RIP David Potter

Spherical Planet said:
Just devastating news.......don't have words at the moment and really don't know what to write.

I've went to some lengths in many previous posts about how much respect I have for the folk who find their way to Celtic through the less traditional channels. It's a tough road for many of these lads and lasses, as they often have to defy their own upbringing and conventions and run the gauntlet with friends and family.

I can't speak for David, but I'm fairly sure he may have mentioned previously that his path to Celtic was one of those paths less followed and was borne purely out of the awe and magic which eminates from those magnificent Hoops. As someone from the North-East of Scotland, I can't imagine that David was subject to the same level of vilification that may appear in other parts of the country, but his love for Celtic would still leave question marks and bewilderment among many and it would have taken much courage and conviction to declare his love for the club.

I'm sure Bridie will agree that Forfar is a modest wee town up here in the North-East and that that modesty is reflected in the fine people that that wee town has bestowed upon us. David was one of those fine people and it is an incredibly sad loss to the wider Celtic community, but not nearly measurable compared to the magnitude of the loss for his family.

I don't know if religion is a theme within the Potter household, but I do hope they know that David will feature prominently in many of our prayers for the foreseeable future and I can only hope they can take some strength from the love that we feel for a man who gave so much to Celtic and to those who follow Celtic.

How I would have cherished the opportunity to sip from the fountain of his knowledge regarding the mighty Bhoys in Barrel Hoops, but at least I can have his storied words to feast upon yet.

David Potter.......Celtic historian and legend RIP
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I am really saddened by this news. Unfortunately I never got a chance to meet the man and thank him for educating me by sharing his extensive knowledge. I first took notice of him when I read his books on Willie Maley and Wee Troupie (Alex/Eck Troup - probably Forfar's greatest ever player who I was unaware of even though he was related to a school pal). Since then I've managed to accrue a number of his footballing history books. I loved his writing style where it felt like he was sitting next you telling a compelling story. I think it is fair to say he was a nerd like myself who loved facts and recounting history.

I always thought of him as a Celtic/Forfar equivalent of the late Bob Crampsey, who coincidently was the headmaster at Forfar Academy when my Mum & Dad were there, so David will probably have known him well.

You are right - growing up in Forfar meant there were absolutely no religious prejudices back in the day. My own Grandad was a practising protestant and fairly high up in the masons (but very against bigotry and he would have hated the Orange Order with a passion, even though he was a very coothie man) but a supporter of the Celtic. For us it was all strictly about joy of the football with none of the baggage. Sadly I think this may have changed these days as I've seen FTP graffiti (hopefully it is just a very small number of idiots).

Not only am I sending my best wishes to Rosemary and his family, but also the team at the Celtic Star. They have lost a mentor, a colleague but most of all a very good friend.

Rest in peace, David. Hail Hail!
 
Spherical Planet said:
Just devastating news.......don't have words at the moment and really don't know what to write.

I've went to some lengths in many previous posts about how much respect I have for the folk who find their way to Celtic through the less traditional channels. It's a tough road for many of these lads and lasses, as they often have to defy their own upbringing and conventions and run the gauntlet with friends and family.

I can't speak for David, but I'm fairly sure he may have mentioned previously that his path to Celtic was one of those paths less followed and was borne purely out of the awe and magic which eminates from those magnificent Hoops. As someone from the North-East of Scotland, I can't imagine that David was subject to the same level of vilification that may appear in other parts of the country, but his love for Celtic would still leave question marks and bewilderment among many and it would have taken much courage and conviction to declare his love for the club.

I'm sure Bridie will agree that Forfar is a modest wee town up here in the North-East and that that modesty is reflected in the fine people that that wee town has bestowed upon us. David was one of those fine people and it is an incredibly sad loss to the wider Celtic community, but not nearly measurable compared to the magnitude of the loss for his family.

