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| Former
Pupils LEFT SCHOOL 1950-1959 |
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| Were you a former pupil of Ardrossan Academy? Why not submit your own details here? |
| Alexander, Ronnie | |
Left school in 1954. |
| Ronnie graduated from Glasgow University
in 1959 with an Honours degree in Electrical Engineering and did Post
Graduate training with SETS (Scottish Electrical Training Scheme) before
joining Honeywell (Controls) in 1961. He worked with them initially at
Newhouse Scotland, Ft Washington Pa USA, Brentford London, Brussels and
finally Bracknell in Berkshire before retiring at the end of 1996.
Ronnie, and his wife Frances, live in Sunningdale
in Berkshire BUT he still does not play golf!
From the past, he fondly remembers Tom Duncan, Peem
Howie, John Fleming, Forty Clark, Teddy Price, John Rae, Andrew Martin,
Stewart Wallace and lots lots more.
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| Allison, Jim | |
Left school in 1952. |
| When Jim left school he worked in the
office of Shell then moved to Aberdeen to work with Shell Exploration,
and is still living there. He is married to Renee McIntyre also a former
pupil and they have one son, David.
Jim played rugby with the Accies and was also involved
in the Former Pupils club for a short time. He has now retired and plays
golf at Portlethen Golf club and bowls at Stonehaven. Jim and his wife would
both be interested to hear from any who remember them.
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| Berchem, Ian Robert | |
Left school in 1957. |
| Ian obtained a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering at the University
of Glasgow.
He joined the Royal Engineers from University OTC, serving until 1989,
mainly in Germany and the UK with a 3 year stint with the Malaysian Engineers.
He retired as Lt. Col. He spent the next 15 years in the construction industry.
He and his wife Ann, enjoyed their Ruby
Wedding anniversary in 2006. Sadly, his wife died from cancer in 2007. They have two boys, one is a Lt. Col. in the Armoured Corps and the other a solicitor in Jersey.
Ian is now retired and living in Norfolk where a large house
and garden occupies most of his time! He has had to give up golf due to his "appalling inability to hit the ball" and now spends much of his time travelling around the UK in his classic 1951 Bentley.
Ian has fond memories of Wongy Murray, Andy Partridge, Geordie Buchan,
Tubby Anderson, Dinger Bell and all the others mentioned in existing entries.
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| Brodie, Margaret | |
Left school in 1952. |
| Married name: Margaret
Bell.
Margaret was a member of the swim team at Ardrossan Academy. She remembers girlfriends, Jean Nichol, Betty Roy, Sheena Horne, Irene and Edna. On leaving school, she emigrated with her family to Toronto, Ontario, Canada and in 1957 married her husband Bill. They have three grown children and nine grandchildren. Margaret's hobbies are curling, quilting, reading, gardening and travelling. Her husband is a Mason, and they both belong to the Order of the Eastern Star. Margaret now lives just west of London, Ontario, which is in south-western Ontario. |
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| Brown, Willie (Billy) | |
Left school in 1956. |
| Willie obtained a BSc and PhD in Physical
Chemistry at the University of Glasgow.
He spent all of his working life with Procter &
Gamble in the soap and detergent sector. He worked in four different countries:
UK, US, Spain and Italy.
He has now retired and lives in Whitley Bay, Tyne
& Wear. He has two grown-up sons and three grandchildren. His interests
include theatre, music, golf (very badly!), rugby, and holidays.
He remembers teachers: Andy Partridge, Tubby Anderson,
George (Mungo) Buchan, Bobby Jack, Big Bob Stratton, Freddie Rae, Maggie
Lyle and Polly Wilson - she was the only teacher he was really scared
of!
Willie would love to hear from any of his old classmates
e.g. Bill Mathew, Johnnie Mowat, Brian Shaw, Ian Dickson, Michael Mckinlay,
Kenneth Crawford (lives in Hoylake, the Wirral), Alistair Weir, Tezma Warren,
Dorothy Cole-Hamilton, Marilyn McLellan, Ray Howie and Esma Morris.
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| Calder, Jessie | Left school in 1952. | |
| Jessie, formerly of West Kilbride,
emigrated, with her family, to Australia in 1952 at the age of sixteen. She married the late Dr Alan Fortune and has three
children. Jessie remarried and is back in Scotland now, living in Edinburgh. She
would like to hear any news from any old friends. Please contact her daughter,
Rebecca Fortune.
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| Conway, Campbell | campbell.conway@tesco.net | Left school in 1956. |
| Campbell's main job was in the London Metropolitan Police.
He served at New Scotland Yard Serious Crimes Investigation. He retired
in 1990 as Detective Chief Inspector and has since had various other jobs
including warder at Hampton Court palace guiding visitors.
He was happily married to Christine until she died on 15 May 2011. They had
three children and three grand children in Kingston upon Thames. Another granddaughter called Christine was born on 18 May 2011.
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| Cook, Donald | doncook@kwic.com | Left school in 1951. |
| Donald graduated with an HNC in Mechanical
Engineering from Paisley University in 1956 and moved to Canada the same
year. He became a manager with Procter & Gamble in the US and Canada
and is now retired. Donald is married with four adult Children. His pastimes
include cycling (in Fullerton Wheelers in Irvine in early 50's), woodworking
and travel.
