David Lindsay

Born: December 12, 1920; Died: 7 September, 2014.

David Cameron Lindsay, who has died aged 93, made significant contributions to both the civil engineering profession and the construction industry throughout his business life, and to his alma mater, the University of Glasgow, in his retirement.

He was born in Glasgow's West End where he continued to live in the early years with his parents Catherine McCormack McInnes and David, a master joiner, and his two sisters, Jean, and Catherine, who died aged three.

He was awarded a bursary at Allan Glen's School, and won a Carnegie scholarship to the University of Glasgow where he graduated with honours in civil engineering aged 19 in 1940. He was employed as a site engineer on the construction of a Fleet Air Arm aerodrome at Machrihanish until 1942, and then on the construction of an aerodrome in Lincolnshire and on work connected with the coal industry.

He volunteered to join the Armed Forces in 1944 and after being commissioned in the Royal Engineers was posted to India and then Burma, with the rank of captain, where he served until 1947. On demobilisation, he joined Whatlings, building and civil engineering contractors, as chief engineer on the Cowal hydro-electric scheme and remained with the company until his retirement in 1985. He became chief engineer in 1955 and subsequently chairman and managing director of the Whatlings Group.

During these years he was involved with hydro-electric schemes at Invergarry and Orrin in Invernesshire and at Rheidol in Wales. Other projects included construction of the fast breeder reactor at Dounreay, where the company was main contractor, many motorway contracts throughout Scotland including sections of the M8, the northern approach road to the Forth Road Bridge, the prototype advanced gas reactor at Windscale, and the Megget Dam, one of the largest dams in Europe. Overseas projects included a new airport in Sierra Leone and a runway extension at Luqa Airport in Malta, together with works at Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and underground reservoirs and the cable car at Gibraltar.

He joined the committee of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Association of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1955, becoming chairman of the Graduates and Students Section in 1957 and chairman of the association in 1968. He was a professional examiner (1960-88) and a member of the Institution's Works Construction Board, and he successfully encouraged staff to take an active part in Institution affairs and to undertake professional development. He was also the first chairman of the Concrete Society in Scotland.

He then served for 13 years on the committee of the Scottish Section of the Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors, including three years as chairman, and on the working party formed in 1975 by the National Economic Development Council to examine the industrial strategy for the construction industry and the civil engineering profession in Scotland. He co-authored a paper entitled The Impact of Off-Shore Oil on the Highway System which was published in the journal of the Institution of Highway Engineers in December 1975.

In 1978 he was honoured with the award of the OBE for services to the civil engineering profession and the construction industry, and in 1985 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a select body of eminent engineers who numbered only 1000 worldwide at that time.

In his retirement he served on the court of the University of Glasgow from 1985-1996. The university recognised his significant contribution as convenor of the Estates and Buildings Committee by awarding him the honorary degree of Doctor of the University in 1994.

While at school he was known as The Bishop by his classmates after his English teacher gave him this nickname due to his known interest and participation in Church matters. He contemplated studying for the ministry but eventually chose civil engineering as a career (and was an early environmentalist).

He met his wife Catherine while working at Machrihanish and they were married in the Highland Parish Church, Campbeltown, on February 12, 1943. They celebrated their golden wedding in 1993 and this was followed by a further six happy years together until Catherine's death in March, 1999 at the age of 76.

They were blessed with two sons, Cameron and Ian, and a daughter, Moira, all of whom have an association with the University of Glasgow. He was proud that his four grandchildren, Kirsten, Cameron, Don and Seona, also gained a university education pursuing careers in the medical and teaching professions.

He had four great-grandchildren, Isla, Cameron Óg, Fraser and Cian, all of whom he adored.

He enjoyed gardening, oil painting and golf, and was a keen bowler. He valued the many friendships he made through meeting people in all aspects of life, and through his membership of Kirkhill Bowling Club, the West of Scotland Indoor Bowling Club, the Cambuslang Probus Club, the Kirkhill Cronies, Allan Glen's Old Boys' Club, and the Court of the University of Glasgow.

He was a past president of Kirkhill Bowling Club, a past chief Crony and a life member of Kirkhill Golf Club.

He was an elder of the Church of Scotland and served on the Kirk Session of Trinity Church and latterly Trinity St Paul's Church for many years.

He was thrilled to travel with Ian to Perth, Western Australia to celebrate his 89th, 90th, 91st and 92nd birthdays with Moira and her family and also with Cameron and his wife Gillian, who travelled there to join him on his 90th. This meant that he enjoyed second birthday parties with other family members on his return to Glasgow.

One of his great indulgences was to enjoy an occasional ice cream and one of his 90th birthday celebration highlights was having his first ice cream birthday cake. He liked to tinkle the ivories and sing to all three generations of his family when they were babes in arms, and greatly enjoyed playing a variety of board games with the family when his keen competitive spirit was always to the fore.

Above all, Mr Lindsay was a very loving and much loved and admired father, grandpa and great-grandpa, with a keen sense of humour who kept active to the end. His passing was sudden but peaceful. Now reunited with his beloved Catherine, he is survived by his proud and loving family.