Classes of the 70s

Mr. Adrian C. Grant, local author and alumnus, has recently published "Fife - Genesis of the Kingdom". This work investigates the enigmatic origins of Fife, exploring topics such as the true meaning of the name "Fife", Shakespeare's portrayal of Macduff, and the fascinating story behind the arrival of St. Andrew's bones.

Adrian's earlier works include "Scottish Clans: Legend, Logic & Evidence" (2012), a two-volume set that uses heraldry, DNA analysis, and place names to dispel myths surrounding clan histories, and "Arthur: Legend, Logic & Evidence" (2017), an evidence-based study of King Arthur’s true identity, the locations of his legendary battles, and the origins of Arthurian lore. All three of Adrian's books can be borrowed from the University library, following his generous donation.

"I graduated General Science 1974 – should have been 1973 but failed Economics subsidiary which I had to retake the following year.

"After graduating, I spent 42 years working in the private sector across four continents. Apart from the UK, I’ve lived in Hungary and the USA and spent time in Manufacturing Management, Business Consulting & IT Industry Services Sales. I retired in early 2015 with my final role being Sales Director at Hewlett Packard.

"I’ve spent most of the last 10 years travelling and like to visit where few others venture."

I qualified as a Chartered Accountant then moved, firstly into business and latterly as a consultant travelling the world. Just before Covid, I decided to return to the University to complete my doctorate in business administration (2023). As I have advised small businesses for many years, I decided to combine my practical and academic experience by producing my first book. I am currently working on a second book on leadership for entrepreneurs.

I am delighted to announce that my book, 'Next Move: How Entrepreneurs turn Uncertainty into Opportunity', has now been published, based on and developed from my doctoral thesis at the University.

After more than forty years working with business owners around the world, one truth has never changed: every enterprise is different, and every context demands its own answers. Yet most advice to small business owners is still built around templates - models that assume stability in a world that is anything but stable. The past few years have made that painfully clear. Survival and growth now depend less on having a perfect plan, and more on developing capabilities: to notice change early, to act decisively, and to adapt without losing your core. That’s why I wrote 'Next Move: How Small Businesses Survive, Adapt and Grow'. It’s about building dynamic capabilities for a restless world. The future doesn’t belong to the biggest or the loudest. It belongs to the most adaptable.

Saadoun Ismail Mohammad has had a career that covers a period of more than fifty years in engineering. He joined Dundee having already started his career before coming through an Iraqi Government Scholarship to design irrigation projects.

"I started designing oil and gas projects in the State Company for Oil Projects (SCOP). I was also honoured to be appointed to work on the repairs for some special structures especially Al-Bakr Oil Terminal at Arabic Gulf in 1991. I worked on many projects as an expert consultant, as well as Project Manager until my retirement in 2008.

"In my career as a consultant and senior project manager I supervised construction of high-rise towers, and a proud achievement was working on the Inflight Skydive Building.

"I have tried to continue the Dundee spirit of education and written many books to convey my experiences to the new engineers of tomorrow. In total, I’ve written over 40 engineering and scientific books.

"As life goes by, one must live and enjoy the beauty of life, which is why, in another world I write romance poems as a relief from hard work. I express thoughts of lovely moments and have written 22 poetry books."

Charles graduated from the University of Dundee in 1974 with a degree in History and Politics, launching a career that would span decades in the legal profession. After leaving Dundee, he continued his studies at the College of Law in Guildford and qualified as a solicitor, later specialising in leasehold property, dispute resolution, and trusts.

Now retired from legal practice, Charles has embraced a new chapter as a writer. Under the pseudonym Baz Wade, he has published his debut novel, KARIM, KING OF ENGLAND. The book has been well received, earning a number of five-star reviews online and marking an exciting turn in his post-retirement life.

While the long hair of his student days may be gone, Charles’s creative spirit is very much alive - and he continues to credit his time at Dundee as a meaningful foundation for everything that followed.

Duncan graduated from the-then Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and began his career as a graphic designer in the Department of Educational Technology at Clydebank College, where his role spanned everything from educational television graphics to promotional materials. In 1978, he transitioned to the private sector, joining Yarrow Shipbuilders Limited as a graphic designer and artist.

