MAJ (Ret) Scott McGinnis

Sign/View Registry at Kinkade Funeral Chapel

Reprinted from the materials provided at the viewing this evening…..

In Loving Memory:  Scott McGinnis   1955 - 2008

Cadet Prayer: O God, our Father, Thou Searcher of human hearts, help us to draw near to Thee in sincerity and truth.  May our religion be filled with gladness and may our worship of Thee be natural.  Strengthen and increase our admiration for honest dealing and clean thinking, and suffer not our hatred of hypocrisy and pretence ever to diminish.  Encourage us in our endeavor to live above the common level of life.  Make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half truth when the whole truth can be won.  Endow us with courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns to compromise with vice and injustice and knows no fear when truth and right are in jeopardy.  Guard us against flippancy and irreverence in the sacred things in life.  Grant us new ties of friendship and new opportunities of service.  Kindle our hearts in fellowship with those of a cheerful countenance, and soften our hearts with sympathy for those who sorrow and suffer.  Help us to maintain the honor of the Corps untarnished and unsullied and to show forth in our lives the ideals of West Point in doing our duty to Thee and to our Country.  All of which we ask in the name of the Great Friend and Master of All. - Amen

In Loving Memory of Scott Luther McGinnis

Born: December 13, 1955  Norfolk, Nebraska

Died: March 16th, 2008  San Marcos, Texas

Graveside Service: Monday March 24, 1008 at 11:00 AM, Black Hills National Cemetery

Officiating: Rev. Tom Stenzel

Soloist: Meredith McGinnis  “Amazing Grace”

Paulbearers: Dale Bleckman, Dane Kane, Matt McGinnis, Meredith McGinnis, Michael McGinnis, Tracy McGinnis

Military Honors: Sturgis Veteran’s Honor Guard

Interment: Black Hills National Cemetery

Scott Luther McGinnis: Scott Luther McGinnis was born the youngest son of Jim and Bonnie (Luther) McGinnis on December 13, 1955, in Norfolk, NE.

     Scott entered the United States Military Academy in 1975 and graduated with the Class of 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering.  He then earned his Masters in Education (Civil Engineering, Water Resources Planning and Management and Construction Management) from Texas A & M University in 1986.  Scott retired from US Army in 1995.

     Scott was a great leader, a mentor, comrade, and friend.  He was a patriot whose integrity, faith, and moral character were beyond reproach.  During his time on this Earth, Scott touched so many lives with his unselfishness, kindness, and unending faith.  Scott was a aman that rul enjoyed life.  He was a loving son, father, brother, uncle, and friend who was always there for anyone who needed him.

Scott L. McGinnis of San Marcos, Texas, passed away on Sunday, March 16, 2008 at the age of 52.

     He is survived by his parents, Jim and Bonnie McGinnis, Spearfish Canyon, SD; his most precious legacy, his daughter, Kelley McGinnis, Austin, Texas; his brother, Mike (Tracy) McGinnis, Chesapeake, VA, and their children Meghan, Matt, and Meredith; his sister Jean (Jim) Carberry, Oahu, Hawaii; uncle and aunt Howard and Joel McGInnis, Cozad, Nebraska; and cousins Paul and Laurie McGinnis; aunt, Sally Chisholm, Lincoln, Nebraska; and cousin, Andrew Chisholm and family; aunt and uncle, Carl and Karen Brasee, Grand Island, Nebraska; and cousins, John Brasee, Margaret Loftus, and Mark Brasee.

     Scott’s Departure from this world to receive his reward in Heaven has left a void in the hearts of everyone who loves him, but his legacy will live on!

A memorial has been established.

The Family Extends An Invitation To Join Them For Fellowship And Refreshments At The Sturgis Vet’s Club Following The Interment Service.

