Ferris Scott Billyou, Jr.

One of New England's best known book travelers during the 1970s and 1980s, Ferris Scott Billyou died on November 15, 2012 at Avery Heights in Hartford, where he lived with his wife, Ruth. Born in Brooklyn, NY in 1926, he was a son of Mary Rose Louise (Gardner) and Ferris Scott Billyou Sr. Brooklyn left an indelible impact on Scott, as he was known, and he became a life-long advocate for the city. Scott attended the Choir School at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and the Trinity School both in New York City. His experience at the choir school, whose students also serve as choristers for the cathedral choir, helped shape a life-long interest in music. After completing high school in 1944, Scott enrolled in the United States Navy where he served on the USS Waukesha (AKA-84), a Tolland-class attack cargo ship. The Waukesha was assigned to the Pacific Theater and on her first mission sailed to Okinawa where typhoons forced her out of the harbor to the relative safety of the sea. Eventually she sailed to Guam and then to Saipan. Her final mission was part of Operation Magic Carpet, carrying demobilized soldiers from Japan to the U.S. Following his Navy service, Scott graduated from Trinity College, Class of 1950, in Hartford where he cultivated a love of books that influenced the balance of his life. After college, Scott opened an eponymously named bookstore in Hartford. He operated the store for several years, then closed it and moved back to New York to work as a publishing sales representative, or book traveler, selling first in the mid-west and then in New York City. After a decade working as a house representative, Scott became an independent book traveler selling in New England. He spent the next three decades calling on booksellers representing a diverse range of books during a time he later called, "…the golden age of bookselling." In 1968 Scott married Ruth Wilgus who survives him. He also leaves a daughter, Mary Billyou Rose, her husband, Christopher, their daughter Lucy Elizabeth; daughters Susan Gallwey, her husband Stephen, and their children of County Waterford, Ireland; and Ann Banegas, her husband Hector and their children of Montclair, NJ. He is also survived by his nieces Jean Billyou of Laguna Beach, CA, Marion Eagen of Pleasant Valley, NY, Esther Buddenhagen of San Antonio, TX and his nephew, Albert Pokrywka of Roxbury, CT. Calling hours are Tuesday November 20 at Taylor & Modeen Funeral Home, 136 South Main Street, West Hartford from 4 to 6pm. A funeral service celebrating Scott's life will be at Grace Episcopal Church, 55 New Park Avenue, Hartford 06106, on Wednesday at 10am. Interment will be in Center Cemetery, Roxbury, CT at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Parkville Classicals Series in care of Grace Episcopal Church. For directions and online condolences, please visit www.taylorandmodeen.com