BIOGRAPHY

             Milford 'MONK' 'MEL' Melvin Scott Jr. born March 12, 1931.

  Mel first attended McKinley Grammer School in Santa Monica, Ca then Richland Ave Grammer School in West L.A., Ca. He was a member of Boy Scout Troup #2. He attended Louis Pasteur Junior High School in Los Angeles and graduated  June 21, 1946 then attended University High School in West L.A. and graduated on June 17, 1949 . In high school, he won 2 Varsity Letters in gymnastics. While in school, he held various jobs which included working at his father and uncle's service station/tire shop in Santa Monica earning 15 cents an hour; splitting rock with a 12-pound sledge hammer all day long at a dolomite mine in Big Bear, Ca;   digging for a basement on the construction of a high school in Big Bear, Ca ; stuccoing a motel in Santa Monica; packing orchids at a nursery in West L.A. and manufacturing silent butlers in West L.A.

  He built his first hot rod in the late 1940's while going to high school. It was a 1927 'T' with a 4-cylinder Willys engine and turned 104 MPH at the dry lakes. He also did a little amateur flat track motorcycle racing.

  From December 1950 to November 29, 1956 when he was honorably discharged, he served in the US army active reserve in California, attaining the rank of Sergeant First-Class and assigned to 763d Ordnance Matainance Battalion, 63d Infintry Division, supervising the maintenance of tanks, trucks, diesel and petrol engines.

  From 1950-1962 he was employed by Transco Products aircraft components in Culver City, Ca with positions as assembler, machinist, tool maker, model maker, electrical/mechanical technician and head of the environmental laboratory as a test engineer.

  He attended UCLA extension in the 1950's and also took courses through correspondence from the Canadian Institute of Science and Technology where he received his degree in Automotive Engineering.

  He took a total of 68 hours in both class instructions and as a student pilot from the helicopter Institute in Van Nuys, Ca in 1963 before it went bankrupt.

  From 1958-1966 he owned and operated his own business, Scott Fuel Injection in Santa Monica, designing and manufacturing fuel injection and automotive accessories. His injectors won Drag Racing World's Chamionships in 1961 and 1963 and also won 2 NHRA Nationals at Indianapolis in 1963 and 1965. Some of his fuel injection accessories are on display at Don Garlit's drag racing museum in Ocala, Florida and at the NHRA  Motorsports Museum in Pomona, Ca.

  From Jan-May 1966 he worked for  Commercial Cabinet Co. in Van Nuys, Ca as a mechanical engineer in charge of the metal structure and fabrication of 10, 3/4 sized railroad cars for Disneyland.

  In 1966 he worked for Alaska Barge and Transport at Taikoo Shipyard in Hong Kong as a Mechanical Engineer supervising the contruction of new superstructures for LST's and the rebuilding of diesel engines, generators, cranes, windlass, forklifts, etc.

  From March 1967 to May 29, 1970, he was hired in Vietnam and employed by the Army, Air Force and Marines for the Army and Air Force Motion Picture Service-Pacific, Ryukyus Regional Office as a Field Engineer, maintaining equipment and supervising the installation of motion picture equipment in new theaters. Duty station was Okinawa with temporary duty (TDY) in Taiwan and the Philippines. He also had TDY in Japan and Korea.

  While stationed in Okinawa, he received the "Tiger award" on December 9, 1968 from Col. Frank E Marek, Commander, 313th Air Division, for exceptional cooperation, dynamic leadership, meritorious achievments and outstanding duty performance while assigned to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa.

  From 1970-1972, he worked for Von Brimer Scientific Labs in Las Vegas, NV as a Design Engineer, designing and testing an exhaust afterburner system to reduce pollutants in automobiles.

  From 1972-1984, he was a Consulting Engineer for both STP Corp, Hardware Division in Santa Monica, Ca and for Olson Engineering in Huntington Beach, Ca. He has been granted 6 US patents, 1 Mexican patent and 1 Italian patent relating to and his being instrumental in reducing vehicular pollutants in California, Canada and Russia. In 1974, 17 cars were equipped with Mel's patented EGR Valve at the Indianapolis 500 race.

  In the 1980's , he freelanced as an investigator for automotive mechanical failures, determining the legitimacy of the failures.

  In September of 1991, he and his wife Elle, travelled to Guatemala with some members of their church,  the Atascadero Nazarene Church, to help construct a church office.

   After completing the advance course from the Rouse School of Special Detective Training, he became a Private Investigator on November 11, 1989.  He has also completed courses in Insurance Fraud, Jan 5th, 1990, Financial Investigations, Jan 5th 1990 and Fugitive Training Division (Bounty Hunter and Bail Bond Investigation) March 19, 1991. he worked for Clue Detective Agency for 8 years. In 1990 along with his wife Elle, he was named Co-Investigator of the Year for Clue Detective Services. In 1992, he and Elle performed an investigation in Vietnam to determine if any POW's were still alive and being held. Conclusion:  NO --- confirmed by the U.S. Embassy (Hanoi) in 1995.

  During his years of retirement, he has dedicated time to volunteer work at the Atascadero State Hospital (June 1982- 1994), Atascadero Police Department (1989-1993) and Meal-On-Wheels (1990-1994). From 1990 to 1992 he donated over 900 hours of volunteer service.
During his lifetime he has traveled extensively to over 85 countries.

    Now we can't forget about his wife Elle....

Mel's shop on Pico Blvd., in Santa Monica was right across the street
from Elle's father's restaurant where she helped out. Mel and his partner, "Ron Hess",
used to come there for lunch and that's where she met Mel.  They got married
December 3, 1965 but even before they were married and dating, Elle would go with Mel
to the drag strips and help him with the injectors.  She has also done much of
the paperwork.

   Elle was born in the Philippines on May 26, 1946, however, her father was
U.S. military so she was born a US. citizen and came to the United States
when she was about 2-3(?) months old.  She is a Certified Graphoanalyst
(handwriting expert--questioned and forged documents) and also a
violinist.

   Elle also worked for the 8th Army's Nuclear, Chemical, Biological, Radiological Div.
with a high security clearance while they lived in Korea and later she worked for the Military Police while they lived on Okinawa which gave her good background when they
 went to work as Private Investigators.
 

   PIC 1 - Mel's 1927 Model-T pickup. Mel built the 133 CID 1937 Willys flathead. Chasis by Jim Van Cleave. Best time at the dry lakes: 104 MPH.
   PIC 1a - Another shot of Mel's 1927 model T
   PIC 2 - Flathead in Mels 1927 T. He ported and relieved it, installed larger intake valves, lightened the flywheel, polished the rods and filled part of the cylinder head with brass to raise compression. Mel made the intake manifold and headers out of old bedposts and nickel plated them. Carbs were Stromberg 81's.
   PIC 3- 16 year old Mel in his 1927 T. He drove this to school everyday!!
   PIC 4 - Mel and Elle flow testing fuel injectors
   PIC 5 - Mel today with one of his latest projects.... a jet engine !!
   PIC 6 - Mel and Elle celebrating their 35th anniversary with a 3 day cruise to Ensenada. December 2000
   PIC 7 -  Early 2-port Riley dragster. Left to right: Ed Cusworth, Mel Scott, Leo Robertson
   PIC 8 - Mel Scott (left) and Don Madden (right) with Don Madden's top fuel car.
 
 
 
 

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