9 5 1 , ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁Kay ▁C . ▁Mont gom ery ▁and ▁Sh ir ley ▁Ly ons ▁Mont gom ery , ▁in ▁I th aca ▁New ▁York . ▁His ▁father ▁was ▁an ▁experimental ▁psych ologist ▁( Ph D , ▁University ▁of ▁Chicago , ▁ 1 9 4 8 ), ▁who ▁had ▁done ▁research ▁at ▁Harvard ▁and ▁Corn ell ▁Univers ities ▁before ▁moving ▁to ▁Y ale . ▁An ▁un fortun ate ▁series ▁of ▁inc idents ▁led ▁to ▁the ▁father ▁comm itting ▁suic ide ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 6 . ▁Scott ▁and ▁his ▁brother , ▁Bruce , ▁were ▁raised ▁by ▁their ▁mother , ▁eventually ▁moving ▁to ▁K ens ington , ▁Maryland ▁in ▁the ▁Washington ▁D . C . ▁area . ▁She ▁rem ar ried ▁In ▁ 1 9 7 1 , ▁to ▁Russell ▁Allen . ▁ ▁Scott ▁attended ▁Walter ▁Johnson ▁High ▁School ▁in ▁Beth es da , ▁Maryland ▁and ▁then ▁went ▁to ▁Kno x ▁College ▁( G ales burg , ▁Illinois ). ▁At ▁Kno x , ▁he ▁major ed ▁in ▁chem istry ▁for ▁the ▁first ▁several ▁years , ▁sp ending ▁a ▁sem ester ▁at ▁the ▁State ▁University ▁of ▁New ▁York ▁at ▁St ony ▁Brook , ▁then ▁switched ▁to ▁English , ▁gradu ating ▁Ph i ▁B eta ▁K appa . ▁He ▁entered ▁a ▁Ph D ▁program ▁in ▁ge ological ▁sciences ▁at ▁Corn ell ▁University , ▁dec iding ▁to ▁finish ▁with ▁an ▁M . S . ▁degree ▁when ▁his ▁mother ▁was ▁diagn osed ▁with ▁terminal ▁cancer . ▁After ▁her ▁death ▁in ▁ 1 9