Jack Webster (Scottish Journalist)

John Barron Webster (8 July 193117 March 2020) was a Scottish journalist. He was also an author, writing eighteen books, and wrote the BBC television series ''The Webster Trilogy''.

Early life

Webster was born in 1931 in Fedderate Cottages in Maud, Aberdeenshire, to John Sr and Edith Margaret Barron. His father was an auctioneer at the local cattle market.

After attending Maud Primary School, Webster graduated from Aberdeen's Robert Gordon's College. He left school at age 14 after a combination of rheumatic fever and a dislike of his headmaster. He also survived a heart condition during his teenage years.

Career

In the late 1940s, Webster began working at the ''Turriff Advertiser''. He later moved to Aberdeen and began working at ''The Press and Journal'', before joining the ''Scottish Daily Express'' in 1960. He worked for a period in the New York offices of the ''Express''.

In the 1960s, Webster ghost wrote for Muhammad Ali. They met at a hotel in Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, in 1965.

One of Webster's noted meetings was with the elusive Charlie Chaplin, who he tracked down to a hotel in Banchory, Aberdeenshire. As Chaplin signed a few autographs for Webster, the journalist reminded Chaplin that he once played the Tivoli Theatre in Aberdeen. Webster convinced him to travel to the theatre one more time.

He wrote and appeared in the award-winning BBC documentary ''Webster's Roup'', in which he returned to his family's farm after the death of his father in 1977.

Webster became a freelance writer for the ''Glasgow Herald'' in the 1980s.

In 1996, Webster was named Bank of Scotland Columnist of the Year. He also won UK Speaker of the Year, which gained additional recognition due to his having overcome a speech impediment.

Personal life

In 1956, Webster married Eden, with whom he had three sons, each of whom became journalists. Webster became a widower in 1990.

Webster had an affinity for the United States, especially Hollywood, visiting on many occasions. He sailed there on the RMS ''Queen Mary'', initially, then its sister ship, the RMS ''Queen Elizabeth''.

He was awarded an honorary degree by Aberdeen University in 2000.

In 2004, Webster gave the Founder's Day speech at Robert Gordon's College, his alma mater. He received an honorary doctorate from the college four years later.

Webster was awarded the British Empire Medal in 2012 for his services to journalism.

He was a keen ballroom dancer and a supporter of Aberdeen F.C. He wrote a history of the club for its centenary in 2003.

Death

Webster died in Glasgow in 2020, of complications related to Alzheimer's disease, aged 88.

Bibliography

Webster wrote eighteen books, including his three-volume memoir: ''A Grain of Truth'' (1981), ''Another Grain of Truth'' (1988) and ''A Final Grain of Truth'' (2013).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Webster, Jack
1931 births
2020 deaths
Scottish journalists
People with speech disorders
The Herald (Glasgow) people
Daily Express people
People from Aberdeenshire
Ballroom dancers
Recipients of the British Empire Medal
Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Scotland