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| Cooper, John | jcoope5227@rogers.com | Left school in 1953. |
| John attended Glasgow Royal Technical
College then emigrated to Canada in 1957 where he obtained a P.Eng. (Civil).
In 1959 he married May Agnew, who also attended the
Academy. They have two children, three grandchildren and one great grandson. John is now retired.
His hobbies are tennis, stained glass and performing stand-up comedy. He
fondly remembers teachers "Wee Dan", Fred Rae, Bob Stratton, Fred Todd,
Andy Partridge, "Wungy", Jean Aitken and "Moses" Irving. |
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| Crawford, Kenneth | Valandkencrawford@hotmail.co.uk | Left school in 1956. |
| Kenneth obtained the degree of FCII at
Inst CA.
He has retired now and lives in Hoylake on the Wirral
with his wife and most of the family, including 6 grandchildren. His home
phone no. is 0151 632 5015 and he would be delighted to hear from any old
pals.
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| Crawford, Robin | Left school in 1953. | |
| Robin obtained a higher national Building
Science at Kilmarnock College. He is retired and living in Schlangenbad
Germany. He is interested in rugby and athletics and is a former member
of Ardrossan Accies.
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| Davidson, Mairead | mac3oban@gmail.com | Left school in 1953. |
| Married name: Mairead Macintyre After completing a commercial course, Mairead started work with Saltcoats town council and left when she married Ruaraidh Macintyre, an ex Academy pupil, and moved to England. They have a son, two daughters and six grandchildren. They moved to Oban where they now live. She would love to find Jean Terry's whereabouts as they were friends all through school. Jean was married to Murray Logan but later divorced. Mairead also remembers classmates Billy Hunter, Chrichton Barbour, John Reid, Lex Allan, Mary Stewart and Mary Wilson. She also remembers most of her teachers e.g. 'Big Bertha' Maggie King, Miss Ross and, of course, Mr Pennel. |
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| Davidson, Rhoda | rhodasctkw@aol.com | Left school in 1959. |
| Married Name: Rhoda Blair
Rhoda worked with Ayr County Council in Ayr and Saltcoats until 1974. She now lives in Darvel with her new partner. She has one son and one daughter, now both married. Rhoda attended both the Primary and Secondary departments of Ardrossan Academy. She remembers most of the teachers - some more fondly than others!! She would love to hear from anyone from her 'era' - especially Wilma Brown. Rhoda knows that Wilma went to Canada a long time ago, but has not heard anything about her for a long time. Does anyone know anything of Wilma? |
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| Dickie, Alex | cka12@freeuk.com | Left school in 1953. |
| When Alex left school he served an apprenticeship
with a Saltcoats baker. He worked in various bakeries in the area over
the years, finally setting up his own business where he worked for almost
15 years until ill-health forced him to give it up. He is now taking life
at a much slower pace with wife Pauline. Both are looking forward to the
birth of their first grandchild in June.
Photo of Alex taken in March
2002
His interests are D.I.Y., his music collection, writing
poetry and watching the flowers grow.
He remembers teachers: Tommy Hughes, Alec Seggie,
Hugh Davidson, Jack Todd, Wongee Murray, George Buchan, Bob Stratton,
Wilf Seffie, Nosey Parker, Andy Partridge, Andy Russell, Miss Watters,
Miffy and Rector Danny Pennel.
He also remembers classmates: I. Dickson, S. Wright,
K. Crawford, W. Jackson, D. Adair, N. Knox and B. Gaw. He also knew Sandy
McLachlan and D.Young very well.
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| Duff, Alistair | theduffsare@gmail.com | Left school in 1959. |
| Alistair served an apprenticeship as a fitter at the Shell refinery (1961-66) then went to Australia (1966-70), Zambia (1973) and Vancouver, Canada (1974). He moved to Penticton, 400 kms. east of Vancouver, after retiring in 2001. He still follows Rangers every week, online, and travels frequently around the American Southwest in his trailer.
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| Duff, Elizabeth (Betty) | Left school in 1955. | |
| Married
name: Elizabeth Hawthorne Since 1967, Betty has been living in Vancouver and has raised a wonderful family. She worked as a Braille Specialist at CNIB for 25 years. Looking through the website has brought back memories of teachers she had almost forgotten. |
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| Dunlop, Lex | lexel@btinternet.com | Left school in 1952. |
| Lex obtained an M.A. (Hons) at the University of Glasgow. He taught in Irvine Royal Academy, Ardrossan Academy, Stevenston Higher Grade, Auchenharvie Academy, Garnock Academy and then, for seventeen years, as headmaster of Blairgowrie High School. He has now retired and still lives in Blairgowrie. He is keen on gardening and growing exhibition roses. He also plays the church organ. He is married to Elspeth Mitchell - they have four sons. |
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| Findlay, Eric | GEFindlay24101@aol.com | Left school in 1959. |
| Eric obtained degrees
in Engineering at the University of Manchester and Law at the University
of Leicester.
