R and J in the USA

There are some people in this world that take pride in what they do with a joy and sincerity that elevates everyone around them. We met one such person within minutes of entering the South Carolina State Capitol.

When we had pulled into Columbia, South Carolina, for our capitol visit, we were quite tired. We rested in the van for a good 45 minutes after parking before getting our butts in gear to walk to the state house complex. As we wandered the grounds and viewed the monuments, we discovered that the last capitol building tour was at 3:30. Our 45 minutes of hanging out in the van pushed us past that time, alas. We had been hoping to catch a tour, but not hoping with enough effort to make sure it happened.

Where our effort fell short, someone else’s was more than sufficient. Enter Dook Scott.

Dook was taking pictures of a family in front of the House of Representatives chamber when we walked by. Though it was clear he worked at the statehouse in some capacity, we didn’t realize that he was the tour guide finishing up a tour with this family. We asked him a quick question. After giving us a quick answer, he said, “I’m just finishing up this tour now. When I’m done, if you all have any questions about the building, I’d be happy to take you around.” The tour he was finishing was the 3:30 tour we had missed while lounging in the van. But Dook was not bound by the limitations of the tour schedule. He was fully prepared to go above and beyond.

Here was a person whose obligation to the public in his capacity as tour guide was coming to a close for the day. Rather than say, “You are welcome to join the last few minutes of this tour. It is the last one of the day,” he was volunteering to keep working well past his obligation to do so. Who keeps working when they don’t have to keep working, just to make somebody’s day better?! Well, Dook does. It didn’t seem like work the way he was doing it. It seemed more like somebody just genuinely interested in giving capitol visitors the best visit they could have.

Just this alone would have been lovely and kind and generous. But, the sincere interest and enthusiasm for his job from which that offer came, and for being of service to others, continued to show itself in myriad ways throughout our time with Dook.

We soon learned that in addition to being a tour guide at the capitol, Dook was also the Historic Weapons Coordinator for the South Carolina State Parks. For any historic reenactments done in any of the state parks throughout the state (as we understand it – Dook, please correct us if we are mistaken!), it is Dook’s job to make sure they are done with historical accuracy. If the history of the revolutionary war is being displayed, it is his job to make sure there are no fashions from the 1800s accidentally showing up, or no weapons carried that are before their time.

It’s hard to capture in writing the sincerity of Dook’s enthusiasm for the role, for history itself, and for the knowledge gained from his mentor. It was not an overbearing or hyper-effusive kind of enthusiasm. It was the kind that radiated through his words. It was the kind that lit up his face as he shared it. It was the kind that made it impossible not to feel a little bit of enthusiasm yourself. 

When Dook noticed Julie was carrying a Capitol Passport booklet, he checked the time and said, “We better get you down to the gift shop to get your stamp before they close at 4:30.” It was 4:35. Dook said, “Don’t you worry, I’ll make sure that door doesn’t close before you get your stamp.”

We were sorry Julie’s need to get her stamp would bring us back downstairs before hearing about the rest of the building, but we were grateful and impressed at Dook’s commitment to make sure Julie got it. She never even had to contemplate how bummed she would be if she had missed it, or the effort it would take to come back and get it later if she did. Dook eliminated any such need.

Once Julie got her stamp, Dook continued to show his character. “Would you like to continue back upstairs?” We looked at each other with surprise on our faces. This guy is the real deal! We were so glad he offered. We would not have wanted to ask since he’d already gone out of his way for us so many times.

Before long, we found out we were the fourth group that day that Dook reached out to in between formally scheduled tours to take on impromptu tours. He truly was a proud representative in his role.

When we asked Dook if we could write about him for the blog, he gave an enthusiastic yes. His enthusiasm was not for the attention it might bring upon him. It was for the attention it could bring to South Carolina history. Additionally, he was happy for his mother, because he knew how happy it would make her to see someone speak well of her son. Well, to Dook’s mom, our hats are off to you. It is clear that he had a good role model for taking pride in what he does.

‘Great’ is a wonderful word, one that is used to describe something exceptional. Dook could easily earn that rating. Then there is ‘good’. At first glance, good seems to denote a step below great, rather than describing something exceptional. But good can also be something many steps beyond great. Good character can be exceptional for being less common than we might hope. Goodness is a quality that can put people at ease and create a sense that all is right with the world, or could be, if everyone was willing to reach out and grab that quality for themselves. It is a quality that is accessible to us all, but is potent for the fact that it must be chosen. It is not difficult to embody, but dang, if it’s not the most wonderful thing when someone makes that choice. Making the choice to be good and to do good makes someone exceptional. 

A guide is someone that, by definition, you follow. Dook was most definitely a great guide. We learned a ton about the capitol and the state of South Carolina from him. More noteworthy, more important, and more heartening, he was also good. And we would all do well to follow his lead.