Born in Oakland, CA on January 13, 1983, Scott Macpherson Stapleton spent the early part of his life in northern California. Through eighth grade, Scott attended St. Perpetua's School before entering high school. Scott attended high school at The College Preparatory School in Oakland and graduated in 2001. During his time at College Prep, Scott became extremely interested in his academics specifically philosophy and literature. Additionally, Scott's love of travel was first ignited in high school. Also, it was during his time at College Prep that Scott began competing in triathlons.
College After College Prep, Scott attended the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. At Georgeotwn, Scott was a John Carroll Scholar which was the highest academic distinction for entering students. At Georgetown, Scott was interested in international affairs and earned his bachelor's degree majoring in culture and politics with a focus on social theory and the politics of globalization. He graduated from Georgetown Summa Cum Laude. Scott spent a semester studying abroad in Paris where he was able to learn French and be immersed in a new culture. His time in Paris also inspired Scott to write his senior thesis about the complex urban identity of the banlieue, the ghettoized suburbs of Paris, through the prism of parkour, an urban sport created there. The effort won the Jesse Mann Medal for excellence in his major. In addition to his academic and athletic achievments, Scott spent a summer interning in the State Department's Office for Counter-Terrorism and actually wrote a paper on terrorism in India for the U.S. State Department.
Rowing While at Georgetown, Scott rowed varsity crew all four years where he was one of the top rowers on the team rowing in the varsity eight boat all three years. His senior year, Scott earned a bronze medal at the collegiate rowing national championships (Intercollegiate Rowing Association).
Triathlon Scott began competing in triathlons during high school and continued through early adulthood. He completed the 1/2 ironman Wildflower Triathlon in May 2008 in a time of four hours and 51 minutes placing in the top 50 of competitors overall.
Professional career After graduation, Scott worked in marketing for Infosys Technologies in Bangalore, India in order to immerse himself in yet another culture. After two years of working in India, Scott took a position at Infosys' USA headquarters and lived in San Francisco. In the fall, Scott planned to start a Master's Program in Social Research Methods at the London School of Economics.
Accident While on a motorcycle trip around the Black Sea Scott was killed Thursday, July 24, 2008 by a reckless driver in Sinop, Turkey.
Memory Scott is survived by his parents, Frank and Pam, and sister, Claire; his girlfriend, Laura Neuhaus of Austin, TX; his maternal grandparents, Baba and Tata (George and Pauline Kraw) of Los Gatos; his paternal grandparents, Thomas and Helene Stapleton of Santa Barbara; his godmother, Janet Tucker-Garr, Bennett, and Emma, also of Santa Barbara; and numerous family members and friends around the country and world.