Early Life
Natalie Scott was born on July 18, the middle of three children, in Bristol, Virginia to Nathaniel Craves Scott and Martha Vivian Fauver. In 1896, the family moved to New Orleans where her father worked as a railroad contractor.
The Newcomb Years
Natalie’s zeal for fighting for good causes emerged early in her life. As a student, she and her classmates lead a campus crusade to gain academic, athletic, and social opportunities for Newcomb women equal to Tulane men. In 1909, Natalie graduated with honors and spent a year on postgraduate Greek Studies in Washington, D.C. before joining the Newcomb faculty. She earned a master’s degree at Tulane University and by that time was proficient in French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Greek. In 1914, she joined World War I, first as a fundraiser for war refugees, then as a Louisiana Red Cross leader.