William Henry Scott

William Henry Scott (born Henry King Ahrens; July 10, 1921 – October 4, 1993) was a historian of the Cordillera Central and pre-Hispanic Philippines. His family, of Dutch-Lutheran descent, soon returned to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where Scott spent his boyhood. In 1936, Scott won a three-year scholarship to the Episcopalian-affiliated Cranbrook School in Michigan, United States, where he excelled academically and became interested in pursuing a career as an archeologist. In 1939, after graduating, he changed his name to William Henry Scott. In 1942, Scott joined the US Navy, serving throughout World War II until 1946. Professional career In 1946, Scott joined the Episcopal Church mission in China. He taught and studied in Shanghai, Yangchow, and Beijing until 1949. With the general expulsion of foreigners from China in 1949, he followed some of his teachers to Yale University where he enrolled, graduating in 1951 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese language and literature. Immediately upon graduation he was recalled to active duty and served in the navy for eighteen months during the Korean War. In 1953, he was appointed lay missionary in the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.