Former Richmond County Board of Education member Joe Scott is deserving of many accolades.

He was a good Christian who believed in the Golden Rule. He was a great family man who was an excellent husband, father and grandfather. He was a great friend who could be counted on through thick and thin. He was a great educator who recognized that unconventional means were sometimes necessary to create a thirst for knowledge among children who had sometimes been neglected or deprived.

Joe Scott was a man's man. And while he was short in stature, he was a giant when it came to courage and determination. Joe also was a warrior who reminded me of another great black hero, the Rev. Vernon Johns, who preceded the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. It was Johns who said, "If you see a good fight, get in it." Joe didn't look for fights, but if he saw one where a victim needed help, he was quick to join in.

Last, but not least, Joe reminded me of Booker T. Washington. In 1894 when Washington made his Atlanta Compromise Speech, the most important thing that he said became the personification of Joe Scott: "(W)e should not allow our grievances to overshadow our opportunities.