Memorial plaque unveiled at Dick Institute
A memorial plaque was unveiled at the Dick Institute, Kilmarnock recently in memory of William McIlvanney by his son, author and distinguished academic, Professor Liam McIlvanney.
The memorial, created by John Bain from Kay Park Memorials, reads; “This is, I suppose, where it all began for me” and is placed within the library’s reading corner where William McIlvanney spent a great deal of time as a young man.
Provost Jim Todd was the driving force behind the memorial along with Leader of the Council, Councillor Douglas Reid, the late Councillor Jim Buchanan, Councillor John Campbell, Kieran Kelly and Frank Donnelly, former Headteacher of Kilmarnock Academy.
He said: “Willie was interviewed as part of a BBC documentary about his life and success as an author. He spoke about his love of the Dick Institute library and it was among these books that his passion for literature and writing began. We felt that a memorial in the library would therefore be a fitting way to remember his legacy.
“We incorporated his words, “This is, I suppose, where it all began for me” into the memorial book and it has been hung in the library where he would sit and read for hours on end.
“A QR code has been created which sits beside the memorial and contains information about Willie’s life and literary history, so that visitors to the library can learn more about and be inspired by this great man.”