AddThis SmartLayers

Daily assistant editor know for ‘terrier-like grit’ dies aged 73

Terry HoustonA regional daily’s assistant editor who was known for his “terrier-like grit” had died aged 73.

Tributes have been paid to Terry Houston, left, who served the Glasgow Evening Times for many years.

Terry, who died last month, had been headhunted to work for the Evening Times to serve under the editorship of George McKechnie, having previously worked at the Daily Record.

Prior to that, he also had a stint at the Scottish Daily Express.

In an obituary for The Herald, Loudon Temple said: “Under his guidance, campaigns were fought, wrongs put right; exposés built the newspaper’s reputation, and those working at the coalface to dig out evil, injustice and corruption regularly won awards.

“He became the paper’s leader writer and before taking a redundancy package in the ‘80s, held the position of assistant editor.

“A terrier-like grit that was counter-balanced by fairness and integrity – and backed up fully by real talent – put him in a position to earn the respect of many.

“He found it hard to take no for an answer and encouraged those around him to remain determined and always seek out the truth. He understood the need for a good exclusive, and reporters with the right attitude and natural ability rose to the challenge.”

Terry was born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, moving to Orkney with his family and later North Ayrshire.

He began his career as a cub reporter on the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald in the early 1960s before moving to work on newspapers in Glasgow.

Loudon added: “It is arguable that Terry made his biggest impact as a newspaper man while at The Evening Times. He did not shy away from controversy and occasionally courted it via a regular column where political correctness was the last thought on his mind. He and his editor knew that, as a fun-poking commentator on life, this fearless wordsmith could stimulate the occasional barney and that would generate a healthy flow of reader opinion for the letters page.

“A great warrior in the fight for Scotland’s independence and supporter of the SNP, when he sharpened his political pen, it could also press all the opposition buttons that were targeted too. He stimulated many a good debate.

“The bonds that grew from that closeness he had with the editorial worker bees around him remained intact for years after he retired from the daily grind of newspapers.

“Two decades after he wrote his last column, those who had respected his lead and continued to look up to him, all kept in touch and would enjoy the odd social get-together with the man who had been such an impressive mentor.”

Terry was married to Maureen Boyne, who also came from a newspaper family, and they had three children – Stephen, Michelle, a careers specialist, and Gavin, a journalist turned communications executive.

The couple divorced in the late 1980s, and he subsequently spent 20 years with his girlfriend Margaret until she died of cancer.