Descendants of a famous Tamaqua artist traveled from both coasts to gather in the Schuylkill County town this week and research his legacy.

Members of the family of John G. Scott, illustrator of Gibson valentines and products of the Nabisco Corporation, are gathering samples of his work, some of which will become part of a permanent Tamaqua museum display next year."We have such good memories here," said Nancy Scott Stauffer Van Sant, of Woodland, California.Van Sant is a granddaughter to Scott, a commercial artist whose talent was so well-received during America's Golden Age of Illustration, 1880s-1920s, that the Cream of Wheat Corporation selected four of his renderings for their advertising.Van Sant lived in Tamaqua with her grandfather, attending North Ward Elementary."I went there for first and second grade, and then when the war was over, my father came home and we moved back to Frederick, Maryland," she said.The descendants' trip to Tamaqua was arranged by Scott's grandson, Robert Stauffer of Roanoke, Virginia.Tragedyand triumphJ.G. Scott's story is one of tragedy and triumph.He was born in Buck Mountain in 1887 and graduated from Girardville High School. As a young man, his talent emerged by accident, literally.A hunting mishap crippled his left arm, preventing him from performing heavy lifting or accomplishing work requiring great physical effort.He decided to attend the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Arts in Philadelphia, finishing in 1910 and launching a prolific career.Scott became well-known for painting images of children with rosy cheeks and a cherubic appearance.At the time, the Cream of Wheat company was a pioneer in using warm, four-color illustrations to promote their product. They carefully selected the nation's top illustrators to propel their wholesome image. Scott made the cut, and his advertising art won the hearts of Americans.He also produced over 2,500 spirited valentines for the Gibson Company and others from 1924 to 1953.Several of his oversized paintings are on display in Tamaqua Borough Hall.Another Scott mural, a 1964 painting depicting cows in a pasture, can be seen at Heisler's Dairy Bar, Lewistown Valley,Scott died at home in Tamaqua in 1975 after suffering from emphysema and eventually blindness. He was 87.Legacy buildsAs with many artists, Scott's body of work is becoming more acclaimed and appreciated with the passing of time.The family has been gathering samples locally and nationally. They already own about 50 of his oil paintings and many Scott valentines.They placed a recent advertisement in the Times News, which led to discovery of Scott's portable easel. It had been cared for by local resident Barbara Yusella.On Monday afternoon, the family toured the Tamaqua train station, visited the North Ward neighborhood where Scott lived, and spent time talking with members of the Tamaqua Historical Society, where they were welcomed by President Dale Freudenberger.They also reviewed samples of Scott's work currently stored in a climate-controlled archives room at the society museum.Other family members on hand included Stauffer's wife, Vicki; John G. Scott III and wife Sharla, Phoenix, Arizona; Van Sant and husband Brad; and George Stauffer and wife Libby, Frederick, Maryland.Family members said Scott was employed as superintendent of Coaldale State General Hospital from 1939 to 1956 and served as Schuylkill County representative in the Pennsylvania General Assembly from 1925 until 1934.He lived at 401 N. Lehigh St. and was a fan of local sports.Scott's legacy has been examined in Katherine Kreider's book "One Hundred Years of Valentines," published by Schiffer in 1999, and in "Cream of Wheat Advertising Art" by Dave Stivers Collectors Showcase, 1986.Another tribute, "John G. Scott and His 2,500 Valentines," was authored by Stauffer and appears in "The Paper and Advertising Collectors' Marketplace" magazine, Vol. 36, No. 2, February 2014.