[13]
  • Ellen Probasco Moore.[2]
  • Benjamin Rowland Probasco.[2] He has served on the Board of Directors of Krystal, a fast food restaurant chain, since 1997.[14]
  • Scott Probasco, III.[2]

Probasco's sister, Alice Probasco, was married to the late John T. Lupton II, the heir to the JTL Corporation, Coca-Cola's largest bottler until he sold it to the Coca-Cola Enterprises for US$1.4 billion in 1986. Scotty Probasco was known for wearing bowties and smoking Honduran cigars.[3] He died on April 17, 2015.[15][16]

References
  1. Sinclair Broadcast Group. "WTVC NewsChannel 9 :: News - Top Stories - Scotty Probasco Jr. Dies". WTVC NewsChannel 9. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  2. "2010 Winner: Scott L. Probasco, Jr". utfi.org. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  3. Dean W. Arnold, Old Money, New South: The Spirit of Chattanooga, 2006
  4. "Who's who in Commerce and Industry". google.ca. 1959. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  5. Graham Elliott, 2004 Baylor School Breeds Champions, Golfweek, October 12, 2011
  6. "Baylor School: Brandon Eaves '10 with Scotty Probasco '48 and Chuck Hudson '10". baylorschool.org. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  7. "Scott L Probasco Jr". Businessweek.com. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  8. "Probasco Chair of Free Enterprise". utc.edu. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  9. Tom Humphrey, Haslam Opens Chattanooga HQ; Keeps Most Commentary Light, Knoxville News Sentinel, June 26, 2010
  10. John Shearer, Betty Probasco Still A Golfing Champion, The Chattagoonan, June 08, 2003
  11. David Uchiyama, Historic event at Lookout, Chattanooga Free Times, May 26, 2010
  12. Adam Clagg, Greg Brown Is New Mayor Of Lookout Mountain, Tn., The Chattanoogan, August 23, 2006
  13. Lookout Mountain, Tenn.: City Profile, Chattanooga Free Press, March 25, 2012
  14. Benjamin R. Probasco, Bloomberg Business
  15. "Scotty Probasco, Chattanooga philanthropist, dies". WRCBtv. April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  16. Scott L. "Scotty" Probasco Jr., businessman and philanthropist, died Friday night, Chattanooga Free Press, April 18, 2015
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