Scott Arnold

Scott Arnold died on October 24, 2023, surrounded by his beloved wife and children at his home in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 73 years old. Scott was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1950. He was a man of many accomplishments, his proudest being his family. The son of Richard and Mary Arnold and brother to Lynn and Jack, Scott attended Webster Groves High School in St. Louis, where he was an All-American swimmer. At Webster Groves, Scott met the future Christine Stahle Arnold, his high school sweetheart.

Scott received a full scholarship to swim at the University of Missouri, where he set Big-8 Conference records as a backstroker and was the only full-scholarship student-athlete to also boast a 4.0 grade point average. Scott qualified for the 1972 Olympic Trials but unfortunately an illness prevented him from competing; he has always been a true Olympian in the eyes of his family. Scott graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Mizzou and was a proud member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. As Scott would say, Fight Tigers Fight.

The day after his college graduation, Scott and Chris were married and embarked on what would be a 51-year, storied journey together. Following their wedding, Scott and Chris moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Scott attended the University of Michigan Law School. True to form, Scott coached swimming on the side while also graduating magna cum laude.

In 1975, Scott accepted a position with the King & Spalding law firm in Atlanta, Georgia. He and Chris made Atlanta their permanent home, where they would become the proud parents of four children: Jenny, Jack, Patrick, and Jean (“Bean”) Arnold. Scott’s family quickly found loving and enriching community in Atlanta, sending all four kids down Brookwood Hills swim lanes, then Trinity School and later Westminster.

Scott’s prolific law career would span 37 years; he was known for his sharp intellect, straight talk, and strategic thinking. Scott was regularly recognized as one of the top lawyers in his field in industry publications. At King & Spalding, Scott led the Real Estate Team, served on the Policy, Hiring, and Compensation Committees, and drove numerous strategic initiatives. Scott also served as a loaned executive for Ritz Carlton, and was a driving force in international expansion as well as opening firm offices in New York, Washington, DC, London, Frankfurt and Abu Dhabi. He was instrumental in two different firm headquarters relocations in Atlanta, each one helping shape the Atlanta skyline. In 2007, Scott moved the firm’s Real Estate practice to New York City, a move that the firm credits with fueling the hyper-growth of its leading global Real Estate team. After his accomplished law career, Scott retired from King & Spalding in 2012 and launched the next phase of his professional journey as a founding partner of Iron Tree Capital and later AB Capital, both real estate private equity firms.

Scott was an avid sports fan. As his wife affectionally noted, he loved “anything with a number that moved.” Above all, he was his children’s biggest fan, and was a fixture at their countless sporting events – soccer, football, baseball, basketball, track, or swimming. Scott coached over 15 different Buckhead Baseball teams, winning multiple championships. He was also a regular at swim meets, stopwatch in hand, and pacing the sidelines of soccer games, always cheering. To Scott’s credit, each of his children went on to play collegiate athletics. Not surprisingly, Scott attended as many of their college sporting events as he could. More recently, Scott had returned to Atlanta’s youth sports venues to watch his children coach his grandchildren, carrying on his legacy. Scott often, of course, provided supportive tips to all family involved—players and coaches alike.

Scott taught his children what it meant to be true sports fans. He loved following the University of Missouri (“Missour-ah” as he would point out as the proper pronunciation), the University of Michigan, his childhood favorite the St. Louis Cardinals, and every professional Atlanta team. But among those teams, Scott was a most devoted Atlanta Braves fan. As a 40-year season ticket holder, he rarely missed a game whether in person or on TV. He was (one of the few) regulars at the old Atlanta Fulton County Stadium in the 80’s; he was there when Sid slid; he was a fixture during the Bobby Cox era; and needless to say, Scott was thrilled to see two Braves World Series titles in his lifetime (although he always thought it should have been more).

In addition to all things athletic, Scott was a voracious reader and history buff with a particular interest in World War II, in which his beloved father served on the front lines. Scott’s spirit of adventure fueled a life of world travels with family and friends. In recent years, Scott and Chris spent every summer at their Montana home, which they cherished. Scott was happiest floating the Madison River or watching the sunset from his back deck.

Scott was an active member of Peachtree Presbyterian Church and the Piedmont Driving Club, where he enjoyed playing golf regularly with friends and former colleagues. He was a generous philanthropist and revered businessman. Scott was gracious and humble, a man of few but highly impactful words. What Scott said always carried weight. He was sneaky funny, and sharper than any tack.

Above anything, Scott was devoted to his family. He cherished his wife, kids and grandkids, doing everything in his power to never miss a moment — Scott showed up. He will certainly be missed by anyone fortunate enough to know him.

Scott was predeceased by his parents, Richard and Mary Arnold. He is survived by his wife of 51 years Chris Arnold, children Jenny Arnold, Jack Arnold (Nicky), Patrick Arnold (Heather) and Beanie Arnold; brother Jack Arnold (Linda) of Tampa, FL, and Lynn Raber (John) of Denver, CO; and grandchildren Caroline (12), Parks (11), and Charlie (8) Arnold; Anna Locke (6), Clarke (5) and Hart (2) Arnold; extended family, and countless friends in Atlanta, St. Louis, and Montana.

A service celebrating Scott’s life will be held at 2pm EST on Tuesday, November 7th in the Kellett Chapel at Peachtree Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to contribute to Emory University School of Medicine (gifts directed to Parkinson’s Research) or the Atlanta Braves Foundation.