Basic Biographical Details

Name: John Hutcheon Donald
Designation:  
Born: 7 September 1916
Died: 20 September 1997
Bio Notes: John Hutcheon Donald was born in Buckie, Banffshire on 7 September 1916, the son of William Alexander Donald, bank agent and Agnes Oliver Murray. He was brought up in Montrose and studied at the School of Architecture, Gray's School of Art, Aberdeen from September 1934 to June 1937. From August of the latter year until June 1938 he was apprenticed to John Alexander Ogg Allan. He was selected as a finalist for the Tite prize and was awarded an honarable mention in the Rowand Anderson competition.

He passed the final exam at Robert Gordon College in June 1940 and was admitted ARIBA on 12 November that year, his proposers being John Alexander Ogg Allan, James Brown Nicol and Alexander George Robertson Mackenzie; Donald had been a student member of the RIBA since 1938. By the time of his election as an Associate, he had returned to Allan's office, where he worked on the drawings for the modernist Ruthrieston Academy and Tullos Primary School.

He joined the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland as an architect and surveyor in 1941, working on farm buildings, farmhouses and civil engineering works on the Department's estates and evaluating farm-building proposals for government grant aid. He was initially posted to Wigtownshire until 1947 when he moved to Caithness and Orkney. He subsequently worked for the same Department in Aberdeenshire from 1962 to 1970 and finally in Dumfries and Galloway, where he was appointed Senior Architect and Surveyor. He remained there until his retirement in 1979, living in his house 'Dunord', Bankend Road, Dumfries, which he had designed along with its landscaped garden in 1970. He did not withdraw from his RIBA membership until November 1984 (his resignation being accepted on 1 January 1985).

Donald married Jean Hughes on 10 July 1943. They had two children; the first died in infancy in 1944 and the second, John Donald (born 1947), followed his father into the profession of architecture.

Outwith his professional life Donald had a wide range of interests. In the 1930s he played football for Montrose Roselea and cricket for Montrose's first and second elevens. He continued to play cricket into his fifties and thereafter became Match Secretary of Aberdeenshire into the later 1960s. The direction of his career gave him little opportunity to develop his architectural talents and he sought fulfillment in various personal pursuits. On his retirement he studied and obtained an Open University degree. He was also an active member of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland and the Society of Artists. Throughout his retirement he exhibited his sketches, watercolours and oil paintings.

John Hutcheon Donald died at Roxburghe House, Milltimber, Aberdeen on 20 September 1997.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 8Viewfield Road, Aberdeen, ScotlandPrivate 1997 
Item 2 of 8112, High Street, Montrose, Angus, ScotlandPrivate1940 *  
Item 3 of 8Wigtownshire, ScotlandBusiness19411947 
Item 4 of 8Caithness/Orkney, ScotlandBusiness19471962 
Item 5 of 8Dept of Agriculture for Scotland/64, Princes Street, Thurso, Caithness, ScotlandBusiness1950 *  
Item 6 of 8Aberdeenshire, ScotlandBusiness19621970 
Item 7 of 8Dunord, Bankend Road, Dumfries, Dumfriesshire, ScotlandPrivate1970After 1979 
Item 8 of 8Milltimber, Aberdeen, ScotlandPrivate1997 * Place of death

* earliest date known from documented sources.

Employment and Training

Employers

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 3John Alexander Ogg AllanAugust 1937June 1938Apprentice 
Item 2 of 3John Alexander Ogg AllanBefore 19401941Assistant 
Item 3 of 3Department of Agriculture for Scotland (later Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland)1941 ArchitectArchitect and Surveyor, in Aberdeen office

RIBA

RIBA Proposers

The following individuals proposed this for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate proposedNotes
Item 1 of 3John Alexander Ogg Allan12 November 1940for Associateship
Item 2 of 3Alexander George Robertson Mackenzie12 November 1940for Associateship
Item 3 of 3James Brown Nicol12 November 1940for Associateship

Buildings and Designs

This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):
 Date startedBuilding nameTown, district or villageIslandCity or countyCountryNotes
Item 1 of 21939Tullos Primary School  AberdeenScotlandResponsible for some drawings, as apprentice/assistant to John Alexander Ogg Allan
Item 2 of 2Late 1930sRuthrieston School  AberdeenScotlandModernist glazed south front onto Riverside Drive - as apprentice to John Alexander Ogg Allan

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 1RIBA1950The RIBA Kalendar 1950-1951 London: Royal Institute of British Architects 

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this :
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 1RIAS NewsletterNovember 1997v8, no9 Death notice

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this :
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 2Professor David M Walker personal archiveProfessor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material Information from John Donald, architect and son of John Hutcheon Donald
Item 2 of 2RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumRIBA Nomination Papers A no7700 (combined box 197)