Dr Mary Armour Millar

Dr Mary Armour Millar

Mary Millar was born in Battlefield, Glasgow. She was educated at Queenspark School where she excelled in both academic and non-academic activities. She won many prizes and was school captain. She studied medicine at Glasgow University and qualified MB.Ch.B. in 1963. After residencies at Stobhill Hospital and Glasgow Royal Infirmary, she became an SHO in medicine at the Victoria Infirmary in 1964 so that she could look after her parents, as her mother had recently become disabled with a severe subarachnoid haemorrhage. Despite this she gained her MRCP (Glas) in 1967.

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10 August 1939 to 14 April 2002

 On 1st April 1967 she started radiology at the Victoria Infirmary and gained her DMRD and FRCR before becoming a consultant there in 1972. Her colleagues at that time were John Lawson, Harry Gardner and Stuart Davidson. Stuart, who had a significant influence on her radiology training (and indeed on radiology teaching throughout the West of Scotland), sadly died of pancreatic cancer in 1991 at age 60. At this time Mary became Chairman of Division and subsequently Clinical Director of Radiology and Imaging for a total of seven years. She retired in August 2000 to take care of her now very elderly father.

During her working years she was also an Honorary Clinical Lecturer of Glasgow University and thoroughly enjoyed teaching medical students and radiology trainees alike. She was also heavily involved with the Glasgow Southern Medical Society of which she was the secretary for some years.

Mary was much respected and liked by all members of the staff both within the department and throughout the hospital. She was a devout Christian and a stalwart member of the Church. For 30 years she served as medical advisor to the Overseas Missionary Fellowship. In some ways, this helped to make up for the fact she had been unable to become a missionary because of her Home commitments.

Tragically after the death of her 93 year-old father last summer, Mary became very unwell in January of this year with disseminated bowel cancer. With the help of her faith, she remained content, good natured and still thinking of others till the end. She passed away peacefully in the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice on 14th April 2002. She will be sorely missed by her many friends and colleagues both here and abroad.

Memoir author: Stella Goudie