The remarkable Ann Murdoch, who has died aged 63, proved that women can do physics.
She was warned off the subject when, as a mother of three small children, she enlisted in an access to science course in 1991.
It’s not for women she was told but Ann, who had previously worked in sales at the Arnotts department store in Aberdeen, ploughed on.
The access course allowed her to study for a degree at Aberdeen University, while working nights as a door steward at a city nightclub.
An honours degree in physics followed before she embarked on and gained her PhD in biomedical physics and biomedical engineering.
For the past 14 years, Ann had lectured at Aberdeen North East College where her death has been acutely felt by colleagues.
Innovative lecturer
Doug Fraser, curriculum manager for science, said: “Ann’s commitment to her students was always immense and unwavering, with a huge amount of additional support being provided over all her years at college and new and innovative approaches being continually implemented.”
Ann was also a martial arts black belt, horse breeder, beekeeper and gardener.
Her earliest years were spent in Australia where her father, David Massie, worked in papermills.
Her mother Gladys (nee Anderson) was a bus conductress who had previously worked as a nursery nurse at Craigievar Castle. Ann grew up with older brothers David and Richard and younger siblings Brenda and Scott.
When she was a toddler the family returned to Scotland and her father’s work in papermills meant they lived in several places including West Lothian and Ireland before they returned to the north-east where Ann finished her education at Bucksburn Academy.
When she left school, Ann got a job as assistant manager at Rediffusion Electronics, moved to Woolworths before taking up a post as departmental sales manager at Arnotts.
She had met her future husband, Ian, when she was 15 and he was 17 at the Beacon Centre Shooting Club in Bucksburn.
They married at Newhills Parish Church on November 10 1979, and went on to have three children, Diona, Catriona and Kathryn during their 42 years of marriage.
It was after a period raising family that she embarked on the science access course in 1991. She combined study with working on the door at the Palace Nightclub in Aberdeen and had the distinction of being the first female head door steward in Scotland.
After being awarded her degree and then PhD, Ann remained at Aberdeen University on a research fellowship where she devised a spinal implant (a nucleus which would have replaced the spinal disk if it had ruptured) along with a new pin for use in repairing bone fractures. As a result of the inventions Ann and colleagues were invited to give lectures in London, Switzerland and Poland.
She then moved to Robert Gordon University where she did further biomedical research before joining Aberdeen North East College in 2009 where she was credited with transforming the science department.
Inspirational
Mr Fraser said: “She completely transformed our physics provision. When Ann started at the college there was insufficient physics available to fill even half her timetable, whereas now we have three permanent physics staff.
“This is a reflection of how she inspired successive intakes of students to take up the subject. Indeed, two of our current physics lecturers went on to study the subject at university having been first taught by Ann at college
“Ann was twice a breast cancer survivor, showing the remarkable courage and fortitude which she displayed again during her final illness. She still maintained her sense of humour and positive outlook to life right until the end, traits that very much marked her out to all who knew her.”
Ann continued her research and a further research paper is due to be published shortly in which she is one of the named researchers of a new wrist brace for colles fractures.
From the 1980s, Ann and Ian had taken part in tukido, a non-contact martial art where she gained her third dan blackbelt and qualified as an international instructor.
In 2001 the family moved to a croft between Banff and Turriff where they kept animals, beehives, bred horses and grew fruit and vegetables.”
Ann’s daughter, Kathryn, said: “My mother was an exceptional person, she only wanted to see people do their best.
“I have heard an array of stories about my mother over the years and every one of them is about how she helped people whether that be getting them a job on the door of the Palace Night Club, providing extra (and endless) tuition to even paying others’ rent from time to time.”
You can read the family’s announcement here.
Conversation