He thoroughly enjoyed his time
at Ardrossan Academy. He left because his parents moved to England where
he attended Kettering Grammar School and then went to university. His
professional life was spent in the water industry. He is also a Visiting
Professor at Cranfield University School of Engineering and is married
with two sons and two grand children. He is the author of a number of
papers on engineering matters presented at International Conferences.
Early in 2007 he founded the company, Sewage and RBC Solutions Ltd offering assistance to overseas water companies on water related matters. He actively supports the Wateraid Charity which helps to improve conditions in third world countries. He is also a keen supporter of Liverpool Football Club.. |
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| Gillies, Margaret | margaret.brock100@gmail.com | Left school in 1958. |
| Married
name: Margaret Brock Margaret lives in Somerset and would love to hear from anyone who remembers her. |
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| Grant, Alex M. | Left school in 1955. | |
| Alex obtained an HNC Chemistry
and an HNC Metallurgy at the University of Paisley.
He was a metallurgist with Anglo American in Zambia,
British Aluminium and G.R.Stein.
He has now retired and lives in Fairlie, Ayrshire. He is married to Fiona Brown. They have three children.
He remembers 'wee Dan' with affection!
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| Grant, Margaret | Left school in 1956. | |
| Married name: Margaret
Wilson
Margaret would like to hear from anyone who either knows her or was in her class at school. |
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| Grant, Netta | bobnetau@gmail.com | Left school in 1959. |
| Married name: Netta
McCubbin
When Netta left school she went to work in the Paisley Trustee Savings Bank, Saltcoats. She went to Australia in 1964 to be married to Bob McCubbin from Ardrossan. They have a daughter and a son, both grown-up, and five grandchildren. |
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| Greig, Ian | linian@verizon.net | Left school in 1957. |
| Ian obtained a BSc at the University of Strathclyde.
He worked on various construction jobs in the UK before going to Bahrain
as project manager on the Manama-Muharraq bridge. After completing that,
he went to Saudi Arabia as manager of construction for a Wimpey subsidiary.
He married in 1980. They live in Florida and have one daughter. Ian's
pastimes include golf, American football and motor racing (F1, Nascar
or Indy).
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| Grindley, Mary | mgrindley@pei.sympatico.ca | Left school in 1952. |
| Married name: Mary
MacDonald
Mary attended the Academy in her primary years 1944-1952. She then emmigrated to Toronto with her family and now resides in Prince Edward Island, Canada. She married John and they have two sons and one granddaughter. She would be very interested in hearing from anyone who knew her at the Academy. |
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| Gunn, Angus | glenbranter@onetel.com | Left school in 1953. |
| After leaving school, Angus worked at ICI in the Metalurgy Laboratory for two years then migrated to Canada. He spent two years there, mainly in Ontario. He returned to the UK in 1958 and worked at Hunterston Nuclear Power Station. He married Anne, a local girl. They had two children, Derek and Deborah. He started working in the Oil and Gas Industry and continued for 30 years, working in the Middle East, Africa, India, South East Asia, USA, Australia, London and finishing up in Aberdeen before retirement. He is now living in Stevenston. His hobbies include boating, fishing, shooting, photography and gardening.
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| Hardie, John | jhardie5@telus.net | Left school in 1958. |
| John has the degrees of BDS, MSc, PhD and FRCDC obtained from the Universities of Glasgow, Western Ontario and Mellen, New York. After graduating from Glasgow, John served for 3 years as an RAF Dental Officer. He and his wife Mary left the U.K. in 1966 to emigrate to Victoria, Canada where he established a private practice. John sold the practice in 1975 to pursue graduate studies in oral pathology and medicine. His subsequent career focused on hospital based dentistry with appointments as the Head of Dentistry at the Ottawa Civic Hospital, the Vancouver General Hospital and the National Guard Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His last position was as Dental Director of the Down Lisburn Health Trust in Lisburn , N.Ireland. John and Mary have now retired to their home in Vancouver, B.C.Canada and a wonderful view of downtown Vancouver and the Coastal Mountains. Their travelling days are not over as their two daughters and three grandchildren live in Ottawa. John would be pleased to hear from John Moses, Cam Davidson, Billy Gibson, Jimmy Jenkins and Reggie Pole. |
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| Harvie, Joyce | mamajoycewilliams@hotmail.com | Left school in 1957. |
| Married name: Joyce Williams
Joyce left Ardrossan Academy, as a five year old, to emigrate to Canada with her family - Sandy and Irene Harvie (parents) and her older brother Bobby. She obtained the degree of Bachelor of Education at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. She has frequently visited Scotland and is engaged to be married to Wilson Kerr of Stevenston in January of 2007 in Canada. They will be having a marriage blessing at the High Kirk in Stevenston in February, 2007. |
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| Howie, Ray | Left school in 1956. | |
| Married name: Ray
Grieve
Ray married Tony and moved to the Borders in 1960, and on to Carlisle in 1964, where she has been ever since. She is still working as a lecturer in Carlisle College Catering Section, where she has been since 1975 ! She has two sons, Ross and Robin and two grandchildren. She remembers teachers 'Keyhole', 'Pussie Paul' and 'Moby Dick' amongst others. Polly Wilson terrified them all !! Ray would love to hear from any of her old classmates. |
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| Hughes, John | j477hug@outlook.com | Left school in 1958. |
| John worked in Broadcast Television and is now retired. His father, Tommy Hughes, was head of PE at the Academy. |
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| Jeffrey, Thomas Murray | fran.jeffrey@bigpond.com | Left school in 1952. |
| Thomas left the school in 1952 when his
family emigrated to Australia. He obtained an Associate Diploma of Mechanical
Engineering at the Gordon Institute of Technology, Geelong, Victoria,
Australia.
