Roberta Scott dies; remembered for her intellect & passion

LOS LUNAS — Having lived what her daughter described as “a very good life,” Los Lunas resident and University of New Mexico-Valencia Advisory Board member Roberta Scott died unexpectedly on Friday, Oct. 23.

Scott, who served on the advisory board on two different occasions, was in Chicago representing the board at the Association of Community College Trustees convention when she died.

Andrea Scott, Scott’s oldest daughter, said when law enforcement contacted her about her mother’s passing, the officer described a scene that was peaceful and utterly reminiscent of her.

“He told me she was in bed with a book beside her, which sounds exactly like her,” Andrea said. “I’m sure she also had her own tea with her. She always took her own tea bags with her.”

Advisory Board Chairman Paul Luna said Scott was always focused on the mission of the board — the higher education of local students.

“Like everyone else on the board, she wanted to get as many students into our program as we could,” Luna said. “It was important to her because she didn’t think she would go on to get a higher education degree. She always said if she could do it, anybody could.”

A fellow alumnus of New Mexico State University, Luna remembers Scott talking about the encouragement she got from her father to pursue higher education.

“She talked often about her father; after she graduated high school he always insisted she was going to college. She thought she’d just move on to a job,” he said. “He encouraged her to go to college and she really believed education was a tool everybody could use to pull them out of a situation that maybe was not in their best interest.”

Scott excelled academically in high school, earning a scholarship to attend NMSU in the fall of 1958, where she initially majored in education before transferring to the University of Texas-Arlington to finish her bachelor’s degree in history.

When she returned to New Mexico, she earned a master’s of business administration in business marketing from NMSU and later in life pursued her PhD in business.

That pursuit ended in frustration, unfortunately. Andrea said her mother got “push back” from the program’s professors, who said she was too old to complete the program.

“That really put a dent in her trying to do something for herself. She didn’t want it as a stepping stone to something bigger,” Andrea said. “She knew it would be hard. I always told everyone she was on her way to a PhD. It was something she wanted for herself, but I think she just got frustrated.”

Even though there was a roadblock put in her way, Scott didn’t let it slow her down. A large part of her professional career was spent as the director of the Small Business Development Centers at NMSU’s Dona Ana branch and at the UNM-Valencia Campus, serving Valencia County’s small business owners for more than a decade.

She was a small business owner herself, leveraging her love of books into her own bookstore — The Book Worm — in the late 1970s when she and her family lived in Alamogordo. Andrea remembers her mother’s absolute love of the store, but also the lack of financial viability.

Unfortunately, a much larger bookstore moved into town a few years into Scott’s venture and the store ultimately closed, but not before making an impact and garnering some accolades.

Andrea said she and her father, Harold, and older brother, Tim, helped Scott create a kind of kids playhouse at the back of the store, based on the books from the “Clifford the Big Red Dog” universe.

“She won an award from the publisher because of how cool the section was,” Andrea remembered. “Basically, her whole life, she loved books. I heard so many stories from grandma about how she always had her nose in a book.”

As a bookstore owner, Scott always made sure the teachers at the small elementary school in La Luz her children attended always received a good discount at her store.

Her love of books and reading saw her become a part of many Valencia County civic groups and projects that focused on making sure local students had access to books and were encouraged to improve their literacy.

As a member of the Valencia County Literacy Council, Andrea said her mother was always proud to attend graduation ceremonies at the UNM-Valencia Campus for students earning their GEDs.

“She knew education would take you a long ways,” she said.

Trips to London and Scotland, and adventures closer to home at the New Mexico State Fair and the annual National Fiery Food Show in Albuquerque, are memories of her mother Andrea says will always make her smile.

Others in the community who worked and served with Scott have fond memories of her as well, describing her as bright, hard working, calming, and always willing to help and be committed to a cause.

Richard Melzer, local historian and member of the Valencia County Historical Society, remembers Scott in her roles as treasurer for the society as well as the New Mexico Historical Society.

“She was always very active and liked to contribute. She led a community-centered life,” Melzer said. “I remember she had a bumper sticker on her car about the value of libraries, and I know she loved reading cozy mysteries. Best of all, she never failed to laugh at my jokes.”

Coming from the hectic world of TV news in Denver, Julianna Martinez-Barbee remembers Scott as being a calming figure, able to “cut the clutter.”

Now the Director of Small Business Development Center at Northern New Mexico College, Martinez-Barbee worked with Scott at the SBDC in Valencia County.

“She was the executive director and always led with calming care and made everyone feel valued. She was a genuine advocate for small businesses. She left a lasting mark on the business community,” Martinez-Barbee said. “She had time for and made time for everyone. She had a way of really paying attention to the person in front of her.”

Calling Scott a true unsung hero, her fellow Rotarian Greg Gaudette said he was always impressed that she was willing to literally roll up her sleeves to help.

“I don’t know if a lot of people knew this, but she was a regular blood donor. Gallons and gallons. She helped organize our blood drives and donated on her own,” Gaudette said. “Within (Los Lunas) Rotary, she was a giving person with her time, whether it was the dictionary project with the third graders, helping with the pancake breakfast, she rolled up her sleeves and went to work. She was a very giving person and always showed up for everything we did.”

Scott was also a member of the Business Women of Valencia County for many years, serving as president in 2025. The organization did regular coat drives for local students, as well as gathering household supplies, toiletries and school supplies for families that needed some extra help.

As per her wishes, Scott has already been cremated, Andrea said.

A celebration of life will be held 2-5 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Learning Resource Center at UNM-Valencia Campus.

Scott is survived by her daughters, Andrea and Ann-Marie Scott; and her grandchildren, Matthew and Avery Cox and Symphony Scott. She is preceded in death by her son, Tim Scott; and parents, Clifford and Ruth Field.

© 2026 Valencia County News-Bulletin. Reprinted with permission.