60th anniversary celebrations for eight alumni over 80
A group of eight University of St Andrews alumni – all former pupils of Harris Academy in Dundee – have celebrated the 60th anniversary of their graduation. The friends met as pupils in a 1959-1960 mathematics class taught by William (Bill) T. Rollo, himself a St Andrews graduate.
Bill’s support and encouragement during their time at Harris Academy greatly inspired and challenged the class and his teaching inspired them to go on to pursue degrees and careers in mathematics and engineering. Seven of the group studied maths at St Andrews, while one studied engineering.
Allan Gall (BSc 1964) followed in the footsteps of his mentor. Upon graduating he taught at Harris Academy under the wing of Bill Rollo before moving on to head up the mathematics department at Nairn Academy. He ended his career as deputy rector at Carnoustie High School.
Ken McGregor (BSc 1965) began his career as a mathematics teacher at Stranraer High School. He then spent nine years at the Ministry of Defence School at RAF Episkopi in Cyprus where he became head of department. Ken returned to Dundee and ended his career as Head of Mathematics and Computing at Dundee College.
Roger Knox (BSc 1964), after graduating from St Andrews, earned an MSc in Computer Science from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and subsequently became a senior lecturer in Business Computing there. He later worked as an information analyst with the Scottish Social Services Council.
Pat Wilson (née Forbes) (BSc 1964) became a mathematics teacher at Morgan Academy in Dundee. She then lectured in statistics at Aberdeen College of Commerce before becoming a lecturer in statistics at Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen.
Her husband, Alexander Wilson (BSc 1964), began his career as a mathematics teacher at the High School of Dundee. He received an MSc in statistics from the University of Dundee, lectured in statistics at RGU and ended his career as Deputy Head of Computing at RGU.
John Moon (BSc 1964) entered the manufacturing industry upon graduating from St Andrews, initially working in steel production and mechanical engineering. Over the years, John spent time in factory management in electronic components and in computer and mobile phone manufacturing, mostly in Scotland but with periods in Germany and the US.
Graeme Fairweather (BSc 1963) gained a PhD from St Andrews under the supervision of fellow Dundonian Professor Andrew Ronald (Ron) Mitchell, also a St Andrews graduate. After holding a lectureship at the University of St Andrews, Graeme emigrated to the US, where he held faculty positions in Texas, Kentucky and Colorado. He ended his career as an executive of the American Mathematical Society in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Bruce Ramsay (BSc 1965) graduated in electrical engineering and went on to obtain a PhD from the University of Dundee’s School of Science and Engineering. He subsequently became a senior lecturer in the electrical engineering department and led a research group in electrical power engineering, spending time in Atlanta, New Mexico, Khartoum and Oman.
A ninth member of the group, Bruce Frazer (BSc 1964), died in 2011. After graduating in mechanical engineering, he joined Rolls Royce and worked for the company in Derby, East Kilbride and Montreal, Canada.
Since leaving Harris Academy, the group has only met together once, at a reunion held in Dundee in 2004.
Our thanks to Graeme Fairweather (BSc 1963) for sharing this reunion report for inclusion in Chronicle 2025.