As the officer who followed Scott in his position of Professor of Military
Science, I remember Scott doing quite a bit to help me get settled in San
Marcos and prepared to assume the mission of PMS from him. First, I could
not believe his extraordinary generosity in allowing me to stay for 30 days
in his home while he was away at Advance Camp. I was a stranger and he had
no reservations about me going into his home to live while he was away.
When I did find my own home and closed on it, he gave me a bottle of
champagne to celebrate.
Scott wanted to make sure the cadet battalion would continue to be well
taken care of so he walked me through the many requirements, activities, and
events that I would face as a new PMS and reassured me that I would do well.
He obviously made an indelible impact on many of his cadets and the positive
impact he had on the lives of young men and women is a remarkable legacy to
leave behind.

Finally let me say that I noticed that Scott and I were born just 17 days
apart–so for me it brings home the fragility of life. Scott’s passing
should remind us all to live each day to the fullest because we never know
when we will be called home.

May perpetual light shine upon Scott and may he rest in peace. I pray that
the Holy Spirit will bring comfort and consolation to his family.

Sincerely,
COL Karen S. Adams
PMS, July ‘96-’99

An update on hotel location if you’re coming in for the funeral.  Scott’s family has blocked rooms at a local resort in Lead, South Dakota.  Contact info follows:

Golden Hills Resort, 900 Miners Avenue, Lead, SD 57754

Reservations: 888-465-3080

Email: ghrfrontdesk@yahoo.com

Scott L. McGinnis, of San Marcos, passed away on Sunday, March 16, 2008, at the age of 52. He was born on Dec. 13, 1955, in Norfolk, Neb., to Jim and Bonnie (Luther) McGinnis.He is survived by his parents; his daughter, Kelly McGinnis; brother, Mike McGinnis and wife, Tracy and their children, Meagan, Matt and Meredith; sister, Jean Carberry; uncle and aunt, Howard and Joel McGinnis and cousins, Paul and Laurie McGinnis, aunt Sally Chisholm and cousin, Andrew Chisholm and family, aunt and uncle, Carl and Karen Drasee and cousins, John Drasee, Margaret Drasee and Mark Drasee.

Memorial services will be conducted at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 20 in the Pennington Memorial Chapel. Burial will be in Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, S.D.Arrangements under the care and guidance of Pennington Funeral Home, 323 North Comanche Street, San Marcos, Texas 78666, 353-4311.
Published in the San Marcos Daily Record on 3/20/2008. 

LTC Glenn Moore | tm30@txstate.edu | txstatearmyrotc.com/main.html 

All,

I was not as fortunate as all of you to have known Major (R) Scott McGinnis but after attending his memorial today, I wish that I had. It sounds like he was a phenomenal man that touched a lot lives throughout his lifetime. His family was great and his daughter was strong. My cadets and I really enjoyed hearing all of the stories of someone with such a strong legacy as he has left. It truly showed just how much he meant to so many people, a true testament to him as a Son, Father, Brother, PMS, Soldier and Neighbor! I can only hope that when my life here is done that it can be said that I touched or affected half as many people’s lives as Scott did. God bless you and your family!

Trey, you are a very loyal and great friend and today it showed. V/R LTC Glenn Moore (Bobcat 06)

I talked with Kinkade’s Funeral Home this afternoon in Sturgis.  Scott’s family will be getting together on Sunday night, March 23rd, from 5-8:00 PM at Kinkade’s.  The actual funeral and graveside service wil be at 11:00 AM on Monday, March 24th at the Fort Meade National Cemetery. 

They’ve invited us to meet at Kinkade’s at 10:30, then we’ll go out to the cemetery together.    For those interested in going, I already have a room in Sturgis and the car to get around in, so all you’d need to pay for is your flight.  I know it’s Easter weekend, but Scott would have been there to the very end for us, and I intend to do the same for him.  If you have any questions or comments, give me a call at (512) 665-1745 or send me a note.

What comes to mind when I think of MAJ(R) Scott McGinnis.

First of all, he has my boss and friend. I have read the comments made by several of his cadets. I’m happy to know that he touched and made a difference in the lives of so many of his charges. I’m truly proud of all of you that have paid YOUR respects to this honorable man.

