Kate Fenton (née Mackie)
“I was at school with Chris and knew him well from P7 – 6th year. I knew Chris to be a polite, caring, empathetic listener, who was innately funny. Whenever he was around, there were always jokes being shared and he was very popular and extremely well-liked at school. I starred with him in (I think?) 3 school shows from S4-S6 and he always had great skill in his singing and acting but without being overly confident or arrogant. He was so talented and intelligent, and people were drawn to him despite his lack of trying.
To me, Chris was a dreamer – quite like myself. He was aspirational yet ambitious. His ideas were never solely ideas – he often acted upon them and built them into plans, groups, outings or lasting memories. He had many friends, both male and female which was somewhat unusual for a teenage boy - I could always tell he had sisters. I could easily hang out with him alone and we would have platonic and philosophical conversations about school and our lives to come.
He was great at parties! He would always be so much fun with a drink in him but I never remember him going overboard or getting too drunk, it always seemed more important to him to have a good safe time, but also look after his friends. He and I stayed up all night after our 6th year ball, and even climbed Arthur’s Seat at sunrise in our finery, only to accidentally come down the Salisbury Crags – a scary moment! Then we swung on the swings and up and down on the seesaw in the Meadows as people commuted to work.
For my 18th birthday we began our Gold Duke of Edinburgh expedition, I think to Glencoe. Chris had brought a small bottle of vodka for us all to share, toasting to us becoming adults as we all jumped in a nearby river, fully-clothed in the gear we were supposed to be wearing the next day for a 15-mile hike! We had all toasted his birthday two weeks before (although it was still during exam time) and had shared some vodka-jelly shots which he had proudly bought from Tesco, legally this time!
There were always lots of girls in the years below who liked him, but he was always a gentleman and seemed to prefer their friendship. He was a true one-of-a-kind gent, intensely intelligent, modest, talented and friendly. I am so sorry that we have lost him from this earth. I will remember him always and feel very privileged to have had his friendship.”