Hugh Scott Holder

Art is not what you see, but what you make others see."
H. Scott Holder was a man who lived the meaning of these words, faithfully sowing beauty into the very soil of the lives in this community for the fullness of his 88 years. On Tuesday morning the 17th, surrounded by family, he left us and ventured out into the next part of his journey. Yes, life is short; yes, it passes in the blink of an eye; but what this man accomplished and how he loved during his moment is an inspiration and challenge for us all.
He was born in 1923 to Harry C. Holder Sr. and Lou Emily Holder in Calhoun, KY, a safe place with tight-knit community where he learned the art of caring and watching out for one another. This giving attitude carried over into his adult life, and as so many of us know, he gave back to the community and cared for people in any way possible.
After moving to Owensboro in 8th grade and spending some time horsing around with his lifelong friend Larry Hager at Kentucky Military Academy, Scott started his education at Harvard but was called to military service in 1942 and served in the U.S. Infantry, after which he received a congressional appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated in 1948. On assignment in San Francisco he attended a party where he met his match, the lovely Ruth Constance Barnhart, the woman he later made his wife. The two of them made quite the picture - laughing gaily and wildly in love - so much so that they decided to elope to Tijuana, Mexico six weeks before their official wedding in San Francisco, a detail never revealed to their parents! Two years later they welcomed Winnie Lou Holder, their first child, and moved to Owensboro in 1954, where he worked in the family business, Holder Motor Company, until it was sold in 1975. During that time their second daughter, Margot Elizabeth (Holder) Muffett was born, and both girls just loved their Daddy.
Over the years, Scott amassed an astounding amount of experience in so many different fields, tackling each new interest with vim and vigor. He loved the theatre, and upon returning from traveling to find the area with no stage company, went together with friends to found the Theatre Workshop of Owensboro, which continues to this day. Oh, what times were had by all!
Later, in 1980, he even went back to school to earn a Master's Degree in Theatre from the University of Illinois and continued to act, direct and play stage hand for years, and loved spending hours discussing Shakespeare with best friend Sid Neal. This segued into yet another Master's Degree in Speech Language Pathology from Western Kentucky University in 1985. He worked for the Daviess County Hospital with victims of stroke and children with speech problems etc., then opened a private practice through 1997, tutoring countless foreign students in English and literacy, helping them ease into a new life. There's no way to measure the impact he's made in these people's lives. Everything he did was sprinkled with love.
Scott and Joe Ford joined forces in 1960 to create the charter for the Green River Museum of Science and Art, which was the beginning of what would become the Owensboro Museum of Fine Arts and the Owensboro Area Museum.
This amazing man was also a Rotarian for 57 years, traveling the globe, and involved in the Ambassadorial Scholarship Program for over five decades. No doubt he enabled many a young Kentuckian to venture beyond our American borders.
And still, there's more - eternally curious, he researched topics and presented his findings to the Investigators Club; deeply spiritual, he helped found the Owensboro Unitarian Church; ever devoted, he spent his time investing in friends and family, making us feel important; always the food lover, he tried new flavors and regularly cooked up a storm in the kitchen.
There's so much to say about a life, too much - but we honor this man and what he taught us by laughing, by loving, and LIVING every day there's still breath in our lungs. "Good-night, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."
Scott is preceded in death by his parents and daughter, Winnie; survived by his wife of 62 years Ruth; their daughter Margot and her husband James Muffett; grandchildren Christopher Muffett, wife Jen and son Isaiah, Emily (Muffett) Jefferies and husband Michael, Jason Muffett, Justin Muffett and Joel Muffett, all of Lansing, MI.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. at Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until funeral time. Interment will be in Rosehill Cemetery.
Condolences may be sent to Ruth at 2107 Frederica St. Apt 1201, Owensboro KY 42301, and gifts in the form of donations to Theatre Workshop of Owensboro or the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Owensboro are welcomed.