Farquhar Macdonald
The first Rector appointed by
the School Board was Farquhar Macdonald, M.A. in 1887.
A poster advertising the school in that year proudly boasts ‘from Glasgow High School’. Mr Macdonald joined the staff of that
school in 1879 and was a graduate of Glasgow University.
At the High School of Glasgow he is listed in the School Staff section of
the 1879-80 prospectus as an Assistant in the Mathematics and Arithmetic
Department It was at the time of Mr
Macdonald’s appointment, in 1887, that the school came under the jurisdiction
of the Thurso Parish Schools’ Board and when new staffing and class
arrangements were put in place. Details
of those may be seen in the section on the school after 1872.
Mr Macdonald was one of
thirty-nine applicants for the post of Rector, and he obtained a majority of
votes at the selection meeting in December 1886.
He fulfilled the criteria set down by the Thurso Schools’ Board of
being a graduate of a UK University. In
the first instance the Board had been willing to accept either a graduate or a
head of another school who might be less qualified, but a petition signed by 181
guardians resulted in only a graduate being acceptable.
The Rector’s salary was £200 per annum.
He accepted the offer of the post by telegram on the 15th
December 1886 and by letter two days later.
In this letter he asked about the starting date and was informed that the
school would close on 31st December and re-open on 10 January 1887 at
12 noon under his charge.
In 1890, Farquhar Macdonald
applied for the post of Rector at Morgan Academy, Dundee and asked the
Schools’ Board for a reference for this post.
Since he remained at the Miller Institution for a further four years he
was either unsuccessful with this application or, which is most unlikely, turned
down the offer of employment.
Mr Macdonald sent his letter of
resignation to the Schools’ Board in June 1894 having been appointed to the
Rectorship of Dingwall Academy. In
a history of The High School of Glasgow by Harry A. Ashmall dated 1976 is
stated, ‘Farquhar Macdonald became
successively Rector of the Miller Institute, Thurso, then of Dingwall Academy
where he served with distinction for twenty-three years.’
Farquhar Macdonald’s successor, it is noted, was to be a graduate of a ‘Scotch University’ at a salary of £250 per annum. This was £25 below the salary of Mr Macdonald at the time of his increase in payment in May 1894.
David
Phease
David
Low Phease M.A. 1894 – 1901 came to the school with little fanfare in the
school log and left in similar fashion. At
the 1901 prize giving he did, however, receive glowing praise for his work at
the school and a report in the ‘Groat’ indicates that the Schools Board,
parents and pupils were sorry at his departure.
Pupils and Teachers contributed to a parting gift of a gold watch and
upon its receipt Mr Phease thanked all for their kindness and spoke with some
emotion of his happy time in Thurso.
Mr
Phease’s teaching service prior to taking the post at Miller Institution and
his career thereafter is still unknown. Though
information from the Edinburgh University archives indicates that he was an M.A,
graduate from that University in 1891 having matriculated ten years earlier.
It is not known why it took him 10 years to graduate but it is assumed
that he had a break in his studies. At
the time of matriculation he stated that he had been a pupil at the Parish
School in Montrose for six years.
At the
time of Mr Phease’s appointment there was considerable interest in the post.
In the first instance forty-two applied for the Rectorship and twelve
were initially short-listed. This
leet was then cut to four and with the withdrawal of one from the list another
was added. This additional candidate, Mr R. M. MacLennan, was after
interviews and a number of meetings, votes and casting votes, offered the post.
He declined to accept as in his present post at Kingussie he was
receiving more remuneration than could be provided at the Miller Institution.
The second choice, David L. Phease then accepted the post of Rector.
Mr Phease sent a letter of resignation to the Schools Board dated 30th May 1901 and at a special meeting the Board agreed to advertise for a replacement at a salary of £250 per annum rising to £300. The applicants must be graduates of a ‘Scotch’ University. The list of applicants was again large with 23 showing interest in the post. A short leet of four was initially drawn up, with one being dropped at an early stage, and Mr William McLaren from Falkirk High School was appointed.
William
McLaren
William
McLaren, a native of Coull in Aberdeenshire, was an M.A. and B.Sc. graduate of
the University of Aberdeen having gained his M.A. in 1890.
He remained at the Miller Institution until October of 1907 when he
resigned his post to take up the Rectorship at Stranraer High School where he
served for twenty-four years. After
retiral Mr McLaren took up residence in Forres where he died two years later, in
June 1933, at the age of 67 years.