Scott was a person that kept things at ground level; he made the impossible more reachable. As an engineer, he knew how to build and rebuild what needed to be rebuilt. I believe with rank and position come certain responsibilities; Scott never delegated that. He trusted me and my judgment, but when it came to cadets and training—he had the final word.

I regret that I missed the opportunity to forge a long lasting relationship with Scott. He had a most noble heart and a giving hand. Scott made tough decisions all his life and always tried to do the hard right than the easy wrong. I know he loved his daughter Kelly very dearly. I do regret that I did not pursue his friendship more arduously. He was always there for me and I took him for granted. If I could say a word to Scott today, this is what I would say to him “Scott, I wish I could be more like you. You make people happy and you care for people.”

I have two daughters of my own and I could always feel Scotts’ pain when he could not spend more time with Kelly. He was so proud of Kelly and always wanted to spend more time with her. I met Scott in Baghdad and we shared a few stories. The story he would come up with every time we met was “SWT sure was the best assignment I ever had and I really loved working with our cadets.” I learned to say “Really” from Scott. After my departure from SWT (1998), every time I would say “really” my wife would say to me “OK, Scott McGinnis.” OK, so I really learned that from him. I loved to hear him say “really.”

After I received the sad news of his earthly departure, it hit home. He made a difference in my life and I know he would always extend his hand and support me as a friend no matter what. I can not explain to you how sad I have been for the past two days. I wanted to reach my friend, but I did not go the extra mile to find him. I tried to reach Scott via his AKO e-mail account, but I never received a reply.

Now, all I can hope for is to see him in heaven (unless he can send me an e-mail from heaven). This evening I was able to talk with Kelly and his brother Mike. It was great to hear Mike’s voice—it sounded just as if I were talking to Scott. Kelly—you had a great Dad; now you can carry the baton to the finish line. Scott will live among us through you. I feel I’m chocking, my heart is pounding and I have to tell you my emotions about my silent friend. If Scott was listening to us right now, I would also say “thank you Scott for the Nebraska steaks!” GOD BLESS MY FRIEND!

With my highest gratitude and respect to my silent Friend, LTC Fernando Avalos

Chris Levy 96′ | chris.d.levy@us.army.mil | IP: 195.23.241.66

This is indeed a sad time for us; but, I’m sure heaven has added a true warrior to its ranks. He was a wonderful human being. MAJ McGinnis has had a huge impact on my days as a cadet at SWT and even through-out my years after. He always took the time to talk with us not just as subordinates but as equals.

He was surely an easy to approach leader. We had many conversations about his engeering work in the eastern block countries. He was the project leader for quite a few successful engineering projects from what I gathered. Even as a cadet it was a comfortable experience to chat with him about anything and everything.

Ahh, and he loved those Nebraska steaks! Didn’t he!? I had to say they were quite good! At first I was thinking “I can’t believe he is ordering steaks from Nebraska when we were in Texas!… land of endless beef!” However, I recall when he invited us to his fameous Nebraska steaks at the BBQs we had and I had to admit they were damn good! He also invited us to go canoeing from time to time and we had a splendid time! He certainly loved the outdoors.

Scott McGinnis will be missed on earth, but I’m thinking heaven has added a powerful warrior to their ranks!

v/r,
Chris

I neglected to include in my last post that Scott’s funeral on Sunday will be held at the following location: 

KINKADE FUNERAL CHAPEL
1235 JUNCTION AVE
Sturgis, SD 57785-1909

605.347.3336

And Ron, thank you for sending the flowers to Pennington today on behalf of the classes who attended between 95 and 97….they were beautiful.

Scott’s memorial service was held this morning at 10:00 AM at Pennington Funeral Home in San Marcos.  His family was in attendance as well as most of his friends, neighbors, and business acquaintances including his Dad, his brother, and his daughter - Kelly.  His family created a “memory board” full of pictures from the past, many of which included his family and friends.  I hope to be able to obtain scans of some of those photos to post here after everything settles down just a bit.

