TRIBUTES have been paid to Peter MacDonald, who passed away on June 2 at the age of 75.
Despite early ambitions to become a doctor, he decided to enter the world of writing.
After army service with the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders in Korea
and Aden, in 1958 he joined a Dundee newspaper before two years later making a radical change which saw him link up with the East African Standard as a reporter, where he went on to become assistant editor.
When in Kenya he also played an important role in creating the Kenya Union of Journalists, which brought journalists of all races together in one negotiating body, and he was proud that he became the union's first vice-president.
It was in Africa that he met his wife Ann Brown, whose parents were running a local YMCA hostel. His two children, Moira and Alasdair, were also born in the country.
And although he forged a successful career in journalism at home as well, becoming a senior reporter at the Scotsman, it was his alias as Peter Bee, the cryptic crossword compiler, that earned him the most affection.
A regular contributor to BBC Scotland's Thought for the Day, Mr MacDonald became one of three regular crossword compilers in 1987, a role he maintained until last year.
Initially, the appearance of Peter Bee led to some confusion among readers, but they stuck with him for two decades and he became one of the best known compilers in the trade.
In a recent interview he said: "Journalists are interested in words, and words can be fascinating things – where they come from, what they mean.
"And to me, nice words are those that have 20 different meanings, and you can juggle about with them."
Although he had intended to retire at 70, he added four more years to his twice-weekly contest with solvers, finally retiring last year.
Paying tribute to him his fellow cryptic compiler Derek Allen said: "Peter Bee always produced excellent crosswords, quite difficult but always fair.
"Even if the answer was slightly obscure, one could always be sure that, once solved, the answer was correct. His crosswords were a joy to solve."
A member of Fairmilehead Parish Church in Edinburgh, where he was an elder for several years, he served on several Church of Scotland bodies, including the board of communication, the board of education and the panel on doctrine.
"He was also a member of the Scottish Council of Churches during the run-up to its transformation into the ecumenical body Churches Together in Scotland.
He is survived by wife Ann, and children Moira and Alasdair.
The full article contains 467 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
