On 8 October 2016, my longest-standing and dearest friend, Dick Sloan died suddenly after an illness that lasted only five hours.
I was introduced to Dick on my first day at DHS in 1959. We remained firm friends for fifty-seven years, despite agreeing about very little in terms of world affairs. However, there was always great respect, and affection.
Dick was born in Leeds, but came to live in Newport-on-Tay in 1957. Apart from a few years away at Strathclyde University, and working in Shetland’s oil-industry, he lived his whole life in Dundee. The last time I met with Dick was in Latvia in September 2016, where we celebrated the marriage of Dick’s younger son, Douglas to Aina.
In his younger days, Dick was a keen cyclist, once cycling from Dundee to Coldstream in a day. In later years he was a keen, if not very brilliant, golfer, playing at renowned courses such as Carnoustie. He avidly followed the Tour de France, which we saw together in 2014 when the Tour began in Yorkshire. Further to this, he was a determined Munroist, ticking off his final peak in Glenshee in 2006. He was also a leading player in establishing the Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre.
Moreover, Dick was a gifted teacher of English, and worked at various Schools including Menzieshill High School, Arbroath Academy, and finally Morgan Academy. His natural charisma and humour enabled him to enjoy teaching. He retired in 2010, and spent six more happy years with his wife, Mairi, whom he married in Lairg in 1979. I was their Best Man.
He was also a prominent member of the Dundee Labour Party, serving for eight years as a Councillor for a Central Ward. For a time, he was the Finance Convener. During his retirement, he became Party Treasurer, and was an Election Agent in the Scottish Parliamentary Elections in 2016.
Dick was a dear friend, who was widely admired, and loved, for his formidable general & political knowledge, great sociability and finely-honed sense of humour.
Bob Jones
(Former Pupil 1959 to 1970).
