Scotson Webbe, 81, former president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Handgards Inc. of Northbrook, died Saturday following a stroke in his Northfield home. Mr. Webbe presided over Handgards’ 23-year antitrust case against Johnson & Johnson. The case ended in 1985 in Handgards’ favor when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case any further. Despite the long legal battle and the financial strain it placed on the company, Mr. Webbe never swayed in his support of the lawsuit, said Richard Williams, Handgards’ corporate attorney and now a co-owner of the firm. “He testified at length during the trials, and he was the one who made it happen,” Williams said. Mr. Webbe led a successful leveraged buyout of Handgards Inc. in 1986 and led the company until his retirement in 1991. In addition to his wife of 56 years, Margery, he is survived by two sons, Scotson Lindsay Webbe and Richard White Webbe; a daughter, Margaret Webbe Colley; a sister, Margot Barber; and eight grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. July 8 in Northfield Community Church, 400 Wagner Rd., Northfield.