He married Fran in 1964 and they have three daughters,
two are married. He is now retired at Balnarring in Victoria. He can remember
some names of classmates e.g. Douglas Savage, Tom Scott, Hazel Wilson and
Jimmy Wilson. He would be thrilled to hear from anyone from that time.
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| Lindsay, Ruth | Left school in 1953. | |
| Married name: Ruth Cowan
Ruth left school after 4th year. She worked, at the counter, in several Ayrshire Post Offices, including West Kilbride and Saltcoats, with time off to get married to Matthew Cowan and have her family of three boys and two girls. She currently has twelve grandchildren! Ruth is now retired and has taken up bowling as a hobby. She has been round the world visiting America, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and the Caribean Islands. From school, she remembers John Reid, Ian Weatherston, Lesley Cunninghame, Sheena Nicol, Robert Laurie and John McPhee who took her penknife to the metalwork room and brought it back with its blade worn down to about a quarter of an inch thin! Wilf Seggie was her class teacher. |
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| Lundie, John | Lundiefamily@optusnet.com.au | Left school in 1958. |
| John left school
when he was only 12 years old because his parents emigrated to Melbourne,
Australia. There, he attended the Footscray Institute of Technology.
In 1967 he married Elsie Houghton from Warrington
England. They have two girls who are both married, and they now have 4
grandchildren - 3 boys and a girl.
John's last 16 years at work was as State Sales Manager
for Ameron Coatings for 10 years, 2 years as State Manager for Protec
Paints, and the last 3 years as State Manager for K&H Surface Technologies.
John is retiring on the 25th of August 2006 and is looking forward to
his retirement, and living without the pressures of work.
From school, he remembers headmaster Mr Pennell who
always drove his wee car to school (either an Austin 7 or Morris) and the
strict Miss McKelvie in the Junior School. He would like anyone from the
1951-58 classes to feel free to contact him.
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| MacDonald, Iain | ilmac@globalnet.co.uk | Left school in 1958. |
| After 15 years in the Merchant Navy and
obtaining a Masters Certificate, Iain 'came ashore' to study law. He obtained
an LLB at the University of Dundee.
He is now a partner with Wink & MacKenzie in Elgin
and spends his free time angling. |
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| Macdonald, Jean | jeanpyper@ymail.com | Left school in 1953. |
| Married name: Jean Pyper
Jean went to the U.S. where she obtained a C.I.B.S. (Certificate In Biblical Studies) at the Moody Bible Institute. She married husband John who is from Kilwinning. They have 3 married sons and 9 grandchildren. She is a Bible teacher and public speaker. Her favourite pastime is running. She began running when she was 60 and, since then, has won gold medals in the Senior Olympics in Ohio. Says Jean "Pennel scared me witless !" |
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| Macdonald, Norman | Left school in 1959. | |
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Norman is interested in golf, his grandchildren, walking,
cycling, gardening, holidays and reading.
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| Macintyre, Ruaridh | Left school in 1951. | |
| Ruaridh obtained the Diploma in Physical Education from Jordanhill College. After 2 years national service in 1 Para he moved to teach in Nottingham. He married Mairead Avidson in 1958 and moved to Gosforth Grammar school for 5 years then to various comprehensive schools in London. He lived in Hockley Essex until 1990 when they moved to Oban. They have a son, 2 daughters and 6 grandchildren. His best friends were Niven Cairns, Gordon Cunningham and Robert McCallum. |
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| Maclean, Ross | rossmaclean3@sky.com | Left school in 1953. |
| After a short career in full-time music ('59 to '70), Ross settled in the London area where he established an Antiques business on Portobello market. He is still active musically, organising monthly modern Bee-Bop Jazz (Mini) Open Air Concerts, with his Quintet/Sextet, outside his shop.
From school, he (mostly) fondly remembers: The Wiff, Andrew P, Peppery Dan, Tommy H, Alec Seggie, Robin Crawford, Ian Dickson, Attie Alexander, David Young, K.C., John Rae and many, many more.
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| Mann, Robert W. | bob.mann@telkomsa.net | Left school in 1955. |
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Robert attended Ardrossan Academy from
1952 until 1955, during which time he had the pleasure of
being appointed Cricket and Rugby Captains for two years
running. He was invited to play for the Accies many times.
He remembered well "Wee Dan" Pennel and "Big Bad" Bob
Stratten, but not exactly with affection.
After graduating from Glasgow
University with a B.Sc in Chemical Engineering, he worked in
Grangemouth, before emmigrating to South Africa in 1969. He
returned many times to his old haunts in Scotland but
his favourite place was Glen Rosa in Arran. He used to force himself to have a plunge in the 'Green Pool'
halfway up the glen, even though the water had definitely
got colder over the years !
