CINCINNATI — As the annual Cincinnati Reds Opening Day approaches, city leaders have taken a moment to honor a man who played a key role in shaping one of the city's most beloved traditions — the Findlay Market Opening Day parade.
Jim Scott, a legendary radio personality, was celebrated Tuesday with the unveiling of a new street sign in his honor. The "Jim Scott Way" sign now hangs at the intersection of Race and Liberty streets, the starting point of the iconic Findlay Market Opening Day Parade that Scott participated in for over 50 years.
Scott, who passed away in June 2024 at the age of 81 after battling ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), was remembered by family, friends and city officials during a special ceremony. His widow, Donna Hartman, had the honor of unveiling the new sign.
"This is amazing. Jim would be so happy and so humbled," Hartman said.
Scott's final appearance in the parade came in 2024 when he was named the Honorary Grand Marshal.
"His health was right on the edge, but we were in that great big convertible. It really was one of the happiest days of our lives together," Hartman recalled.
Earlier this month, the Cincinnati City Council passed an ordinance to move forward with the secondary street naming, a tribute to Scott's lasting impact on the community.
"The Findlay Market Group, they're the ones who really came up with this idea and pulled it all together," Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney said. "All we had to do in our office is just shepherd it through and just get it done quickly to make sure we got it done before Opening Day."
Kearney added the new sign is a testament to Scott's kindness and his enduring legacy in Cincinnati.
"Someone mentioned that we should have named it 'Jim Scott's Way,' because Jim Scott's way was being kind to everybody," she said."Someone mentioned that we should have named it 'Jim Scott's Way,' because Jim Scott's way was being kind to everybody," she said.
Though Scott will not be physically present at this year's Opening Day parade, Hartman plans to walk in his honor.
"It won't even be bittersweet. It'll be happy," Hartman said. "It's nice to have a permanent marker, and it's just as nice to always know that Jim has a special place in everybody's hearts."
In addition to the street sign, a memorial bench in Scott's honor will be placed near Findlay Market with the inscription, "Remember Jim Scott: A Man Who Never Met A Stranger."
Scott was a fixture on Cincinnati radio for 46 years, hosting a popular morning show until his retirement in 2015.
