The late Myron Scott came up with the Corvette name after flipping through the dictionary one night.
The Chevrolet Corvette has enjoyed seven decades of existence to this point, which is a very long time by any automotive standard. As such, there are many famous names associated with that success, from Zora Arkus-Duntov to Harley Earl and many others in between. But one particular name from Corvette lore that doesn’t get batted around too often is Myron Scott, the gentleman that is widely credited for giving the Corvette a name that we’ve all come to associate with America’s sports car.
Scott was inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame back in 2002, but now, the man who also created the soap box derby will be honored once again with a spot in the Preble County Historical Society Hall of Honor, according to the Journal-News. Born in 1907, Scott was an artist, photographer, and art director for the Dayton Daily News for 22 years, but in 1937, GM hired him as an assistant director for its Public Relations department, where he was responsible for photographing new cars, designing press kits, graphics, and special events.
In 1953, GM held a special executive meeting to come up with a name for its new sports car, which was in the developmental stages at that time. Over 300 names were in consideration, though the group of execs was adamant that they wanted the car’s name to begin with a “C.” Scott spend some time thumbing through the dictionary looking at potential candidates, and eventually came across Corvette.
At the time, the Corvette name was being used for the British navy’s speedy pursuit ship, which seemed like the perfect fit for a land-going sports car. Sure enough, Scott’s suggestion went over quite well with his higher-ups, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Scott wound up retiring from GM in 1971 and passed away in 1988, but his legacy lives on today, though he remains a bit of an obscure name in Corvette history for whatever reason. Regardless, he played a very important role in helping to make the Corvette what it is today (not to mention the reason many of us made soap box derby cars out of wooden blocks when we were kids), and that certainly earns him a spot on as many historical lists as possible.
Photos: General Motors
Keyword: Myron Scott, the Man Who Named the Corvette, Is Set to Receive Another Honor