In over fifty years, the Harris of Perth Road, and latterly of Blackness Road, has seen many thousands of pupils complete their school careers and depart for the greater challenge of the wider world. To chronicle the achievements of more than a select few would be an impossible task but, just as was true of the former pupils of Park Place, a tiny sample may give some indication, however inadequate, of the range of activities in which Harris pupils were to play their part.

Many pupils still made their way into the traditional professions. A successful career at school was often followed by a university degree and a career in teaching. Some, such as Helen Kippen and David Keith, returned to their old school and became an established and respected part of the teaching staff. Others found success elsewhere. Ian Gilroy, for example, taught in several schools, steadily climbing the promotion ladder, before being appointed as Rector of Madras College where he has recently overseen the celebrations of that school's 150th anniversary.

Medicine also attracted many of the most talented pupils of the Harris. Professor Stanley Whitfield, for example, was a pupil during the 1940s. After taking his degree at St. Andrews, he became a houseman and later registrar at Dundee Royal Infirmary before being admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. He emigrated to Canada and then moved to the Presbyterian Hospital in New York, before being appointed as head of the E.N.T. department at St. Luke's in the same city. New York also claimed another Harris doctor in the shape of James Henderson whose talents were recognised by an appointment at the Rockefeller Institute. Nearer to home, G. Mather Cordiner acted as radiologist to King George VI while William Guild also moved in "royal circles". A career in the medical branch of the Royal Navy saw him appointed to the post of senior specialist in ophthalmology on the royal yacht "Britannia" and a distinguished career was rewarded by promotion to the high rank of surgeon-captain.

Others achieved considerable success in the field of politics. The outstanding example of this is provided by the career of Bruce Millan. A pupil at the Harris during the war years, he nevertheless shrugged off the difficulties and uncertainties of that time and qualified as a chartered accountant in 1950. A growing interest in politics then saw him unsuccessfully contest two parliamentary elections before winning a sensational victory over the then Under-Secretary for Scotland to become Member of Parliament for the Craigton Division of Glasgow. In 1964, after five years as a back bencher, he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Defence for the R.A.F. and, two years later, became Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Scottish Office. Further promotion followed in 1974 with an appointment as Minister of State at the Scottish Office before he attained full cabinet rank with his appointment as Secretary of State for Scotland, also receiving the honour of becoming a Privy Councillor.

Many Harris pupils studied law after finishing their school careers and the like of Steele Carnegie, Fiscal for Inverness, are beginning to make their mark in the Scottish judicial system. The world of banking attracted pupils such as Charles Winter, now well established as one of the "pillars" of the Scottish banking fraternity. Others found their niche in the various branches of the civil service, often far from their native city. One example is provided by David Young who emigrated to Rhodesia where he had a long and distinguished career in government service, culminating in his appointment as Secretary to the Treasury and in the award of an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Zimbabwe. In the field of architecture, George Watt's talents were demonstrated by his design for the London Planetarium while the list of pupils who followed the traditional Harris vocation of entering the ministry is long - far too long to catalogue in detail.

For a Dundee school, it was perhaps inevitable that many pupils made their careers in journalism. Ralph Pride, for many years President of the F.P. Association, was editor of the Evening Telegraph while James Holburn also achieved the position of editor with the Glasgow Herald. Journalism also provided the starting point for the career of another well-known F.P. Neil Mudie spent his entire school career at the Harris, enrolling in the infants class in 1955 and finally completing his sixth year in 1968. After a brief sojourn at University, he joined D.C. Thomson as a trainee reporter/sub editor, and spent several years working with this firm in Dundee and Manchester. This experience gained him a position with the Overseas section of the Scottish Information Office in Edinburgh before moving back to his native city as the B.B.C.'s first Dundee based reporter. Since then, he has become a familiar face to viewers of B.B.C. Scotland news reports. He was not alone in following this career, however, for another member of the B.B.C. Scotland News team, John Milne, is also a Harris F.P.

The Harris provided another TV personality during the 1950s in the shape of Macdonald Daly but his promising career was tragically cut short by a road accident in 1957. More recently, Professor Stanley Mitchell demonstrated both his professional expertise and his sensitive approach to a controversial subject in his role as presenter of the television series "Living and Growing". Further afield, Betty Paterson also became an established media figure, making a name in Canada as a radio and television star while, on the stage, Leslie Mackie, having served for many years with Perth Rep, gained considerable praise for her portrayal of Edith Piaf and is now undertaking a similar challenge in a production based on the life of Judy Garland.