I don't know if religion is a theme within the Potter household, but I do hope they know that David will feature prominently in many of our prayers for the foreseeable future and I can only hope they can take some strength from the love that we feel for a man who gave so much to Celtic and to those who follow Celtic.

How I would have cherished the opportunity to sip from the fountain of his knowledge regarding the mighty Bhoys in Barrel Hoops, but at least I can have his storied words to feast upon yet.

David Potter.......Celtic historian and legend RIP
Click to expand...
Fantastic tribute SP 👏
Bridie Bhoy said:
I am really saddened by this news. Unfortunately I never got a chance to meet the man and thank him for educating me by sharing his extensive knowledge. I first took notice of him when I read his books on Willie Maley and Wee Troupie (Alex/Eck Troup - probably Forfar's greatest ever player who I was unaware of even though he was related to a school pal). Since then I've managed to accrue a number of his footballing history books. I loved his writing style where it felt like he was sitting next you telling a compelling story. I think it is fair to say he was a nerd like myself who loved facts and recounting history.

I always thought of him as a Celtic/Forfar equivalent of the late Bob Crampsey, who coincidently was the headmaster at Forfar Academy when my Mum & Dad were there, so David will probably have known him well.

You are right - growing up in Forfar meant there were absolutely no religious prejudices back in the day. My own Grandad was a practising protestant and fairly high up in the masons (but very against bigotry and he would have hated the Orange Order with a passion, even though he was a very coothie man) but a supporter of the Celtic. For us it was all strictly about joy of the football with none of the baggage. Sadly I think this may have changed these days as I've seen FTP graffiti (hopefully it is just a very small number of idiots).

Not only am I sending my best wishes to Rosemary and his family, but also the team at the Celtic Star. They have lost a mentor, a colleague but most of all a very good friend.

Rest in peace, David. Hail Hail!
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And the same here BB 💚🍀
 
Bridie Bhoy said:
A nice write-up from WC.

thecelticstar.com

David Potter was there for all eight Celtic Trebles

David Potter was standing outside Hampden, on that incredibly warm afternoon, wearing what looked like a French Foreign Legion cap
thecelticstar.com thecelticstar.com
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Absolutely fantastic life led, the kind of teacher who you’d like to have been taught by we had one like him at My school Mr Hay history teacher but a man who’d lived various jobs before he started teaching. His nickname was Hitler he was quite strict.
But he’d allow debates on any subject even
Willie o Orange. He installed my love for History which survived ti this day.
Now reading the moving tribute’s from his Celtic star colleagues. His was a great life well lived the respect shown from the Celtic family is fantastic and a true sign of the respect he truly deserves.
My heartfelt condolences and sympathy for all at the Celtic star
And to his wife Rosemary and his daughters and Son and all his grandchildren my deepest sympathies for your Great loss.
David Potter YWNWA 💚🤍💛

HH Thank you 🙏
 
Brimcbhoy said:

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That is a fitting and beautiful obituary to a wonderful writer. David has ensured that many important people and events in Celtic's extensive history will now never be forgotten as he revived them from obscurity so us - and generations to come - can tell these fantastic stories that would otherwise have faded into history. R.I.P. David
 
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Winning Captains said:
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I've wondered recently if David was fully aware (or far too humble to acknowledge) of how many lives he touched or impacted upon?

Don't really want to get all mystical about it, but I'm pretty sure he may be watching from somewhere and realising the impact that he had on everyone at Celtic who met him and knew him.

Just thinking back with a wee bit of sadness and nostalgia, that he gave me a mild rebuke recently (rather stern by Potter standards) with regards my views on the future of Scottish football. What made that response significant, was the simple fact that David Potter believed in Celtic, but that he was also a great advocate for Scottish football as a whole and all those wee (my choice of word, not David's) teams that make up the sum of its parts.

It's not just the Potter family and Celtic that has lost a bright light.......it's Scottish football in its entirety that has lost a phenomenal storyteller and spokesperson.
 