Sadly, Robert died in October 2010. |
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| Marshall, Alexandra (Sandra) | a.buchanan@acenet.net.au | Left school in 1955. |
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Married name: Alexandra (Sandra)
Buchanan
Sandra was known, in her Academy years as an athlete (sprinter), and later with Ardeer Rec Club where she held 4 Scottish relay championships. She married Bob Buchanan in 1960. They moved to Brisbane, Australia in 1964 and daughter, Denise Ann Buchanan, was born in Brisbane in 1965. Sandra has four grandchildren, Alexander, Maegan, Jacqueline and Rhys - all Aussies. She travels back to Scotland when she can. She enjoys keeping fit, travel, reading, shopping and dining out. She remembers fondly, Kay Dunlop, Jane Hannah, Helen Pederson and Mary Limond. [ Photo of Sandra (left) with Mary Limond (right)] |
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| Martin, David | Left school in 1951. | |
|
David's family left for England in
1951 when he was 14. He later obtained a BSc (Eng) at the
University of Alberta in 1961. He worked for 40 years in the
oil business in Canada, Libya, Indonesia, Russia and the US.
He is now retired and lives in Houston, Texas.
He plays golf, travels and visits his
two grandchildren. He remembers, from school, Norman Knox,
Ian Ballantine, Garnet MacDonald, Jim Gillan, Freddy Small,
Margaret Curry and Sheila MacDonald.
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| Mathew, William (Bill) | Wilmitmat@btinternet.com | Left school in 1956. |
| When Bill left school he studied Geology at Glasgow University, but found the science too difficult and in the end graduated in 1960 with an MA in Economic History with Geography. Awarded a scholarship from the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, he moved south to the London School of Economics; here he graduated PhD in 1964 for research on economic and diplomatic relations between Britain and Peru in the 19th century. An academic career followed, initially by default, and Bill taught at the Universities of Leicester, Missouri-St Louis, and East Anglia - presently holding a Senior Fellowship in History at the last-named. His researches extended beyond Peru to the US South and the Middle East, with a small diversion to Dundee to examine the business and family records of James Keiller and Son, the marmalade pioneers.
In his semi-retirement he has tried to keep his academic life going with his website. Beyond that, and being entirely without sporting talent, Bill's main interests are classical music and travel. Bill married Angela Gigg of Norwich in May 1966, and they had a family of five children - and now, four grandchildren, three of whom live abroad: in Dubai and Berkeley, California, where, needless to say, they are much visited by their grandfather. Angela died in January 2006, just short of their 40th wedding anniversary. Among former teachers, Bill has fond memories of Jean Aitken, William Wallace, Anne Pawson, 'Tubby' Anderson, and the geographers Parker and Burt. He also has many unfond memories. He recalls the wonderful choral concerts held every year in May, and always, it seems now, on a beautiful summer evening. Latterly, his main friends at school were Robin Glen, John(nie) Mowat, Bill(y) Brown, and Brian Morrison. He would love to be in touch with them again - having already made contact with a friend dating back to 1943, Ray Howie. |
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| McCall, David | dochandoris@earthlink.net | Left school in 1958. |
|
David obtained the degrees of
M.B.Ch.B. and Ph.D at the University of Glasgow in 1964 and
1971 respectively.
He is currently Professor of Medicine
(Cardiology) at the University of Texas Health Science
Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A. He is
married with two grown children and his pastimes include
fishing (as always), gardening, reading and listening to
classical music.
David would love to hear from any of
his classmates who left Ardrossan Academy as the "class of
'58".
If anyone out there can put him in
touch he would be very appreciative.
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| McClure, Robert | mcclure83@btinternet.com | Left school in 1953. |
|
Robert played rugby for the Accies. He
joined the Clydesdale Bank in 1956, starting in Largs,
before going on to West Kilbride, Kilmarnock, London, Wishaw
and finally Bothwell.
He retired in 1991 and is now living
in Uddingston with Irene and elder son Stewart. His younger
son Robin is married to Kay with a son Blair, born in 1999,
and living in Aberdeen.
He is looking to hear anything from
his friends at school.
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| McIntyre, Gordon | mcintyre@strathbogie.freeserve.co.uk | Left school in 1953. |
|
Gordon spent three years at Ardrossan
Academy after school in Largs.
He graduated with a B.Sc from the
University of Glasgow then worked in Edinburgh, Kenya and
Edinburgh again. His wife, Julie (also from Largs) died in
1979. He married Muriel in 1980 and moved to Aberdeenshire
in 1982 to manage the Computer Department of Grampian Health
Board. He is now retired, and shares his time between
Church activities, pottering in a large country garden and
doing a fair amount of the family cooking.
He would be very happy to hear from
old school friends.
