Morin Montague "Monty" Scott Jr. always paid attention to the smallest of details when conducting business, but he maintained a sense of humor and treated people with respect, friends recalled.
Scott, 66, died Tuesday morning in his Little Rock home. A cause of death is not known, said his wife of 32 years, Becky Butler Scott. He also is survived by his children, Morin M. Scott III of Austin, Texas, and Catherine Elizabeth Joy Scott of New York.
He was the president of Southwest Hotels Inc., the parent company of the Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa in Hot Springs, and owned the Hot Springs Golf and Country Club Association.
Scott was born April 12, 1949, in Austin, Texas, and attended the University of Texas at Austin and later Menlo Park School of Business in Atherton, Calif. He was a member of the board of directors of Simmons First National Bank and a founding corporate director and investor in Delta Trust and Banking Corp. of Little Rock.
He had a "dry" sense of humor that was difficult to replicate, co-workers said.
"He was so quick with it," recalled Bob Martorana, general manager of Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa. "It's hard to describe how his humor was, but he was sharp."
Martorana said he remembered when Scott hired him six years ago as general manager of the landmark hotel.
"He passed the keys to me and entrusted me with it," he said. "It was a pretty unique time."
Martorana said he will especially miss seeing Scott at the hotel's award banquet held later this year where employees are honored for their longevity.
"Monty looked forward to that event every year," Martorana said. "He enjoyed shaking their hands and thanking them for everything they did."
Scott told others he believed the country was built by private businessmen who helped others in need, his wife said.
"Monty always said, 'It's easier to tell the truth than to get by with a lie,'" Becky Scott said.
"He found importance in the smallest things in life," she said. "He was a low-profile personality who would never blow his own horn. He would just take a hit and find a positive manner to revisit the subject later.
"His faith, family and friends were his priorities."
Friends remembered Scott's penchant for observation.
"He was an avid supporter of Simmons Bank," George Makris Jr., chairman and CEO of Simmons First National Corp, said in an email. "But he certainly required the dotting of all i's and the crossing of all t's. We will miss his straightforward input, which he delivered in a way that many times caused a chuckle or two."
Bob Bledsoe, executive director of Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, met Scott during a fundraising dinner.
"He asked a lot of questions," Bledsoe said. "Monty wanted to know all the details about everything. He didn't let small things slide by. He was very attentive to every detail, regardless how small they were. It was engaging. It was impressive, and it made a lasting impression on me.
"He had a keen interest in the success of Hot Springs."
Barry Howard, general manager of the Hot Springs Country Club, said he considered Scott a "mentor" he's known for 23 years.
"The biggest thing about Monty is that we could disagree on something but walk out of the room and still have respect for each other," Howard said. "He wanted to hear what you thought."
When Scott visited the club's kitchen, Howard first would warn employees, he said.
"He was very thorough," Howard said. "He'd point things out and that was good. I'd tell our staff to be ready."
State Desk on 01/14/2016