For those of you who are in the area, there will be a memorial “dining out” of sorts this evening from 6 - 8:00 PM at Mamacita’s Mexican Restaurant in San Marcos.  You’re more than welcome to join if you can make it.

We were able to have LTC Glenn Moore, the Texas State Army ROTC Commander in attendance along with several representatives including the Cadet Battalion Commander, XO, and MWR Officer.  We were well represented.

Overall, the memorial service was conducted on a very positive note, and everyone was encouraged to tell their story about what a tremendous impact Scott had on their lives.  The ceremony was conducted by BG(RET) Mike McGinnis, Scott’s brother.  I did have the opportunity to speak, and I relayed the stories you sent to me and read them aloud.  Chris, Mike read yours…..I couldn’t make it through it.

Scott’s family will fly back tomorrow morning to do another memorial service in Sturgis, South Dakota.  His funeral will occur on Sunday, then he’ll be buried at the Fort Meade National Cemetery in Sturgis.

I’ll keep you posted where I can and post Scott’s pictures as soon as we get them.  If you’d like to contact Scott’s family, Mike McGinnis’ number is (757) 274-2797.  That’s his cell number, so take it easy on him this weekend, he’s got a lot going on right now. If you’d like to contact him via email, his email address is mmcginni@odu.edu.  Mike is the Executive Director at the Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center at Old Dominion University.

That’s all I have for right now folks.  Please continue to relay your experience with Scott on the website…we’d love to have your input.

Trey,
Thanks for letting us know about MAJ McGinnis. For those of you who did not know MAJ McGinnis, please allow me to share things about him with you. MAJ McGinnis was an Engineer Officer who became PMS from approx 1994-1995/96. As his Cadet BC, he allowed me the flexibility to train the MSIII’s as I and my cadet staff saw fit in order to get them prepared for advance camp. He provided guidance and let us (the cadets) lead the way. It was under his and then CPT (now LTC) Fernando Avalos’ watch that the SWT ROTC program flourished and won the best small school ROTC program in the country. MAJ McGinnis and I both travled to Fort Monroe, VA so that GEN Hartzog (then the TRADOC Cdr) could place a streamer on our battalion colors. I have many fond memories of that trip to Virginia but none beats watching MAJ McGinnis and GEN Hartzog tie that streamer on OUR SWT ROTC Battalion colors. That was truely a proud moment for the SWT ROTC Battalion. May he rest in peace.

MAJ Omar Lomas ‘96

My thoughts and prayers go out to the McGinnis Family.  We have lost a friend but God has gained a great Soldier. 

CPT Moore, Brian

Dec 98 Grad

Though I was never fortunate to run into Major (Ret) McGinnis after I graduated and commissioned in December, 1997, he was a person that never escaped my mind.  He was a positive influence throughout my training and development in the corps of cadets at the Bobcat Battalion.  I can recall some of the experiences I had going to the field and having him come up to me to guide me toward making the right decision when he knew I needed it.  Sometimes I appreciated it and sometimes I couldn’t understand his wisdom.  I say wisdom because it was his wisdom that persevered in my mind and I always came to understand his thoughts at some point down the road… and those are the memories that stick to me to this day!  Maj McGinnis pushed me toward accomplishing what he knew I wanted most - to accomplish the goal of earning a bachelor’s degree and becoming a military officer… and a leader.  He left fingerprints on my life that will never fade… and all because he had confidence in me to achieve my goals and lead men and women in the military.

 My thoughts now are to express my most sincere condolences to his family.  Though I was never able to pass my thanks to Maj (Ret) McGinnis, I would like his family to know that I will never forget him as my mentor and a stalwart believer in perseverence and trust!

 Sincerely,

Tony Castillo, Jr.

For those of you who are able to attend the memorial service for Scott, here are the details:

 Location: Pennington Funeral Home, 323 N Comanche St, San Marcos, TX 78666
Tel: (512) 353-4311

March 20th, 2008

10:00 AM