Chicago Scots CEO and President Gus Noble would make a good Doctor Who.
Right now though, Noble is busy with the rest of the folks involved with Chicago Scots – the oldest nonprofit in Illinois – as they get ready for the organization’s 39th Annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games.
Billed as the largest event of its kind across the Midwest, the gathering takes place Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton. The event raises money for Caledonia Senior Living & Memory Care in North Riverside.
As for Noble becoming the next Doctor Who, keep in mind that five Scots have played the Doctor over the course of the BBC’s long-running sci-fi series.
The latest Doctor, Rwandan-Scot Ncuti Gatwa, is done with his run. The hunt may or may not be on for his replacement.
Noble looks a bit like former Doctor, David Tennant, who seems to be in just about everything from the UK these days. Along with that, having ties to Scotland and Chicago could make Noble a bit of a papal Doctor. That would be really trendy right now.
Talking to Noble about the fest, though, offers clues as to why he would be a good Doctor Who.
See, Doctor Who gets into all sorts of time-traveling adventures across the vastness of space. As far as I know, Noble spends all his days on this planet, in this timeline.
But Noble does have some good stories related to the fest that, with the right group of writers and a few other worldly extra-dimensional villains thrown into their scripts, would make for good television.
For instance, Nobel recalled an anecdote about National Chef of Scotland, Gary Maclean, who will be making his third appearance at the fest this year.
Maclean once was in Chicago for a fundraiser where he prepared haggis as part of a five-course dinner. As part of the proceedings Noble read Robert Burns poem, Address to a Haggis.
As tradition dictates, Noble went to wipe the knife used to cut the haggis on his jacket. The only thing is, he wound up cutting a finger in the process and bleeding profusely.
“Gary told me he didn’t have a good haggis story until then,” Noble said.
In fact, Noble said the tale is included in Maclean’s 2023 cookbook, Scottish Celebrations.
On a musical noted, Noble noted that “heirs to the Celtic rock throne” Skerryvore, will play the fest this year. According to Last FM, Skerryvore formed in 2004 and first performed stateside in 2008 at the Ryder Cup, when Louisville, KY hosted the golfing event. The band followed that up with a show in Chicago. Make your own Second City comment.
In addition to headlining the Chicago Scots fest, Skerryvore will be one of the acts playing Thursday, June 12 at the Old Town School of Folk Music’s celebration of Scotland’s Rory McEwen.
“McEwen was also a celebrated folk musician who introduced American blues, jazz and folk music to British audiences as host of the groundbreaking 1960’s TV show, Hullabaloo,” the Old Town School of Folk Music website says.
McEwan was also a noted painter. There is an exhibition of his artwork currently on display at the Driehaus Museum in Chicago.
Noble said he was asked to help put together the musical night to coincide with the exhibit. As such, it also features Scottish folk singer Iona Fyfe, who’ll be at the Chicago Scots’ fest, and John Ballantyne’s Crazyheart, “Chicago’s own Scottish-American honky-tonk band,” which includes Noble.
“We’ll be covering songs from the Alan Lomax Collection by the likes of Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy (sp) and others,” Noble said.
Noble has ties to McEwen’s family, too, with both clans having roots in Duns, a small town in the Scottish Borders. In fact, John McEwen wrote the obituary for the local paper when Noble’s father passed away in 2023.
The Chicago Scots fest will also feature Clan MacEwan as the Honored Clan.
“Clan MacEwan had been without a Chief for more than 500 years, until this March when, after a process of clan election and recognition by Scotland’s Lord Lyon, Sir John R.H. McEwen, 5th Baronet of Marchmont and Bardrochat, was granted the arms signifying his hereditary chiefship of Clan MacEwen,” according to a press release for the fest.
Yeah. Sometimes there’s an “a,” sometimes there’s another “a” and sometimes there’s an “e.” This reminds me of whisky and whiskey – and why some might turn to drinking a lot of it.
“MacEwans from all around the world are invited and encouraged to come to the Games and to march with their newly appointed Chief as Sir John McEwen leads the Parade of Tartans – a showcase for Scottish families, clans and organizations,” the release states.
Saturday afternoon at the fest, John McEwen will also present his hour-long show. “Professor Stramash, an academic who has just discovered the magic and possibilities afforded by theatre, conducts a whistle-stop tour of the history and literature of Scotland” the event website says.
Of course, the Highland Games part of the event will include big people hauling and/or tossing about large objects of all sorts. For this year’s games, Scot Forge in Franklin Park is making special, 250-pound hammers, Noble said. Competitors in kilts will see who can carry two of them at once over the greatest distance.
That seems like a scene from a lost Doctor Who episode.
Which reminds me. I need to bring a kilt to the festival. Portly me busted a buckle, and Lambert Leather should be able to repair it for me.
Aside from my aside and aside from the rest of the above, what also would make Noble a good Doctor Who is a thematic one.
The aforementioned press release says, “at just before dusk on Saturday, June 14, when all the piping and drumming competitions that comprise North America’s largest bagpiping championship are done, the entire festival will gather for the massed bands, which Gus Noble describes as ