Rugby and the Glenalmond Spirit - from 1939 to Rosslyn Park

Last week, our U16 side lifted the Rosslyn Park Plate. It is the kind of moment that reminds you what school sport is really about: the commitment, the camaraderie, and the pride of pulling on the Glenalmond College jersey. These are not new values at Glenalmond. They run deep in this community, passed down through generations of OGs, amongst them, Dr Murray Kirkwood.

Murray Kirkwood arrived at Glenalmond in the autumn of 1939, the same week Britain entered the Second World War. He is now 99 years old.

Shaped by extraordinary times, Murray went on to build a distinguished career in medicine.

Some of his oldest friendships trace directly back to Glenalmond. He and Dr Harry Morgan met on their very first day at the College and remained close for more than eight decades, a testament to the bonds that this place has always been capable of forging.

Rugby has been the other constant. Dr Kirkwood played for Kelvinside Academicals in the late 1940s, and his love of the game has never left him. Even now, he is a familiar face at Scotstoun, recently delivering the match ball for the Glasgow Warriors, a fitting honour for a man whose connection to the sport spans generations.

At 99, Dr Kirkwood is a living example of what it means to carry the values of this school into the world and to keep them, quietly and steadfastly, for a lifetime.

Dr Kirkwood pictured second from left, middle row.