Marion Fraser

Lady Marion's helm and crest above her stall in St. Giles' Cathedral.

Lady Marion Fraser, LT (born 17 October 1932) is a Scottish music educator.

Personal life

She was born as Marion Anne Forbes^[1] to Robert Forbes and Elizabeth Taylor Watt, and educated at Hutchesons' Girls' Grammar School (Glasgow), the University of Glasgow (M.A.), and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Whilst a student at Glasgow, she was elected President of the Queen Margaret Union.

In 1956, she married William Kerr Fraser, himself a former President of the Glasgow University Students' Representative Council and at the time a junior civil servant at the Scottish Office.^[2] He went on to become Permanent Secretary there, and later Principal and then Chancellor of the University of Glasgow.^[3] They have three sons and one daughter.^[1]

Career

Marion Fraser worked as a music teacher and became Director of St Mary's Music School in Edinburgh from 1989 to 1995, as well as being Founding Chair of the Friends of the Royal Scottish Academy from 1986–89, a Governor of the former Laurel Bank School for Girls from 1988 to 1995 and a Director of Scottish Opera from 1990-1994. In 1996, shortly after stepping down as Director of St. Mary's, she was created a Lady of the Order of the Thistle. Her husband had been created a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1979 (and subsequently elevated within the order to Knight Grand Cross), entitling her to be addressed as Lady Fraser, however she now became Lady Marion Fraser in her own right.

Lady Marion has been a trustee of the Scottish Churches Architectural Heritage Trust since 1989, and President of Scotland's Churches Scheme since 1997.^[4] She was trustee of the Lamp of Lothian Collegiate Trust from 1996 to 2005, and Chairman of the Board of Christian Aid from 1990–1997, and of both the Scottish International Piano Competition and the Scottish Association for Mental Health from 1995 to 1999. She served as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 1994 to 1995.

She was made an Honorary Member of the Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh in 1998^[5] and an honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in 2002, and was awarded an honorary LL.D. by the University of Glasgow in 1995 and an honorary D.Univ. by the University of Stirling in 1998.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "FRASER, Lady Marion Anne". Who's Who 2009, A & C Black, 2008; online edn. Oxford University Press. December 2008. http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U16392. Retrieved 2009-05-30. 
2. ^ "Biography of Sir William Kerr Fraser". University Story. University of Glasgow. http://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH2032&type=P. Retrieved 2009-05-30. 
3. ^ "FRASER, Sir William Kerr". Who's Who 2009, A & C Black, 2008; online edn. Oxford University Press. December 2008. http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U16398. Retrieved 2009-05-30. 
4. ^ "Sacred Scotland - Scotland's Churches Scheme". Sacred Scotland - Scotland's Churches Scheme. http://www.sacredscotland.org.uk/about-sacred-scotland/people-of-scotland's-churches-scheme. Retrieved 1009-05-30. 
5. ^ "The Merchant Company, The City of Edinburgh, Honorary Members". Merchant Company of Edinburgh. http://www.mcoe.org.uk/webpages/companytoday_honorary.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-30. ^{[dead link]}

Persondata
Name	Fraser, Marion
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1932-10-17
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death