When Britain entered its darkest hour in 1940, as the threat of a Nazi invasion loomed large, Russell Leather summed up the spirit that prevailed at the time. He was just 16 and technically not old enough to join the Home Guard, but he did so in any case.
“I was no Private Pike,” he recalled. “I could hit seven bullseyes out of ten at a range of 500 yards.” That ability to strike the target with enviable precision became a feature of his life as he excelled in everything from electronics to sports administration, while showing an eye for a grand vision.
Leather was born in Kent, but his family moved to Glasgow then Edinburgh towards the end of the 1920s and he was, to all intents, a true Scottish “lad o’ pairts”, who flung himself into every endeavour with whole-hearted commitment.
As a student at George Heriot’s School, he was both beetle-browed in the classroom and keen on the sports field. His stint with the Home Guard was brief, but he was determined to serve and volunteered for the Royal Corps of Signals, where he carried out an intensive course on electromagnetic radiation and “other things that might be helpful in the war” while at Christ Church, Oxford.
Friends recalled a youngster with the ability to analyse practical situations quickly, both in terms of the basic principles and the minute detail. One said: “This was sometimes a frustration to others, but he was invariably proved correct.”
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His eclectic interests were matched by a Stakhanovite work ethic. He saw active service in Assam, Burma and Singapore and had the ability to cope with the horrors of conflict without losing his humanity: a character trait that served him well throughout his life.
Once the hostilities had ceased, Leather earned a degree in electrical engineering at Edinburgh University, as the prelude to starting work with Ferranti, the company where he spent most of his professional career, first in Edinburgh then Dundee.
During his time at the firm he was responsible for 25 patents and helped to build up a successful subsidiary firm to capitalise on them, proving himself to be a successful, and profitable, manager and leader for those around him.
In 1960, he married Muriel, who proved a rock to her husband throughout the next 57 years until his death on Christmas Day at the age of 93. The couple had two children — Christopher, who is the head of cybersecurity at a legal firm in London, and Ann, who is a teacher in Lincoln — and the immediate family, who survive him, grew used to Leather’s involvement in a host of different organisations.
The principal beneficiary of his time was the Gannochy Trust, a major Scottish grant-making organisation that was established by Arthur Bell, the whisky distiller and philanthropist, in 1937. Leather was invited to become a trustee in 1968 and spent 40 years working for the trust. His influence could hardly be overstated.
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In Perth and Kinross, he oversaw the funding, building and development of the domed Bell’s Sports Centre and other amenities such as Perth Leisure Pool, Dewars Centre, the AK Bell Library and Perth Theatre between 1980 and 1991. In February a service of thanksgiving will be held at St Leonards-in-the-Fields Church in Perth, where he was an elder.
In Perth the trust is also responsible for, among other things, 149 houses on a model estate, three farms and their 580 acres. The introduction of specific charity regulation under the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator increased the responsibility of trustees, and particularly the chairman, which Leather eventually became. He held the post for 17 years.
Across Scotland, Leather was also instrumental in the trust’s support for a range of important projects, including the National Gallery’s Playfair Building and the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, the Kelvingrove gallery in Glasgow and the creation of extensive sporting facilities at Stirling University.
The trust does not seek a high profile but donates about £4 million every year to national and local causes. It also provides support to smaller causes and charities.
James Kynaston, chairman of the Gannochy Trust, was hugely impressed with his colleague’s ability to bring basic ideas to grand fruition, whether with the trust or his passionate involvement with Perth Concert Hall. He and his co-trustees wanted to establish an arena that would be a beacon for musicians, so they paid minute detail to ensuring high-quality acoustics with the result that the venue is renowned across the country.
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Dr Kynaston said: “He had a great knowledge of the charity sector and its relationship with the demands and responsibilities of the public sector. He knew that giving a grant was not always a solution.
“He claimed to have ‘an eye for shape, form and colour’, and this led to him making many valuable contributions to building projects, both within the trust and also across Scotland.”
This was only one facet of Leather’s philanthropy and commitment to good works. He was interested in medical research at Dundee University, which conferred on him an honorary doctorate of law in 1998, and immersed himself in conservation and restoration groups, serving on the Kincarrathie Trust and Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust.
As a founder member of Perth Civic Trust, he was pivotal in saving Perth Waterworks, which is now better known as the Fergusson Gallery.
As a colleague recalled: “He positively encouraged high standards, but he did so with a light touch and possessed a real warmth, hospitality and humour. There was no standing on ceremony with him. Russell wanted to get things done. And he achieved it in so many different things.”
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Dr Russell Leather, electrical engineer and chairman of the Gannochy Trust, was born on April 11, 1924, and died on December 25, 2017, aged 93