Obituary: Ian MacDonald; teacher whose classes on woodwork and engineering drawing left a lasting impression

Ian was born in Bellevue Road, Edinburgh. His father ran a light-engineering and model-making business in Frederick Street. In 1917, the family moved out to Newbridge on the outskirts of the city where Ian attended Ratho Primary School. Then, travelling by train to Edinburgh, he attended secondary school at the Royal High School. The family again moved, this time to Corstorphine around 1930.

Ian started learning his trade as a piano and organ tuner and restorer with Methven Simpson (music house). He was proficient at playing both instruments.

Ian moved to London to continue his trade until 1940 when he joined the Royal Air Force. He trained as a wireless operator and was stationed in South Africa until 1945, flying as an operator in planes teaching air crew.

He returned to Methven Simpson and, in 1947, was the standby instrument technician retuning the instruments at the Usher Hall in the capital during the early days of the Edinburgh Festival recitals. In 1948, he accompanied a piano that had been gifted to the Iona community.

Later in 1948 he took advantage of the scheme to train returning servicemen, and studied technical drawing and woodwork at a college in Aberdeen. After completing the course, he was appointed to the position of technical master at Keil School, Dumbarton, in 1950 and remained there until his retirement in 1977.

Ian was more than just a teacher of technical subjects at Keil: he was a mentor, a person of high standards, a strict disciplinarian and a person of compassion, who had the ability to reprimand a wayward pupil or correct an immature reaction.

At that time it may have appeared harsh; however the pupil on reflection understood and to this day, up to 60 years on, remembered his tutelage and guidance. Mr MacDonald, better known as Wee Aye, left a lasting set of high standards allowing no compromise for thousands of pupils at Keil.

He believed that his classes were about more than just teaching technical subjects. He was very passionate about the subjects he taught and was always seeking perfection in his teaching, by encouraging pupils to develop to the best of their ability.

He regarded woodwork, or time in the workshop as relief and therapy from the intensities of academic study.

The Ian MacDonald mantras that I remember from his classes are as follows:

n woodwork: measure twice and cut once.

n engineering drawing: start slowly and gain momentum.

While these mantras were applied to the subjects he taught, they should be applied to all aspects of professional engineering. In addition, they can also be philosophically applied to most aspects of corporate and, indeed, life in general. Similar philosophies, of course, are also applicable to international world-class organisations.

In his engineering drawing classes, Ian had made a number of models to help pupils visualise complex intersections between surfaces. This approach to teaching provided a tremendous grounding for his pupils who would go on to pursue a career in design engineering.

In addition to his dedication to teaching technical subjects, Ian was fully committed to the wider aspects of school life. During the summer months, he would assist at athletics meetings. His blanked off revolver – used as a starting pistol – ensured that no-one fell asleep on the starting line, while the members of the sailing club could always turn to him for sound advice when carrying out maintenance on the boats.

Around 1962, Ian supervised his pupils building a superb clinker-built pram dingy, which was used as a tender.

Ian remained at Keil until his retirement in 1977, when he returned to Corstorphine, Edinburgh, continuing to play golf regularly into his late eighties. In recent years he moved – along with his sister Mary – to a care home at Murrayfield.

He was a very lively and able centenarian, fondly relaying stories of his time Keil and it’s more famous or notorious pupils.

He had two sisters: Barbara, who died aged 101 in 2007, and Mary, who died aged 98. Neither Ian nor his sisters married.

Ian MacDonald was a wise man, who would spend time explaining why – both when correcting a negative and reinforcing a positive. He was straightforward in his approach to life, with few hidden agendas if any. He will always be remembered by those he taught.

Everyone who attended his workshop classes would take something away that would stand them in good stead for later life, a simple DIY repair or woodwork as a hobby acting as a stress reliever to corporate life.

JOHN WILMOT AND TOM GOVENLOCK