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| McLaughlan, Helen (Ella) | Left school in 1953. | |
| Married name: Helen
Marshall
Helen married Tommy Marshall from Saltcoats and they left for Toronto, Canada with their family in 1964. She was a stay-at-home Mum until her three sons were all at school and then she worked in the school system for seven years. She transferred to the Nestle Canada Inc. food company, working as Executive Assistant for 18 years in the Manufacturing Department. She is now retired and lives north of Toronto. She enjoys reading, knitting and visits from her five grandchildren. She often wonders what happened to her friend Anne Elliott who married and went to the U.S. She remembers Jean Terry, Sadie Norwood, Doreen Easson & Joy McCall (both from Largs) and Robert Laurie, John McPhee and John Woods (also from Largs). She remembers teachers: Colin Crooks, Stella Lineham, Alex Parker, "Moby" Dick, Wilf Seggie, Andrew Partridge and Dan Pennell. |
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| McLachlan, Sandy | Left school in 1958. | |
|
Sandy obtained an M.A. & B.D. at
the University of Glasgow and a Th.M at the McCormick
Theological Seminary, Chicago.
He served churches in Renfrew and East
Kilbride from 1967-83. Since 1983 he has been the Senior
Pastor of the multi-ethnic Oak Cliff Presbyterian Church in
Dallas, Texas. He is married with two grown children. He
does a lot of speaking at Burns Suppers and other Scottish
events. He follows Scottish football avidly and is
distraught by the current plight of Partick Thistle. His
entire schooling from Primary 1 was at the Academy and he
remembers it with much fondness. Some particular teachers
recalled are: Wongee, Monacle, Keyhole, Andy, Tubby and Big
Wilf. Sandy would love to hear from any of his
comtemporaries from the late fifties.
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| McLean, Robert | cjm@ihug.com.au | Left school in 1959. |
|
Robert attended Saltcoats Primary
school before moving to Ardrossan Academy. He obtained a
City & Guilds (Painting & Decorating) at Ayr
Technical College and then worked as a painter and decorator
for Saltcoats Burgh.
In 1965 he emigrated to Adelaide South
Australia with Alex (Sandy) Jenkins. He joined the SA Police
Force in 1966 and is now attached to the State Coroners
department, Forensic Science Centre.
He married Brenda and they have three
sons and two grandchildren. He still follows Rangers and is
'very into' Aussie Rules Football. Robert would love to hear
from any 'old cronies'.
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| McLeod, Elizabeth (Betty) | Carnegie.5@hotmail.com | Left school in 1952. |
|
Married name:
Elizabeth
Laing
Elizabeth obtained the Diploma of P.E. at Dunfermline College of P. E. She then taught at Dalry High School from '55 to '57, and married Donald Laing of Port Glasgow in 1957. She taught in Greenock and Gourock until 1982, and then relocated to Newton Mearns and taught in the Mary Russell school, and Kersland School, Paisley. She is now retired and living in Largs. Her hobbies are playing golf, bridge, swimming, and 'Keep Fit'. She would like to hear from any of her contemporaries. |
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| McMaster, Graham | geewmcm@tiscali.co.uk | Left school in 1957. |
|
Graham obtained a B.Sc. and a Ph.D at the University of
Glasgow.
After five years as a Research Fellow in the Applied
Physics Dept. at Strathclyde University, he was appointed
head of the Medical Electronics & Bioengineering
Research Group at Guy's Hospital in London. He stayed there
for 20 years until he took early retirement in 1990 and
returned to Scotland (Aberdeenshire). They have three
children and six grandchildren. He still has a part-time
associate lecturership with the Open University. He
remembers Fred Rae, Tubby Anderson, Keyhole Kate, Big
Bertha, Wongy Murray, Wilf Seggie, Alec Seggie, Geordie
Buchan, Bob Stratton, Tommy Hughes, Wee Dan Pennel and Dr
MacFarlane.
|
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| McMillan, Charles | Left school in 1954 | |
|
Charles' hobbies are golf, cinema,
sport and some boating.
|
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| Mitchell, Dan | dan.mitchell@virgin.net | Left school in 1958 |
|
Dan obtained a B.Sc. in Civil
Engineering at Heriot Watt University in
Edinburgh.
He has retired from the Gas Industry
and is now a watchmaker working on vintage American
wristwatches.
He wonders if anyone remembers masters
called Bob Stratton and Colin Crookes, end of term japes
like calling Bob Stratton's class "Big Bob's Borstal". He
also remembers a former Rector called "Wee Dan" and half day
holidays signalled by three bells ?
Old classmates please feel free to
email Dan anytime.
