 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Season's greeter
By SHERYL KAY CARROLLWOOD -- When he retired from the Coast Guard in 1975, Bill Scott was a well-built man with black curly hair sticking out from under his sailor's cap. But like so many, Scott put on a pound or so every year after, as he watched his hair, like his beard, turn straight and gray. "Everybody said I was starting to look like Kenny Rogers," said Scott, 63, of Citrus Park. About five years later he and a friend noticed a temporary employment agency's advertisement for Santa Claus school. Scott was already a bus driver for the Hillsborough County school district, but as a joke, the two decided to apply. His friend never made it, but Scott was hired right away. He doesn't know whether it was his looks. "Maybe it was just me," he said. "I am jovial -- that's me as a person." After training he was given several assignments, but he wanted to schedule his own appearances. "I just started to call some of the day care centers, and one thing led to another," said Scott. Over the years Scott, who now drives a county school bus for special needs children, has put on a few more pounds. His hair, which finally turned snow white, has grown to shoulder length. He now uses the entire year to grow his beard to a length of about 12 inches, and has become a well recognized Santa all over Tampa, during the season as well as out of season, at business and private parties. But unlike some Santas, Scott has taken his looks, and the role, to heart. He performs at many charity events as a volunteer. His first such appearance this season was at Tampa General Hospital where he and his wife Lee (Mrs. Claus), met with all the children, played games, sang songs, and handed out candy and toys that he had purchased at his own expense. Scott also posed with each child for a Polaroid photo specially framed with Christmas themes. He and his wife donated all of the photos. On Saturday night, Dec. 8, he and Mrs. Claus were seen at another pro bono event, as the two waved to crowds from the last float of the Krewe of Venus' Santa Fest. "God has been very good to me so I just want to pass on some of those blessings," Scott said. "But I don't want to blow my own horn. I'm just doing what I feel God wants me to do." He is inspired by the honest interaction he has had with so many children. "One time I was asked to come by a home on Christmas Eve, but I had five other appearances, so I told the dad I was going to be really late," Scott said. "I got to the front door around 11 p.m., rang the bell, and the father sent the boy to answer the door. You should have seen this little boy. At first he was a little sleepy, then he looked up at me, his eyes got real wide, got this big smile on his face, and he pushed me out of the way, went running by me, and said, "Hey, I want to see your reindeer.' " Scott immerses himself in the role, and not only through his various appearances. He also invites children of all ages to call his home phone number during the month of December. Once connected, the caller is entertained by a three-minute outgoing message "directly from the North Pole." Scott changes the message on Christmas Eve, reflecting Santa's urgency in getting the sleigh out for all of the deliveries, and then changes the message again on Christmas Day, to finally wish everyone a happy holiday. "On the 26th, I come home, fall apart, and trim down my beard," Scott said. Then the next day he lets the whiskers start to grow again, so he'll be all ready when December rolls around again. - You can reach Sheryl Kay at this e-mail address: skreporter@hotmail.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times |
