Former Gov. Bob Scott dies.

Gave me reason to go up in the attic and pull down the varnished plaque I’ve been carrying around for years but haven’t thought about much. My dad worked in state government for years, and one night he brough home a little present — a note from the governor himself:

To Sam
With best wishes always

From Bob Scott, Governor of North Carolina

11/2/71

Ironic that Scott’s obit notes he “used the governor’s bully pulpit to help push through the first retail tax on cigarettes” just as Sen. Marc Basnight offers up a smoke and drink for the kids campaign.