The achievements of the school music department have already been chronicled and it is no surprise that the training received by many pupils prepared them for a career as professional musicians. George Alexander, for example, was first violinist with the Halle Orchestra at the Edinburgh Festival of 1952 and subsequently became first viola with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, while Joyce Nixon also joined the Halle. Ronald Lumsden established a reputation as an outstanding pianist, appearing on television and in concert halls throughout the country, and, in a more specialised field, Ronald Gonnella became a recognised authority on the music of the old Scots fiddle, demonstrating his expertise on a large number of archive recordings.

Experience gained with the school choir has also had its results with several F.P. s such as Norma Muir and Emily Bruce finding positions with the BBC Scottish Singers and Helen Lippett becoming a soloist with the Scottish National Operatic Company. With the like of Paul Drury, the unforgettable Artful Dodger in "Oliver", already established as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, the Harris contribution to the world of music seems certain to continue.

In view of the successes of the school sports sides, it is also far from surprising that the Harris has provided a considerable number of international sportsmen and sportswomen. Once again, pride of place must be granted to the school's swimmers where Paul Marshall, Douglas Campbell and' Ian Campbell have all represented Great Britain in the Olympics. Not far behind, come the hockey players. Amongst the ladies, one name stands out - that of Mary Laskie. After a successful hockey career at school, district and university level, she eventually became the first Harris F.P. to represent the Scotland Ladies side. Her first "cap" was far from an easy assignment for she found herself tending goal against the "auld enemy", England, at Wembley. Sadly, this first appearance was not rewarded with victory but Mary nevertheless had more than a little cause for pride in her performance

Slightly dazed in a goalmouth melee, she rose to a tremendous ovation and, on leaving the field, she had the heart of thousands of English schoolgirls. The youngsters surrounded the dressing room entrance, ignored their own team and kept shouting "We want Mary". When they got her, they avalanched her with autograph books.

Admiration for her performance was not limited to the English crowd for it was soon rewarded by the Scottish selectors when she was chosen as captain of a Scottish Touring team to South Africa.

The Harris F.P. men's hockey club also had its outstanding personalities. In 1959, Gerry Robertson became the first Harris pupil to reach full international level and, in 1966, David Sword capped a distinguished career when he was chosen as the Scottish goalkeeper. The tradition of fine goalkeeping which had characterised both the men's and ladies' sides, was continued by John Kilgour when he was selected for the Scottish Indoor side.

The outstanding player, however, must be classified as "the one that got away". Billy McPherson was a pupil at the Harris in the late 1960s but, on leaving school, he played, not for Harris F.P., but for the newly founded Menzieshill Hockey Club. This decision was understandable since the club had been founded by older brother Duncan - himself a Harris F.P. who had represented R.A.F. Great Britain. Billy was to become the driving force behind the newly-formed club and one of the major factors in establishing it as one of the top sides in Scotland. His dedication had its due reward when he was awarded his first cap for the Scottish Indoor side against Denmark in Copenhagen, celebrating his debut with the first of many international goals. The first outdoor cap followed the next season - again on foreign soil against Portugal in a four-nations tournament in Yugoslavia. Since then, the number of caps has mounted to over ninety indoor and outdoor, the indoor honours including a bronze medal for his part in the Scottish performance at the European Championships in Zurich in 1980. Already the most capped Harris pupil, he is still an established member of the international side and the total number of caps seems certain to increase.

Participants in other sports, although not attaining the same heights, have also made their mark. In rugby, David Lindsay broke new ground for the school when he was chosen for the final international trial but his promising career was cut tragically short by his untimely death in a road accident. At cricket, the school cannot boast an internationalist in its own right but can at least claim that its present head of P.E., Jack Knight, has represented Scotland as a wicket-keeper. Another P.E. teacher, John Bruce, became a professional footballer with Dundee while local rivals, Dundee United, have also had a Harris representative in their ranks in the shape of Derek Addison. The outstanding product of the school's football sides was, however, Bert McCann who became captain of Motherwell and gained his first international cap against Germany in 1959.