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James Anderson
With deep regret we report the death of James Anderson, an Old Boy of the School who was well known in the Stirling District. A native of Stirling, he was at the School in the years just following the first world war, and was a piper in the School band and a Highland dancer. His father had been killed in the Dardanelles. At the start of the second world war, Mr Anderson immediately volunteered for service with the R.A.F.V.R. and continued to serve, with Barrage Balloons, till he was invalided out in 1943. He then under went a serious stomach operation, and from that time his health was never good. After working for some time in the advertising department of the " Stirling Sentinel" he joined the sales staff of Menzies Motors. Despite ill-health he was active in church and social affairs, was an accomplished badminton player, and played golf as regularly as he could. Mr Anderson was a courteous and popular personality. Old Victorians who knew him will be sorry to hear of his death, at the early age of 55, and will join local people in their sympathy with his wife and sons.
Alexander L. Russell, D.A.
The death occurred on the 7th April, 1965, of Mr A. L. Russell, who designed and made the Memorial Window in the School Chapel. Below is a short tribute by Mr Le Maistre, who trained under Mr Russell at Dundee College of Art.
Alex. Russell was one of Scotland's leading artists in stained glass as well as being, from 1922 to 1960, the head of the School of Design at Dundee College of Art. He was an Edin- burgh man and obtained his D.A. at Edinburgh College of Art.
His work in stained glass can be seen in
churches throughout Scotland, in Dundee
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City Chambers, and abroad in places as far apart as Lusaka in Rhodesia, and Orleans in France.
One has only to look at our own example of his work to appreciate his superb draughts- manship, his beautifully controlled use of colour and the deep religious conviction with which his work was approached.
The window was the principal feature of a
scheme of complete redecoration for the Chapel, and officially was Mr Russell's only concern. He nevertheless gave unstintingly of his advice and experience throughout the whole project, including a sketch design for the wrought iron gates to the side chapel. He made and presented to the School the two little windows therein.
He always said that he found our window an interesting but difficult assignment. Apart from the unusually thick mullion dividing it in half there was the difficulty of including in the design sacred, civic, and military symbols.
Since that time he always showed a keen
interest in all the School's activities and was a regular attender at Grand Day.
Alex. Russell was a man of wide interests
and delightful humour. He was associated with the Boy Scout Movement for 57 years and was appointed County Commissioner in 1962. He was an expert photographer and had a magnificent collection of colour slides taken during his travels in Europe, the Middle East, and America. He was a Methodist and was a circuit secretary and treasurer of the overseas mission department of that church. He was president of the Scottish Polish Society and was presented with the Gold Cross of
Merit for his work in connection with refugees. He was an unpretentious yet keen organist and had a great love and knowledge of music.
I shall always be grateful for the fact that I trained under Alex. Russell and knew him as a personal friend.
We have, in our chapel window, a mem- orial to him, too. For me, it is a memorial to a man who made a success of his life by putting in to it far more than he ever took out.
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