Roderic M Scott completed his Ph.D. in astronomy at Harvard University in 1945. Then, Scott joined the Sharpies Corporation in Philadelphia as a research physicist. He began working with The Perkin-Elmer Corporation in 1948. He spent the remainder of his career there. Scott became an accomplished scientist, wining a number of awards and recognitions including OSA’s David Richardson Medal in 1974. He was also a Fellow of OSA.