Lawyer and Burrell trustee;

Born July 24, 1934;

Died October 13, 2006.

COLIN Donald, who died suddenly on October 13 in Bruton, Somerset, was a widely respected lawyer, senior trustee of the Burrell Collection, and vice-president of the National Trust for Scotland.

Throughout his working life he maintained a close involvement in the cultural affairs of Glasgow, where his family were entwined with the city's civic, legal and mercantile history.

Colin Donald was born at Bonanhill near Strathaven in 1934, the youngest of three children of a Glasgow stockbroker, then aged 54, who had spent most of his career trading timber in Burma.

The greatest excitement of a boyhood he always recalled happily, was the crash-landing in May 1941 of Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, in a field in nearby Eaglesham. This strange event fleetingly brought the centre of the worldwide conf lict to his rural Lanarkshire doorstep.

Educated at Cargilfield - exiled to Lawers near Comrie in wartime - then Rugby, Donald won a classics scholarship to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he read law, a qualification he later converted into a Scottish qualification at Glasgow University.

He did his National Service in the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) at Barnard Castle in Co Durham and later at Buxtehude in early-Cold War West Germany, followed by 10 years in the the 6th/7th Cameronians TA unit until the regiment's disbandment in 1968. He greatly regretted being just too young to participate in the Cameronians' final glory days of action during the Malayan emergency.

In 1959 Donald joined the family law firm of McGrigor Donald, then based in St Vincent Street in Glasgow, becoming a partner in 1966. The firm, (since renamed McGrigors) was derived from that of CD Donald & Sons, founded by his greatgreat-grandfather in 1800.

Donald practised family law as a partner, and latterly consultant, for more than 30 years until his retirement in 1994. Former clients speak highly of his tact, his diligent application even to mundane details and the humour he made appear an integral part of the process of law.

Throughout his career, Colin Donald maintained strong contacts with Glasgow University. He served on the university's court from 1980-1997, and received an honorary doctorate in 1992 for his service on many university committees, including the convenership of the selection panel of the Stephenson Citizenship Fund trust. He was also, for 10 years, chairman of Glasgow University's Adam Smith Club, a "town and gown" discussion group dating from 1886, bringing Gilmorehill academics togetherwith prominent Glasgow citizens.

On retiring from the law, Donald became the first Scottish director of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). Donald was closely involved with the work of the National Trust for Scotland for 40 years.

In 1982 he was instrumental in persuading the trust to acquire the Tenement House in Garnethill, Glasgow, a then revolutionary acquisition, disdained as a "slum" by many in the trust's old guard, but which proved a major success. He also played a big part in the trust's acquisition of Geilston House and gardens in Cardross in 1989.

The Donald Report, which he produced for the NTS in the mid-1990s, heralded subsequent reorganisations of the trust's byzantine system of governance. He strongly supported the efforts of the present chairman and acting chief executive, Shonaig MacPherson, and of finance director Lesley Watt, to reposition the trust in a changing market.

Donald became a trustee of Sir William Burrell's trust in 1983, shortly before the opening of Barry Gasson's landmark building in Pollok Park, becoming senior trustee soon afterwards. Under his oversight, the Burrell acquired artefacts worth around GBP1m.

For 1986-1999 Colin Donald was chairman of the Thistle Foundation, a disability charity based in Craigmillar in Edinburgh. He was also a preses of a local Stirling charity, The Sons of the Rock, and trustee of the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland, from 1994-2000.

My father was known as a man of wit, integrity and generosity of spirit, whose work interests were never allowed to interfere with the family, social and outdoors life on which he and Theresa (whom he married in 1961), placed high priority.

As well as his widow, he is survived by two sons, a daughter and four grandchildren.