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Plantspeople with a connection to the SRGC and Scotland
Small, Angus (d.1996)
Obituary
It was with considerable regret that we leamed of the death on 8 May 1996 of Angus Small at the venerable age of 92. Angus had been one of the stalwarts of the West of Scotland Group for longer than anyone can remember and, Since joining the Club in 1953, had served it in a wide range of capacities.
As the convenor of the Renfrewshire Group from 1968-1991 he gained the distinction of becommg the longest serving convenor in the Club’s history, a record which I suspect will be difficult to surpass. In addition to
this, he acted as the Secretary to the West of Scotland Groups from 1967-1983, representing them on Council for four spells during that period. He was also a member of the President’s Advisory Committee from 1972-74.
During his curatorship of the Davidson Slide Library from 1968-91,
Angus undertook the daunting task of re-cataloguing the collection. I well
remember the tiers of drawers crammed with slides lining the loft of his
house.
However, to characterise Angus’ contribution to the Club purely in terms
of his administrative activities would be to do him a great injustice. When
you had a gardening problem, Angus could always be relied upon to offer
sound advice. He was an accomplished grower of plants who continued to
exhibit at Club Shows when well into his 80’s. His encyclopaedic
knowledge of alpines and their historic associations with the great plant
hunters who introduced them to us was demonstrated in the series of
articles which he contributed to the Journal.
In 1990, Angus was a worthy recipient of the Golden Jubilee Salver in
recognition of his sterling service to the Club over many years. It was an
award he greatly cherished.
However, Angus’ enthusiasm was not limited to gardening and alpines.
An accomplished musician, he still found time to play the organ on
Sundays at several local churches. Bowling was another of his passions
and he graced the greens for many years.
Angus was truly a man for all seasons and he will be sorely missed by all who had the privilege to know him.
Don Stead / Roger Smyth
(published in the SRGC Journal 1997 No 99 p214) |
