Fifty years of athletics

DAVID SCOTT DUNCAN
AN APPRECIATION
AVID SCOTT DUNCAN,
who for many years prior
to his death was looked upon as the "father" of amateur
athletics in Scotland, was born in Monkton House,
Inveresk, where his father had farmed for many years.
After a short term in Musselburgh Grammar School, he
became a pupil in the Royal High School, Edinburgh,
where he remained till he left for the University with a
view to qualifying for a legal career.
While in the R.H.S. he was looked on as a sound
scholar, and left with a very good grounding in Latin,
Greek, English, and French. He was
proxime accessit
for the
India Prize, and in this competition was awarded a special
prize on account of the high standard reached.
While at school he competed successfully at the Annual
Sports ; but it was not till 188o that he took up distance
running _seriously. During the following eleven years he
won over
150
prizes, and, in addition to winning the
Scottish Mile Championship five times, he was runner-up
three times and held for a short period records for two and
three miles. He competed in the A.A.A. Championships,
and while never a winner, did faster time at Stamford
Bridge than he had ever done in Scotland. His record
for the mile race (4 min. 28 sec.) stood for some years.
After a short business career
in
Leith he became the
Scottish representative of the
Field
and continued in this
capacity till the Great War. He was a born journalist ; his
marvellous memory and his intimate acquaintance with all
branches of sport gave him a pre-eminent place in the
journalistic world; indeed it could truly be said of him that
in these islands for many years he stood without a peer in
all-round knowledge of athletics.
Two years after the founding of the S.A.A.A. he took
over from Mr. A. S. Paterson, Advocate—a distance runner
of distinction—the duties of Secretary, and for the long
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