Bob Scaggs has traveled his share of miles — most of them between Ohio and North Carolina — to find himself finally settling down in Harrisburg.
Growing up, Scaggs, 42, would leave his hometown of Cleveland to make the trip to visit his grandparents, who lived in the North Carolina mountains.
He joined the Army in 1983 in hopes of making a home in North Carolina.
In 1984, Scaggs, was stationed at Fort Bragg, where he joined the ranks of the 82nd Airborne and spent most of the next nine years, including an 18-month stint in Korea, as a paratrooper, a helicopter mechanic, an operations sergeant and squad leader.
Not long after leaving the Army, a newly married Scaggs returned for a brief time to Cleveland, but was inevitably called back to North Carolina, where he settled outside of Raleigh and began working as a consultant.
“One of the companies I worked with was Wachoiva,” Scaggs said. “That’s what got me interested in banking.”
And his interest in banking is ultimately what landed him in Harrisburg, though, even then, he spent a lot of time on the road.
“We spent about nine months looking for the right place to live,” Scaggs recalled. “I was living in a hotel during the week and commuting back to Raleigh (on weekends).”
For the last seven years, Scaggs has engrained himself in the commuity, serving as a Cub Scout leader, volunteering at his children’s schools and remaining active at Providence Baptist Church.
Despite his many activities in the community, family and friends say Scaggs is dependable, and always willing to lend a hand.
Marie McLucas, a longtime friend of Scaggs and his wife, said the diverse scope of Scaggs’ activities gives him a good base from which to draw when making important decisions.
“He seems to be a well-rounded candidate,” she said. “I know he researches and get involved before he makes a decision.”
In his free time, Scaggs enjoys boating, and refers to himself as “the most avid sailor without a sailboat.”
Recently, his time on the water has been limited because of the low water levels.
“Boating has been a big hobby, but it’s been an especially tough year for that. You can’t get a boat in the water at Lake Norman now.”
Jonathan E. Coleman