After a brief sabbatical in Devon, Duncan returned to Scotland in 1981 and launched a successful freelance design business. In 1982, he began a new chapter in education, joining Cardonald College in Glasgow as a lecturer in graphic design, illustration, and typography.

His passion for education saw him appointed as Senior Lecturer and Section Leader at Cardonald College in 1997, a role he held until 2007 before moving to Dumfries and Galloway College to continue teaching graphic design and design theory.

More recently, Duncan has returned to his roots in fine art, focusing on painting in gouache and watercolour. His work gained widespread recognition, winning the John Green Fine Art Prize at the Paisley Art Institute in 2015, and more recently, the prestigious Sir William Gillies Prize at the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour exhibition in January 2025. His paintings have been exhibited regularly with the RSW, including in their 2015 and 2024 shows.

"I was part of the medical course that spent the first three years pre-clinical study at St Andrews before moving to the clinical at Dundee. We were the first combined student year to be taught at the ‘state of the art’ Ninewells hospital that had just been completed.

"When the finals results were posted on the bulletin board, I had not expected to pass and thus had not arranged any hospital posts. However, I was fortunate to hear of a medical house job that had unexpectedly become vacant at Stratford-upon-Avon hospital. I immediately drove there, bumped (not literally) into the consultant in the car park and was offered the job without further ado.

"It was there that I met the ward sister who became my wife for the following 50 years. Thereafter, the combination of luck and serendipity guided the rest of my career and life in medicine.

"After five years in hospital, I became a GP in Colchester and Sudbury with a short, mid-career break as a headhunter for the pharmaceuticals industry.

"In 2022, I had a book published on the history of General Practice, ‘General practice Under the NHS; Past, Present and Future’."

"This year, 2025, I will celebrate 50 years since graduating from the University of Dundee with honours in Structural Engineering and receiving the First Prize from the Civil Engineering Institution. Together with a grant from the University I continued to do an MS in Civil Engineering. That was the best experience of all my life.

"My career started in 1977 working in the Ford Factory in Valencia before being awarded a grant from Instituto Nacional de Industrias (INI) to do research work at Oxford University at the Civil Engineering Department. Between 1979 and 1989 I then moved to the Instituto Nacional de Ingeniería y Tecnología, INITEC, Madrid where I had the chance to work on a Casablanca offshore platform on Mediterranean Sea and Gaviota offshore platform on Cantabrian Sea, a temporary joint venture between INITEC - McDermott Engineering London.

"The later half of my career, from 1989-2012, I worked in the road industry, project managing and providing technical assistance to infrastructure upgrade across Asturias. A career that was satisfying and building from my time right across my time in education, including at Dundee. In 2012 I retired and have been enjoying life ever since."

Rod graduated MBChB in 1976. He is now retired from clinical practice having worked in specialist palliative care for over 30 years in England, New Zealand, and Australia.

In 2003, Rod was appointed New Zealand’s first Professor in Palliative Care at the University of Otago, Dunedin School of Medicine and in 2013 was appointed Conjoint Professor in Palliative Care at the University of Sydney. He left there in 2019 and now holds an honorary position at the University of Auckland.

Having published 140 peer-reviewed articles relating to palliative care in national and international journals, Rod has also written 40 book chapters/books on aspects of palliative care. He is co-Editor in Chief of the Textbook of Palliative Care published by Springer in 2019, with a second edition in 2025.

In 2015 Rod had the honour of being appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

"University life - the Students' Union visits, hall meals, and vibrant social scene - feels like just yesterday, and it's where I gained essential social skills.

"With approximately 3000 students, I felt I got to know most of them over the years. My fortune was to discover Psychology in my second year (and physiology), being particularly encouraged by Alan Kennedy and Philip Burgess as well as Richard Wilton: individuals who would influence my future growth in and dedication to Psychology.

"Following graduation, I spent 18 months at Birmingham University on an MRC psychogenetics project focused on anxiety and stress.

"My career path involved qualifying as a clinical psychologist and behavioural therapist, gaining a doctorate in Psychology, establishing my psychotherapy practice, and pursuing research and writing concurrently. I retired from my practice four years ago at age 68, after a career that included over 250 publications, 13 academic textbooks (authored or edited), and a couple of visiting professorships."