25 January 2001

Head Janitor retires

Media opportunity, 5pm, Friday 26 January, The River Rooms, floor 8, Tower Building, University of Dundee.

Colleagues will mark the retiral of Gordon McHardy, head janitor at the University of Dundee with a reception and presentation tomorrow. Gordon retired at the end of December after 18 years of service to the University. He will be presented with a framed picture of himself as bedellus at graduation and a wooden replica of the University mace crafted by University tradesmen to mark the occasion.

Gordon was a popular figure around campus directing the daily duties of the janitorial staff and was a well known face around Dundee, carrying out his official role as bedellus at graduations and other official University occasions.

Gordon McHardy left Logie school at the age of fifteen and spent thirty one years working as a manager in the jute mills during which he completed his national service in the Royal Air Force. He took up a post with the University in 1982 and became head janitor on the retiral of Willie Hendry in 1983.

Colleagues said that they would miss the dedication and sense of humour he brought to the job.