Spherical Planet said:
I've wondered recently if David was fully aware (or far too humble to acknowledge) of how many lives he touched or impacted upon?

Don't really want to get all mystical about it, but I'm pretty sure he may be watching from somewhere and realising the impact that he had on everyone at Celtic who met him and knew him.

Just thinking back with a wee bit of sadness and nostalgia, that he gave me a mild rebuke recently (rather stern by Potter standards) with regards my views on the future of Scottish football. What made that response significant, was the simple fact that David Potter believed in Celtic, but that he was also a great advocate for Scottish football as a whole and all those wee (my choice of word, not David's) teams that make up the sum of its parts.

It's not just the Potter family and Celtic that has lost a bright light.......it's Scottish football in its entirety that has lost a phenomenal storyteller and spokesperson.
Click to expand...
So true. I was speaking to Rosemary after the service and she was telling me that he was in the middle of writing a history of Dunfermline FC, which sadly will never be finished.

The service was packed. The family privately attended the crematorium ahead of the service because David didn't want folk having around after the service, the church so busy, maybe 500/600 there? His CSC were requested to wear Celtic colours and they obliged. There was so much to David's life - he literally never stopped. He wrote an Old Kirkcaldy on this day feature for a Facebook page for the town and that was later turned into a book which was the best seller in the bookstores in Kirkcaldy one Christmas! There was beautiful music, poetry, a reading in Scots, his family spoke so well and we all learned so much more about DP, all in an entertaining manner amid the obvious grief.

The family - who have received many hundred cards and messages from around the world - were really touched by the tribute at Celtic Park at the Ross County game and the black arm bands worn by Brendan Rodgers and the team. The club sent flowers, Peter Lawwell, the Celtic chairman represented the club alongside Tony Hamilton from The Celtic FC Foundation. Iain McCallum and Matt Corr were there - fellow Celtic authors paying their own respects to a legendary Celtic writer. Young Lubo 98, currently working as a lawyer in Kirkcaldy (he has a new job in Glasgow, starting next month), took the afternoon off work to be there and was saying that he only knew about so many of the early Celts because of David Potter.

The minister, Dr John Ferguson, was brilliant too. He told the story of how 30 years ago he was going for the job and David, as Elder in the Church, was there to greet him and his wife, to calm the nerves and lead them into the interview. As they walked along the corridor David turned around and said, 'don't worry, I will throw you an easy question".

The job interview proceeded and the candidate must have thought he was out of the woods with just the 'easy question' from DP to come. So David Potter asked him if he as a evangelical liberal or a liberal evangelist!

David's roots in Forfar were mentioned often during a long, lovely service. The minister talked about his love of Celtic coming from his father and indeed his grandfather, which means that the Potter's have been Celtic supporters for most of the club's history.

When it came time to say the Lord's Prayer, the minister said please say it in whichever version you are comfortable with. As I looked around there were folk from all walks of life, former Head Teachers sitting next to Bhoys from the Joseph Rafferty CSC, actors, dog walking pals, the well turned out Falkland cricket club crew, and of course The Celtic Star.
 
Grim week continues. Carried my mum's coffin into the chapel this evening ahead of her funeral tomorrow. She reached the remarkable age of 92. She was born just a few months before John Thomson played his last game for Celtic. In her last few years she spoke about Ireland and her own family when she was young. A generation we knew little about. She shrugged to remember who we were but vividly recalled the past and we used the information to research by grandfather and his brothers and have uncovered some remarkable stories about there activities in Ireland in 1916 and the struggle that followed. One brother stayed in Ireland-one came to Coatbridge to avoid the Black and Tans and one had gone to Australia. I sent the story to Niall J and Matt Corr and both were fascinated - a remarkable read which I will share in a week or two, think you'll all enjoy it. But tomorrow it's time to say goodbye to a remarkable lady, my mum. RIP
 
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