|
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| Mitchell, Elspeth | lexel@btinternet.com | Left school in 1952. |
| Married name: Elspeth Dunlop Elspeth obtained an M.A. at the University of St. Andrews. She married Lex Dunlop in 1959. They have four sons and ten grandchildren. They moved to Blairgowrie in 1978. Elspeth has now retired. |
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| Muir, Isobel | WRONG EMAIL ADDRESS SUPPLIED | Left school in 1952. |
|
Married name:
Isobel
Lockhart
Isobel was a pupil at Ardrossan Academy from 1940 till 1952. She obtained an MA from the University of Glasgow. She would like to hear from any of her contemporaries. |
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| Muir, Milne | Left school in 1954. | |
| Milne did a 5 year apprenticeship in marine engineering then joined the merchant navy. After that, he worked mainly in the construction industry. He is now retired and enjoys woodturning. |
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| Munro, Sally | sallybarton@live.co.uk | Left school in 1958. |
| Married name: Sally Barton
Sally has fond memories of Ardrossan Academy and friends Rona Hadden, Maureen Cambridge, Sadie McEwan, Anne Pae, Ethel Ness, Anne Westwater and all the teachers, the good, the bad and the ugly. She remembers Dan Pennel, Andy Partridge and her 'bestest bestest teacher in all the world' ... Dr Nisbett. Her favourite subject was Art with Mr Strong. She 'couldn't do Chemistry for peanuts' but was able to draw 'beautiful Bunsen burners' ! After a career in journalism she is now happily retired- does a writer ever retire? She has a daughter and two sons. Her brother George and sister Margaret - both former Academy pupils - now live in the Far East and South Africa. She is also in touch with her cousin Ursula nee Conway, in Canada. Travel keeps her going and seven grandchildren keep her busy with another grandchild on the way. |
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| Neil, Nancy | lizevans53@hotmail.co.uk | Left school in 1950. |
| Nancy has many and varied hobbies and now lives in Italy. She would like to hear from anyone who remembers her.
|
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| Pae, Ann | annpae@gmail.com | Left school in 1958. |
| Married name: Ann
Walker
Ann obtained an MA Hons (English) at the University of St. Andrews. She was a pupil at the Academy from 1946 to 1958, and was Dux girl in her final year. After graduating, she qualified as a teacher and taught in Dundee before spending five very rewarding and happy years in Kenya. She has since spent her life in England, doing various part-time jobs while bringing up her two sons. After she got divorced, she managed to secure full time work in Further Education. She was a Lib Dem councillor in Stockport and served as Chair of two major committees. She is now retired and in possession of two prosthetic joints, but finding plenty to occupy herself, with a U3A Creative Writing group. She enjoys holidays in France with her family. She has five grandchildren aged 6 to 22 (in 2014). She remembers her teachers with gratitude, especially Dr Nisbet and 'Geordie' Buchan; and Miss Currie with sympathy, though Ann turned out to be a reasonable cook after all! |
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| Pirie, Mike | PMikedp@aol.com | Left school in 1955. |
|
Mike left Ardrossan to go to
Gordonstoun when his parents went overseas. He later
obtained an MA at the University of Aberdeen. He has since
had a varied career spending16 years as a police officer
then working in sales before finally buying an hotel in
Edinburgh where he is now retired.
He is married with four children and
six grandchildren. He spends 'too much' time playing snooker
with his Dad.
From school, he recalls John Moses and
'Pobble' Robertson. He remembers sticking in to Latin more
than any other subject probably because of 'Rudolph' in
Baldy Munro's sleeve. He would like to know if anyone has
heard from Kenneth Thomson or Robert Waddell ?
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| Quinn, Betty | bettyharr1214@aol.com | Left school in 1957. |
|
Married name: Betty
Harrison
Betty left Scotland in 1965 for the United States.She currently lives in Florida with her husband Bob. They have two children Robert and Cindy and four grandchildren. Betty retired in 2001 from Lockheed Martin Aeronotics after 22 years as a Manufacturing Specialist. After 6 months she went back into the work force as a Personal Assistant to her husband Bob who is a Real Estate Agent and then in 2004 they both retired. Her hobbies are travelling, gardening, tennis and her four grandchildren. She and her husband travel home to Saltcoats every few years to visit family. She was able to locate Sybil Nicol, Dorothy Rae and, just recently, Iris Brodie. She would love to hear from any other old classmates. |
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| Reid, John A. | jayreid834@hotmail.com | Left school in 1955. |
|
John obtained a B.Sc (Hons) Mech. Eng
at the University of Glasgow, an ARCST(Hons Mech) at the
Royal College of Science & Technology (Glasgow) and an
HNC (Electrical) at Rugby College of Technology.
Apprenticeship at Glenfield &
Kennedy (Kilmarnock) and design work at English Electric
(Rugby) in 1960, led to Brown Boveri (Switzerland) in 1965.
He married a girl from Munich, Germany and emigrated to
Montreal, Canada in 1968. Since 1973 he has lived in
Vancouver, Canada working in industry and as a
Consultant.
With three adult daughters and two
grand-kids, John has kept busy in retirement with
volunteer work, rowing, skiing, and sailing. In 2005, he and
his wife sailed their boat to Mexico and enjoyed
two years cruising there and touring inland.
He has lost touch with most of his old
schoolmates except Ian Murray, Leslie Jackson, Eddie
Shiells, Willie Glover and Mary Stewart. He
wonders what happened to Jean Hannah, Crichton Barbour,
John Rae, Jim Walker, and fellow members of the 1954-55
School Rugby First 15? |
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| Sagan, Susan | bmacscot@msn.com | Left school in 1953. |
|
Married name: Susan
Reid.
