A BRONZE and granite memorial honouring John J.R. Macleod, the renowned Aberdeen physiologist who co-discovered insulin in 1922, is set to take pride of place in the city’s Duthie Park within a newly expanded area to be known as ‘Macleod’s Corner’. The 0.1 hectares now earmarked for the project will feature a seated life-size bronze statue of Macleod, a terrace of reclaimed granite backed by a ‘World Insulin Wall’, two park benches inspired by the memorial’s bronze bench and a landscaped ‘World Insulin Way’ leading visitors to the site. The enlarged space will have full disabled access and the memorial project team will work with Duthie Park horticulturists to select sustainable, bee-friendly plants ideally suited for local conditions.
The project’s initial £125,000 fundraising goal was reached with the generous support of many local individuals and companies, including Jamieson & Carry, Mearns & Gill, Charles Michie’s Pharmacies, University of Aberdeen, Balmoral Group, W.M. Donald and Mackie’s of Scotland. The memorial’s granite terrace has 27 pavers engraved with sponsors’ names, all of which are sold out; four rectangular perimeter stones are still available, reserved for potential event sponsors.
John Otto, Founder & Chairman of the JJR Macleod Memorial Statue Society, a community organisation in Aberdeen raising funds and steering the project says, “Aberdeen City Council has been incredibly gracious by offering us a larger area of the park to develop and regenerate. It’s a brilliant opportunity to showcase the life and legacy of this inspiring, humble and surprisingly unknown medical hero.
“Macleod’s Corner is designed to be a welcoming and interactive space. Both the ‘World Insulin Wall’ and a resurfaced path, ‘World Insulin Way’, will feature round cast-bronze plaques that can be sponsored and personalised. People can read the inscriptions on the plaques as they make their way towards the front side of the memorial, where they can read about Macleod, take photos and engage with Scotland’s first and only ‘Storytelling Statue’.”
Visitors to the memorial can scan a QR code, triggering an app to ‘call’ their mobile and play a brief recording of an actor’s voice speaking as the statue. John Macleod’s monologue has already been recorded by acclaimed Scottish stage, television and film actor David Rintoul (Game of Thrones, The Crown, Dr Finlay), a native of Aberdeen.
Macleod’s Corner will be featured on a Duthie Park Segway tour and will also serve as the final stop on Aberdeen’s ‘Insulin Trail’ walking route. City officials anticipate the memorial will be a popular shore excursion for cruise ship tourists and a point of interest for the Britain in Bloom judges, who will observe the site under construction when they visit the park this August.
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Ayrshire sculptor John McKenna is currently at work on the statue, which is due to be unveiled in Aberdeen’s Duthie Park in October 2023, marking the 100-year anniversary of Professor Macleod’s 1923 Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology. Cutting, shaping and engraving the memorial’s granite pavers has also commenced at the Fyfe Glenrock facility in Oldmeldrum.Groundswork for the Duthie Park site is due to begin this summer, with a groundbreaking ceremony planned for mid-July.
Mr Otto continued: “Duthie Park is one of the city’s most beautiful and beloved green spaces, and it’s only a short distance from Macleod’s final resting place in Allenvale Cemetery. It’s an absolutely perfect location and we’re very excited to see Macleod’s Corner evolve over the months ahead.”
For details about the J.J.R. Macleod Memorial and how to get involved or support, visithttps://www.jjrmacleodmemorial.co.uk
