Robert Scott Langley

Robert Scott Langley, Jr. was born in Kinston, North Carolina, on March 27, 1950, to Roberta Huffman Langley and Robert Scott Langley. He died of cancer in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on January 12, 2026.

Scott is survived by his sisters, Martha Langley Perkins and Lee Anne Langley; his brother-in-law, William Stephen Perkins; his nieces, Scott Langley Jeffrey and Anne Scott Quinn and her husband Matthew Quinn; his nephews, Robert Langley Jeffrey and his wife Dorothea Jeffrey, David Langley Jeffrey and his wife Tiffany Jeffrey; and John Broaddus Livingston, Jr. and his wife Rieko Livingston; his great niece, Sophia Langley Jeffrey; his great nephews, Samuel Langley Jeffrey, Bo Lok-Man Jeffrey, and Owen Scott Quinn; and many cousins and friends.

As his family and friends attest, Scott was an unforgettable, unique individual, gifted with a towering intellect and a broad and deep curiosity about and knowledge of many different subjects, arcane and mundane, which he delighted in sharing with all who had the pleasure of knowing him.

His profound intellectual potential was first observed by his surprised mother when, at age four, he unexpectedly started reading to her from the newspaper. No logical reason for this precocious ability was ever determined, but it was assumed that he taught himself as she read books to him.

This auspicious beginning into the world of words presaged Scott’s life-long journey of erudition, curiosity, and wonder. Like other young children, Scott watched and enjoyed “Looney Tunes”; but unlike other children, he also listened to and enjoyed “Aida” and “Madame Butterfly.” Whatever he took up, he did so with passion and determination, easily excelling in all school subjects. A naturally ungifted athlete, Scott became, through sheer grit and determination, an excellent competitive swimmer in middle-distance freestyle events.

He attended McCallie School in Chattanooga from 1965-1968, where he continued high achievement in academics and in swimming; thus began his life-long relationship with his beloved McCallie and the many friends he made there through the years. For Scott’s many contributions to the life of the school, McCallie named him its 2010 Alumnus of the Year.

After graduating from McCallie, Scott attended the University of North Carolina on a Morehead Scholarship, graduating in 1972, with a B.A. in Latin.

In 1976 he earned an M.A. in cinematography at New York University (NYU) and followed that degree with an informal A.B.D. (“all but dissertation”) in cinematography. He was lured from D.W. Griffith by law school and graduated from New York Law School with a J.D. in 1981, followed by an LL.M. in taxation from NYU in 1982.

Scott began his legal career at Olwine, Connelly, Chase, O’Donnell & Weyher in New York City (NYC), specializing in telecommunications mergers and acquisitions tax law. He reveled in the minutiae and arcania of corporate tax law and retired from Baker Botts in 2021. He then returned to Chattanooga to engage fully with the McCallie community and his many friends there.

Living and working in NYC allowed Scott to thrive as a passionate bon vivant. By day, he was a hard-working tax attorney, and by night, nearly every night of the year, he was a dedicated devotee of the arts. As his admiring family and friends attest, he loved to share generously his NYC with them, including—but not limited to—culinary extravaganzas, art shows, theatre, musicals, opera, ballet, symphonies. Many remember, with fondness and awe, Scott’s hosting legendary dinners at Lutèce and Le Bernardin, among other fabled restaurants, at which he instructed one and all in the finer points of wine tasting.

Scott was a dedicated and intrepid traveler and delighted in sharing his exotic adventures with family and a wide array of friends, priding himself on his stamina during arduous expeditions. He focused on three exotic destinations: (1) scuba-diving adventures in the Red Sea and the Cayman Islands; (2) Egypt; and (3) Morocco. He visited these locales at least once a year. Indeed, he visited Egypt and its valued antiquities so often that he was followed by the Egyptian secret police.

Closer to home, Scott set for himself the goal of walking the entirety of the Appalachian Trail, trekking a discrete distance on the trail for a number of years, always with family or friends—or both. He almost met that objective, nearly reaching Acadia National Park, before deciding that he had already broken too many bones to continue. Those treks invariably included stays at lovely inns and meals at lauded restaurants, both high-brow and low.

An extraordinary individual, Scott brought riotous joy to so many, animating the world around him, through his wit and humor, alternately sophisticated, or puerile, or bawdy (or all three simultaneously); his unquenchable curiosity; and his generosity in sharing his passion for gustatory delights, the performing and visual arts, exotic locales, and the magical wonders of being alive.

The week before he died, Scott observed, “I’ve had a great life, and I’m ready to go.” This statement is a genuine source of comfort for his bereft family and friends. Scott joyfully and deliberately grabbed onto life and lived it, always full of intellectual vigor, wit, discipline, determination, passion, humor, friendship, and generosity.

A Celebration of Scott’s Life is scheduled on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at McCallie School in Chattanooga. Family and friends are cordially invited to attend and to share anecdotes and remembrances during the celebration.

In lieu of flowers, Scott’s family respectfully requests donations in his honor made to the American Cancer Society.