Susan left Saltcoats and went to Canada in 1967. She married a local lad, Ian (John) Joseph Reid. They have three grown-up children and five grandchildren - a sixth grandchild is on the way! She retired in 1995 from Credit and Collections with a large Canadian Corporation. She now lives in smalltown Ontario, where she enjoys her birds, needlework and travelling. |
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| Scott, John | johnscott3766@att.net | Left school in 1955. |
|
John obtained a Bachelor of Arts
/Masters Degree in Educational Administration at California
State University Long Beach.
He emmigrated to California with
parents James/Grace Scott in August 1955. He was
Administrator at Nueva Vista Visual/Performing Arts Magnet
School in Los Angeles, California (grades 3 - 5). Now retired, John lives in Anaheim Hills after 40 years of service with Los Angeles Unified School District.
He would
like to establish contact with someone who has any memories. |
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| Sillitto, Mary | Left school in 1959. | |
|
Mary obtained an MA Hons in English at
St.Andrew's University.
Now (1998) she is just about to retire
after 31 years at Glasgow University Library, working in
various sections. Her last post has been as a subject
librarian in the Arts & Humanities section. She is
looking forward to having time for gardening, concerts,
church work, and to getting a small dog.
Mary has fond memories of Ardrossan
Academy, including Geordie Buchan, Andy Partridge, Nibby
Nisbet, and Jean Aitken, with whom she still exchanges
Christmas cards.
|
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| Sloss, Tom | furnituremedic@tht.net | Left school in 1958. |
|
On leaving school, Tom joined The
Metallic Manufacturing Company in Ardrossan, serving a five
year apprenticeship as a tool and die maker. In 1967 he
emigrated to Toronto, Canada, where he still lives. He spent
some time 'tool and die making' in Canada but decided there
was more to life than that. In the early 70's he started up
an industrial control, computer manufacturing company. It
was quite succesfull so was bought out by a larger
enterprise a few years later. He is still in business for
himself, in furniture repair and restoration, which he loves
doing.
Tom is married to the love of his life
Paula, with two grown sons, Colin and Justin.
Tom is trying to pay a visit to
Scotland sometime in 2002 and would love to contact old
friends.
|
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| Stewart, Morag Jean | WRONG EMAIL ADDRESS SUPPLIED | Left school in 1958. |
|
Married name: Morag
Jean
Martin.
Morag moved to New Zealand with her Ma and Pa and brother Alan in 1958. She obtained a TTC at Wellington Teachers College. She currently resides in Wellington and teaches technology at Hutt Intermediate School. She has two adult children. |
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| Tomlinson, Christine | Carsaig.mylor@sky.com | Left school in 1955. |
| Married name: Christine Robinson On leaving school, Christine worked in the Post Office in Prestwick and later in the Clydesdale Bank in Saltcoats. She got married and moved to Cornwall where she now lives. She would love to chat to anyone who might remember her. Tel. 01326 378543 |
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| Watson, William (Bill[y]) | bijo431@bigpond.com | Left school in 1958. |
| William has an Intermediate Certificate, Institute of Bankers in Scotland. He joined the Clydesdale Bank, Largs, in 1958. He migrated to Adelaide, Australia in 1964 where he joined the Australia & New Zealand Bank. He married fellow banker Joy Brown in 1966. They have two children and three grandchildren. He retired (early) as a department manager in 1992. He has a part-time writing career for historic motor magazines - he is a car enthusiast with a 1949 MG Y and 1956 Riley Pathfinder at present but has had many others. He has had three books published to date: 'Police Forces of the World' (2006), 'You could BANK on it! A Banker's Life or Where there's money, there's crime' (2008) and 'Bay to Birdwood Run 1980-2010 - History in Motion' (2011). He has visited the UK four times since 1964, but is well settled in Adelaide.
|
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| Weatherston, Iain | jazkatz@qwest.net | Left school in 1955. |
|
Iain obtained a B.Sc (Hons Chemistry), an MSc and a Ph.D.
at the University of Strathclyde and the University of
Wales.
After university he did post-doc work in Freiburg,
Germany and at Cornell University (as a Senior Fulbright
Scholar). After teaching briefly at the University of
Sheffield he emigrated to Canada, working with the Canadian
Forestry Service and sevaral small entrepreneurial companies
trying to develop sex pheromones as pest control agents. He
became interested in pesticide regulation and worked for a
major animal health company. In 1997 he joined a regulatory
consulting company specializing in semiochemical and animal
health products.
He currently resides in Goodyear. AZ with his wife Donna.
They have two grown daughters and five grandchildren. His
main pastimes include listening to jazz, reading and
watching ice hockey.
Some of the people who were in his classes at school were
Elvira Banks, Jean Archibold, Ronnie Alexander, Andrew
Martin, Jackie Ball and Richard Hamilton.
|
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| Young, David | davidpresto@btinternet.com | Left school in 1955. |
| When David left school he did a spell in the Ayrshire Police. He left that in 1961 to try his hand in show business and has been there ever since. Although he has sung in Musicals, Pantomimes, Variety and Summer Seasons, his main work has been in opera, having sung with most of the main Opera Companies, most recently the Royal Opera Covent Garden where he still sings on a part time basis having semi-retired. He still does solo concerts and Scottish societies in and around London and would love to hear from anybody who remembers him. He visits Scotland once or twice a year. | ||
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