20 January 05

Farewell to a Friend

Example of Gourdie's italic handwritingBsag over at but she’s a girl was recently wondering how to improve her handwriting. While I was leaving a comment I looked up a reference to Tom Gourdie’s book on this very subject and learned from a Scotsman obituary that he had died on January 6th of this year at the age of 91.

I’m a calligraphy buff. I own probably more calligraphy books than novels. There are the greats and the Very Greats, Edward Johnston and Irene Wellington and Alfred Fairbanks and Donald Jackson, Gainor Goffe and Denis Brown and Thomas Ingmire, Sheila Waters and Julian Waters, Ludovico degli Arrighi and Hermann Zapf. These are the stratosphere people, true artists whose work is inspiring and somewhat terrifying. They are generally a gentle bunch, well the ones who are still alive anyway, but their gentleness doesn’t prevent an aura of solemnity from emanating from their midst and their work.

Tom Gourdie was never like this. You just KNEW. His great project was to improve handwriting in Scottish schools and for decades he devoted himself to introducing the italic hand to children, when he could so easily have been one of the stratosphere people. I never heard him speak but the copies of letters he so generously included in his many, many books show a sensitive yet sensible person, a born teacher, someone you’d love to have over for dinner and then clear the table and get out the ink and the pens.

Clarity for Gourdie was key—in fact I’m sure he’d say it was synonymous with beauty. Any handwriting that deteriorates at speed is useless. In a time when people find it hard to pick up a pen at all any more, this message should be sung from the rooftops. I’d be up there only I have a history of mishaps involving my lower extremities…

Posted by Pica at 05:41 PM in Design Arts | Link |
  1. Tom Gourdie was my father-in-law, and my wife was with him when he died. He was interested and committed right to the end, showing the nurses how to hold a pen, and irritated by the sloppiness of the name-label attached to his bedhead! He was also an accomplished painter, particularly of the disappearing industrial landscapes of Fife. Many of his paintings and sketches survive.

    — KENNETH IBBS    15. March 2005, 11:44    Link
  2. My father was a Director with ICI and was instrumental in the purchase of the Tom Gourdie paintings of Fife. Father was born in Dysart. Mother has just died aged 93 and she had three of his paintings. We also have some items of his calligraphy and also his book. Sadly none of us mastered it.

    — robin short    5. May 2005, 03:25    Link
  3. First of all I have to say that I did not know Tom Gourdie personally. I am a granddaughter of Chris Brand, a ‘calligraphy’ colleague from The Netherlands. Unfortunately my granddad died a couple of years ago but my grandmother (Denise Brand) is still alive. Because I went to Scotland she gave me the address of Tom Gourdie so I could visit him. I was looking on the internet if I could find his phonenumber so could call him, when came on this site and read that he died. Unfortunately I did not have the change to meet him. I just wanted to say to the family and friends of Tom Gourdie that I am really sorry for the loss and I want to wish you all the best. Although my grandmother does not know yet, I am sure whe will feel the same way.

    — Veerle Simons    18. May 2005, 02:02    Link
  4. I am a teacher in Australia and I met Tom on one of his lecture tours, in 1980, at Bathurst,N.S.W. His style inspired me so much that I have been teaching it at schools for twenty five years. Now, many students have a beautiful style thanks to Tom.
    This year,2005, I retired and I now teach his style and techniques,to seniors, at the Toowoomba University of the Third Age.
    My thanks to a remarkable man!
    Roger
    — Roger Britton    11. July 2005, 14:49    Link
  5. I never knew Tom but I have a collection of sketches done on Orkney between 72-76 and some other pictures including the North Carr Lightship moored at Anstruther.

    A very talented artist who is, I am sure, sadly missed.
    — sue crawford    6. February 2006, 10:09    Link
  6. I live in Australia and met Tom and his wife on two occaisions in the city of Ballarat…He was a wonderful teacher and I learned more on his 2 visits than than I could have have imagined…He will be a great loss .
    — Merv Quinn    11. July 2006, 22:25    Link
  7. Tom Gourdie’s book has proved very useful for me, ever since I bought it in Hongkong in 1980. From time to time I still look it up for exemplars, especially when I am contemplating a minor change in some characters.
    — Hembihag    5. October 2006, 09:56    Link

  8. I met Tom Gourdie and his wife in August 1993, just a fortnight before my 18th birthday. He was a genuine and generous man.


    — Christopher Guyver    15. November 2006, 04:33    Link
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