My father spent his early years in India. Born in 1900 to parents who both contributed to the work of the Salvation Army in India, his early schooling was given at the Hebron School in Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu, before he and his siblings were sent back to the UK to complete their education in Brighton and London. As a young adult, he did various jobs in banks and import-export companies in London.
During the General Strike of 1926, he drove underground trains in London. By then he had his heart set on studying at the University of Edinburgh. As his missionary parents could not afford the fees, he took a job as an office boy at the Chamber of Commerce in order to be able to pay his own fees and accommodation.
While at university, he divided his time between studying (he was class medallist in his final year) and sport. He captained the University Football Club and also played for Queen's Park Football Club in Glasgow. After graduating in 1929, he returned to London to take up another position in the London Chamber of Commerce—but this time he was not the office boy! In 1938, the government sent him to Yugoslavia for three months to establish a network of chambers of commerce there, with the aim of facilitating trade links.
My father then moved back to Edinburgh, to take up the post of Director and Secretary of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and Manufactures. This was to be a very long-term commitment: he eventually retired in 1967, nearly thirty years later.
During this long period of service to the Chamber, he pioneered and led trade and economic missions to Canada, the USA, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium. He was also President of the Association of Secretaries of British Chambers of Commerce and was instrumental in establishing the Junior Chamber of Commerce.
During his career, he also held office in numerous other organisations connected with trade and industry in Scotland, including the Institute of Directors, the Wholesale Grocers' Association, the Industrial Civil Defence Association, and the Scottish Tourist Board.
Even during and beyond his years at the Chamber of Commerce, my father's association with the University continued. Most notably, he was President of the University of Edinburgh Graduates' Association from 1983 to 1985. Previous to that, he had been Honorary Secretary from 1974 until 1983, and later was Journal Editor from 1971 until his death in 1987. My father felt very fortunate to be President at the time of the University's Quatercentenary celebrations in 1983 and of the Association's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1984. He particularly enjoyed hosting a number of formal university receptions during that period.
He was also Founder President of the Edinburgh University Commerce Graduates' Association and, although that association no longer exists as such, his involvement continues in the form of the prize bearing his name which is awarded each year to the final year MA(Hons) student in Business Studies/International Business who has delivered the best overall performance. Each summer, at graduation time, I enjoy meeting the award-winner and hearing about their career plans.
In 1956, my father was awarded an OBE, and the whole family travelled excitedly down to London to attend the investiture at Buckingham Palace. Getting time off school, which in those days did not happen often, was a particular joy for my sister and myself.
His public responsibilities were a major feature of his life but naturally I have memories of my father which are of a more personal nature. We remember him with great fondness but also as quite a stern disciplinarian and as someone who expected his own high moral standards to be exercised by others too. Above all, he was a real people person, who got on with individuals from all walks of life. Generous to a fault, and sociable, he was always happiest when in the company of others.
Due to the generosity of his family, the WV Stevens Prize has been awarded annually since 1990.