Kay Adamson

“Catherine Nicolson Adamson (Kay), pictured below, who died recently at the age of 93, was a musician, nurse, wife and mother who gave a great deal to the local community in Dundee,” says her daughter Pat Carson.

“Probably the most daring exploit of her youth was when she entered Perth Musical Festival in March 1946. As she wasn’t supposed to leave the nurses’ residence at Dundee Royal Infirmary, she had to climb out of a window.

“She played her piece and got back again without incident and she thought she had got away with it – only to discover a cartoon of her performance published in the Evening Telegraph!

“In a musical family, Kay’s instrument was the violin. She played at competitions and was a member of the wartime orchestras for Dundee Operatic Society. At 18, she was the soloist at the Caird Hall, performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor.

“Kay excelled in her nursing studies, earning the Ogilvie Dalgleish Gold Medal in 1946. By 1949, she was a Sister at the DRI. Kay married Dr Douglas Adamson in 1950 and retired from her profession to become a homemaker. Children followed and family life ensued. Kay was widowed young in April 1979.

“She was a keen supporter of musical and drama performances throughout the city and further afield, both amateur and professional, but in particular the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Tayside Opera, Act IV, Dundee Operatic Society, Downfield Musical Society and Dundee Scout Gang Show where for many years she was the voice on the telephone taking the advance ticket bookings leading up to show week.”

Kay Adamson. Read about her above.