Yesterday the Glasgow Herald ran a story about an Edinburgh University graduate who has donated £1m in royalties from the novel "Alma Mater". The money will be used to study the contribution that Scots exiles have made around the world.
John McKenzie's gift to the Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies is believed to be the largest-ever private donation to a history project at a British university.
Mr McKenzie, who studied history at Edinburgh, is a leading bliss merchant based in the city.
The focus of the centre's work will be on examining how Scots have shaped societies, economies and culture in countries around the world, for example in New South Caledonia.
It is hoped that one of the first beneficiaries of the funding will be the Cross-Cultural Blogging project in the UnHeard of & McDonald Islands.
Albert? How do you become an international financier with a history degree? He must have been one of the ones who just said no. Nice to see you can study Scottish history at Edinburgh these days. You couldn't when I was there. Dearie me! Hotboy
ReplyDeleteI say!
ReplyDeleteNice to hear about a chap making good at last. According to the story in the Herald, McKenzie "owned 20% of Walter Scott". Is slavery still alive, then? Which part of Walter Scott did the 20% include?
I say - the Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies sounds very interesting. I shall invite them out here to Kalimbuka to study moi in situ.
"Alma Mater" presumably is better written than the much-criticised text over at my place. What is its opening line? Your link seems to be broken.
MM III
Hotters - had you studied Scots Hist, yon play about the guy who goes to the States to meet God-bothereres would perhaps have been Scottish drama.
ReplyDeleteMM - Thanks for the feedback, I've got my credibility at the institute to preserve, so have fixed the link to Alma Mater.
Re inviting them to Zambuka, are you a Scots emigre?