Toastmasters International -George C. Scott and Bennie Bough

Two framed black and white portraits of men in formal attire against a dark background.

George C. Scott (left) and Bennie Bough

In the last year and a half, Toastmasters has lost two Past International Presidents. George C. Scott, DTM, 1975–1976 International President, passed away in June 2024, at the age of 95. Bennie Bough, DTM, 1992–1993 International President, passed away in June 2025 at 96.

George C. Scott, DTM

In 1956, Scott joined the Chanticleers Toastmasters Club in Portland, Oregon. Remarkably, he remained a member of the club until the time of his death, 68 years later. He was also a longtime member of a second Portland club, the Arlington Toastmasters.

“George was an outstanding President—intelligent, articulate, caring,” recalls John Fauvel, DTM, 1987–1988 International President.

Fauvel, of Auckland, New Zealand—Toastmasters’ first International President from outside of North America—vividly remembers when Scott and his first wife, Elaine, visited his country during Scott’s term as International President, in 1976. Fauvel says it was the first official visit to either New Zealand or Australia by an International President.

Fauvel was impressed by how friendly and authentic Scott was, recalling that the then-President was genuinely interested in talking to and learning about local members, who in turn held the organization’s top-ranking officer “in awe.”

During the New Zealand trip, the Scotts were guests at a Saturday-night Toastmasters banquet, and when it was time for attendees to line up at the buffet line, the host Toastmaster forgot to call the Scotts first. “By the time George and Elaine got to the buffet table, only a few lettuce leaves remained!” Fauvel says. “Sunday morning they were as gracious as ever.”

Scott’s term as International President coincided with the year Terry McCann was selected as the organization’s new executive director, in 1975. Scott was part of a group that conducted a detailed search and interviewed McCann several times.

In an interview with 1999–2000 International President Tim Keck, DTM, Scott reflected on McCann’s 26-year tenure in the position: “He really did a lot of positive things for the organization for the many years he was with us.”

Scott also shared a story about having the same name as the famous actor George C. Scott, a stage and screen star, who won the 1971 Academy Award for Best Actor.

George C. Scott the Toastmaster viewed the coincidence with a playful perspective. He particularly enjoyed calling for a hotel or restaurant reservation and upon being asked his name, saying, “I’m George C. Scott.”

“I’d get a pause at the other end,” he continued, “and then I’d hear, ‘The George C. Scott?’ My reply was, ‘Well, certainly.’”

Bennie Bough, DTM

As a young man serving in the United States Navy, Bennie Bough was stationed in Taiwan in the late 1950s. He had earlier joined a Toastmasters club at the San Diego Naval Training Center in San Diego, California, in 1953—and before he left Taiwan, he chartered the first Toastmasters club there, in 1958. It was a key step in the growth of Toastmasters in Asia.

Nearly 70 years later, the Taipei Toastmasters Club is still going strong, and District 67 in Taiwan has more than 170 clubs.

“Dr. Bough was not only an exceptional leader and mentor but also a wise and warm-hearted friend whose legacy will continue to guide and inspire every member of District 67,” wrote then-District Director Ben Lin, DTM, in a Facebook post on the District 67 page after Bough passed away.

Through the years, Bough belonged to several Toastmasters clubs in his home state of Viginia. One club in Springfield, Virginia, was founded by a fellow member in 2002 and named the Bennie Bough Toastmasters Club in his honor.

George Yen, DTM, the first International President from Taiwan (2013–2014), had a special connection with Bough. They first met in 1998, when Bough went to Taipei to mark the Taipei Toastmasters Club’s 40th anniversary. Ten years later, Bough traveled there to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

“He came across as a very warm and caring person and seemed to have a special affinity for Asians, and the Taiwanese in particular,” says Yen.

Yen recalls that in 2013, when he became the first International President from Taiwan—the place where Bough had planted the seeds of Toastmasters more than half a century earlier—“Bennie was in tears when the result was announced.”

Bough, who had a Ph.D. in International Relations, grew up in Illinois, and both his parents were deaf. In an interview with Tim Keck, Bough said he benefited a great deal from mentors throughout his life and tried to give back as a leader in Toastmasters.

“I have mentored a lot of people, mostly on a one-to-one basis. The most powerful example of mentoring is encouragement, where you constantly encourage other people to take on leadership roles and are encouraging them that they can do better in their public speaking skills.”