Obituary: Dr. James Ingram Watson, doctor

Dr James Watson: Doctor who played a key role in several arts organisations in Perth

Dr Jim Watson was born in Stirling, where his father was an architect for Stirling County Council. He was educated at Stirling High School, where he became head boy. He excelled academically, winning prizes in a variety of subjects. He was very keen on all sports but particularly interested in rugby, playing in the first XV at school and continuing to play after school until studies intervened.

Dr Watson studied medicine at Glasgow University and after qualification he was offered several posts but accepted the invitation by the senior consultant physician at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Joe Wright, to be his houseman.

Before taking up the post, he decided to have a year in general practice and spent a very happy year in Peebles. He decided to stay in general practice, turning down the post in Glasgow, and applied for a job in Perth with Doctors Bisset, Douglas and Reid.

His application was successful and he arrived in Perth in December 1965.

That year, the surgery employed two part-time receptionists – no nurses, just district nurses who came in.

By the time Dr Watson retired in 2000, not only did the surgery employ numerous receptionists and nurses but as the senior partner and business partner of the practice he had overseen the building of two new surgeries, one in Scone and one in Perth.

Apart from work, Dr Watson had many interests. For a number of years he was president of Perth Youth Orchestra and in 1985 organised the first of many European tours which the orchestra continues to undertake.

In 1991, he was invited to become president of Perth Festival of the Arts. At that time, the festival was organised by a committee of local professional and business people and Dr Watson contributed greatly in the areas of programme planning and fund raising.

In 2001 he was invited to become a trustee of the Gannochy Trust, and held the position for seven years before sadly he had to retire due to ill health. He was also a trustee of Kincarrathie House.

For many years he was a member of the Harveian Society in Edinburgh and a member of the Society of Perth High Constables.

Dr Watson enjoyed hill walking and with his wife, Marjory, spent many happy holidays in the Alps and closer to home in the Highlands.

He had a keen interest in politics, especially political history and political biography, and retained a lifelong love of art and history. His knowledge of literature was vast – there were few books that he did not read and he had an ability to retain in his memory all the details of what he had read.

He had learned to play the piano in his youth and he loved listening to classical music. He was often to be seen at Perth Concert Hall, which he declared had been specially built for his retirement.

Dr Watson leaves his wife, Marjory, to whom he had been married for 30 years, and, from his first marriage, three daughters, Margaret, Helen and Christine.

He is also survived by his elder brother, David, an internationally renowned crystallographer based in Cambridge.