Sidney William Scott, 81, of Dubuque, passed away June 3, 2024, after living with Alzheimer’s dementia for the past few years. Sid was born on December 8, 1942 to Ralph and Helen (Bean) Scott in Galesburg, IL. He was united in marriage to Janice (Smith) Scott on August 20, 1966 in Peoria, IL. They moved from Peoria to Dubuque in 1977. Janice served as his primary caregiver for the last years of his life.

Sid earned a degree in studio art from Illinois State University in 1968 and an MBA from Bradley University in 1977. His 50+ year career included leadership positions in art, marketing, public relations, and organizational development for three media corporations–The Peoria Journal Star, Tazwell Publishing, and Woodward Communications, Inc. (WCI)– and he served as the business manager for Mercy Radiologists for several years. Simultaneously, Sid ran two one-man businesses: Scott Graphics in the early years and Scott Consultants, LLC from the mid-1980s on. He also served as an adjunct faculty member at the Beyster Institute, Rady School of Business, UC-San Diego, UW-Platteville, UW-Madison, Clarke College, and Cardinal Stritch College. Sid retired from WCI in 2008 as the VP of Human Resources. He was the author of over 200 articles in national and local trade publications and made over 100 presentations at meetings of the Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) Association, the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO), the Inland Press Association, the Society for Human Resource Management, and the American Society of Training and Development. From 1994 to 2006, Sid served on the board of NCEO, serving as co-chair for the last two years, and he was a founding officer and President of the ESOP Association’s Nebraska-Iowa chapter. Sid was especially proud of his instrumental role in helping WCI become a 97% employee-owned corporation. After retiring, he joined the WCI Board of Directors, serving as its chair from 2012-2016.

From 1964 to 1970, Sid served in the Illinois Army National Guard as a Specialist E-5. In the last years of his life he was especially keen to revisit cherished memories of this time, including his active duty in the Chicago Riots of 1968 after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. In both Peoria and Dubuque, Sid was an engaged citizen who participated in community service and fundraising activities for a long list of organizations including (but not limited to) American Red Cross, United Way, Multiple Sclerosis Society, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Dubuque Area Large Employers Health Care Coalition, First Congregational Church- United Church of Christ, Dubuque Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Rotary, Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque Chorale, Northeast Iowa School of Music, and the Dubuque chapter of PFLAG. In 2003, he was selected by Iowa Governor Vilsack to serve a six-year term on the Iowa Health Facilities Council.

The contribution for which Sid will be most fondly remembered by his family and many friends is his musicianship. As a teenager in the heyday of early rock and roll, “Bill” caught the bug. He took a few years of lessons but was a mostly self-taught musician who could pick up any instrument and play it. Primarily a keyboardist, he was in several bands over the years, including The Misfits in the 1960s and most recently, Sid V and the Human Resources, which was formed at his WCI retirement party and went on to play regional gigs for 15 years. Music was Sid’s happy place and he kept to the keyboard until just a few days before he passed.

Sid is survived by his wife, Janice; his children, Britain Scott (Russ Lake) of Hudson, WI, Erin Scott of Woodbury, MN, and Ryan Scott of Dubuque; grandchildren Renn Elkins of St. Paul, MN and Sylvie Lake of Hudson, WI; his brother Steve (Joan) Scott of El Paso, IL and nephews Matt (Nikki) Scott and Michael Scott, both of Illinois.

Sid’s family would like to offer special thanks to Home Instead care providers and Egelhof, Siegert and Casper Funeral Home and Crematory. Kindly direct any memorials to the Alzheimer’s Association, the National Museum of the United States Army, or First Congregational Church-United Church of Christ in Dubuque.

The family is planning a celebration of Sid’s life in late July. Details about the date and venue will be forthcoming on social media.