Scott Denney owns Denney Lumber Company, a family business he began with his late father, Les Denney. But Denney has carried his dad’s legacy into another “family business” too: the Walker Scottish Rite Clinic at Maryville University. The Clinic wasn’t always Denney’s passion; it was his dad’s. A 33rd Degree Mason and active member of the Scottish Rite, Les was a driving force in creating the original Clinic in 1988 with a mission to provide free speech and language therapy for young children. Les tapped his good friend, the late Earl E. Walker, to help fund the Clinic. Eventually, Earl brought the Clinic to Maryville.
For his part, Denney wrote the original articles of incorporation for the Clinic, but then sat on the sidelines until his dad passed away in 2010. An invitation to join the Clinic board soon afterward ignited the same passion that drove his dad. Not only did Denney join, he became board chair in 2015. Now Denney calls himself “the messenger,” spreading the word about the Clinic to everyone he can, helping grow the annual Golf Tournament and raising funds to serve more children. Denney says that volunteering is good for the heart, and the Walker Clinic is grateful his heart is in the right place.