Lawyer and co-founder of Scottish Opera; Born 1914; Died January 23, 2007. Many people in many fields were touched by Ian Rodger's life, particularly in his chosen fields of law, Scouting, opera and the church.

Born in 1914, before the First World War, he soon entered his great life-long delight - the Scouts. As a senior sixer cub in 1st Glasgow, he was awarded a trophy at the age of 10 by Baden Powell himself.

Training was his forte in the Scouts - he was a natural teacher, ending up as training commissioner for Scotland. He led the Scottish contingent to the International Jamboree in 1957, escorting the Queen. When he came home, his mother was keen to pass on titbits to her friends about the Queen. So she asked: was she nice? "Very," said Ian, and said no more.

Maybe that's why, 20 years later, she was glad to give him his OBE - officially, for his services to Scouting - perhaps also for his personal courtesy.

He was destined for the heights, climbing the Cuillin Ridge in Skye, including the Inaccessible Pinnacle.

Dux of Hillhead High School just along the road, he advanced to his new home, Glasgow University, where he became MA, LLB and lectured in accountancy law for some 20 years.

Once, when he and his family were on holiday in Fife, their landlady longed for a wireless set. Ian was good both with his hands and his knowhow: he made her a wireless set and was up on the roof fixing the aerial.

The landlady was delighted, but her neighbour complained that the wires of the aerial would injure his pigeons. Ian, never at a loss, fixed corks on each wire of the aerial.

But law was his chosen arena. His meticulous integ-rity marked his care for his many clients throughout his long years as a partner in Brechin Robb.

He was 25 in 1939 when the Second World War broke out. The Royal Signals was his regiment, posted to the First Army, and he landed in North Africa and battled up through Sicily and Italy.

He got the MBE for his outstanding service .

It was on a day off that he went to the opera in Naples - and was enthralled. So there followed his lifelong enthusiasm for opera and all classical music.

When Alexander Gibson took charge of the SNO, Ian was beside him, as friend and counsellor; and together they worked hard to establish Scottish Opera in Glasgow.

He used to delight in showing off the backstage stuff that enables an opera to take place.

The company has had its ups and downs, but Ian was steadfast in his conviction that opera should be based both in Scotland and in Glasgow. His love of high-quality music could not have settled for anything less.

Undergirding his life in law, in the Scouts and in opera was his devotion as a Christian to the church, in particular Wellington Church in Glasgow's west end which he served faithfully.

He was always dependable - as manager, preses, elder and as author of a history of Wellington's 100 years on its site.

It was here that he met Isabel, and here that they were married. Their generous hospitality made their home open house to so many of their friends from the broad range of their contacts throughout Glasgow and beyond.

Their continental holidays, which they enjoyed so much, benefited hugely from Ian's delight in trains, minutely planned - and achieved.

Above all, in their life together they brought up their son, Sandy, and took delight both in his successful career and in their grandchildren, Gillian, Jonathan and Adam.