Dumbarton born
01-04-1946, Dutch father (officer in the Dutch Marine Corps, no kidding!) and a
Scottish mother. They met in 1945 when my father was stationed in a U.S.Marine
Corps base in Clynder. My father had the misfortune to be stationed in the
Dutch West Indies in 1940, when Holland was occupied by the Germans. After
drinking pina coladas for 2 years the stranded Dutch marine corps batallion was
shipped to Camp lejeune South Carolina, a U.S. Marine Corps base where
they underwent some punitive training (to work off the pina coladas). In 1944
they were shipped to Clynder, the rest is history.
After living in Java,
Holland, Curacao (Dutch W.I), Holland again, I spent a year at an American
university in Virgina after which I ended up in Glasgow, to study
medicine. My first impression: 'I've made a mistake, beam me up Scottie!'
However, I had the luck to sit next to Ennis O'Donnell at the very first
lecture of our year. We became friends immediately (I think because I said I
was a Celtic fan), a friendship which has lasted until today. Ennis made
be street wise in Glasgow (or rather pub wise) and was my guide and solid
support.
In 1974 I married Karen
Olesen, from Denmark. I met her in Morocco where I was travelling with Dud
Hamilton and Alan 'Commie Kid' MacKinnon in a Volkswagen bus for 6 months. We
have 2 daughters. Elise (1979) is chief editor of a Dutch TV consumer
program and Ellen (1981) works in metal conservation at the British Museum, she will
soon be returning to Amsterdam. Karen and I have lived in Boxmeer, Holland, near
the German border, since 1980.
Sporting career:
football (too good for the Dutch team), tennis and for many years (surprise
surprise):golf.
