Former DC Thomson editor David McColl has died at the age of 69.
Mr McColl was at the helm of a number of DC Thomson magazine publications, including the hugely successful girls’ magazine Jackie.
In his 37-year tenure with the company he also worked on magazines including Story World, Annabel and My Weekly Puzzle Time.
Born in Irvine in 1944, he attended Largs High School before moving to Ardrossan Academy, where he got himself excluded from his English class due to a row over his work, which the teacher branded verbal constipation.
In an early glimpse of his sub-editing skills, Mr McColl countered he would rather have that than verbal diarrhoea.
His first job was in an ice-cream van and his first post in the journalism industry was as a tea boy.
Starting in 1965, he worked his way up the ranks and by the early 1970s he was the third editor of Jackie.
By the mid-1970s Mr McColl had moved on to Story World and also edited the magazine regarded as Jackie’s older sister, Annabel, and My Weekly Puzzle Time.
He retired from the company in 2002.
During work with charity the Samaritans he met his wife Hilary, a fellow volunteer. They married in 1974 and had a son, Ben.
Mr McColl loved folk music, especially bluegrass, and although he had never learned a musical instrument when he was young, he enjoyed making wooden instruments, which a friend would then tune and play.
He also bequeathed a mandolin, which had hung behind his desk, to be used to encourage youngsters to explore folk music.
It will be awarded as a prize at the Moniaive Bluegrass festival.
Mr McColl died in Perth and is survived by his wife and son.