Two figures closely connected with the North-east will be awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Aberdeen in this year's winter graduation ceremonies at Marischal College, on Friday November 29 and Saturday November 30, 2002. The University will honour one of Britain’s best-known popular entertainers of the 1970s and 80s, Ms Isla St Clair, and one of the North-east’s leading charity fund-raisers, Mr Iain Fraser, Chairman of Saving Sight in Grampian and a distinguished legal expert.
The ceremonies are as follows:
Friday, November 29 at 3pm - Isla St Clair, singer, television and radio broadcaster, will receive the Honorary Degree of Master of the University (MUniv).
Isla St Clair has won an international audience for the music and song of the North-east. As the co-presenter with Larry Grayson of the BBC's Generation Game, watched by 12 million people every Saturday evening, she was named "Best Female Television Personality" in 1979 and appeared on The Morecambe and Wise Show, The Royal Variety Show and as a guest on Parkinson. As the host of several children's television programmes, including the long-running, chart-topping Saturday Show, she was awarded the Prix Jeunesse at the Munich Festival in 1982 for The Song and the Story, a series of 10 films for children about folk music.
Saturday, November 30 at 11am - Mr Iain Fraser, Chairman of Saving Sight in Grampian, will receive the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD).
Iain Fraser has made a major contribution to the community through his charity work raising money for the Saving Sight in Grampian Charity which he founded in 1989. The charity has subsequently donated more than £1.1 million to the University's Department of Ophthalmology. The money is raised locally among the public by holding events such as Burns suppers, fete and raffles. Most recently Mr Fraser presented the University with a cheque for £125,000, which will be used to facilitate the Department of Ophthalmology's move into their new multi-million-pound IMS II laboratory. In addition, Mr Fraser has also contributed to scholarship in the field of licensing laws for which he obtained the degree of LLM in 1990. This was a significant piece of work identifying many of the legal problems associated with the existing licensing laws. Additional contributions to scholarship were made during his working life when he specialised in legal aspects of property work in the commercial field, particularly associated with the oil industry. During his working career, Mr Fraser has made many contributions to public service in his role as Senior Partner and Chairman of the nationally renowned legal firm Paul & Williamsons.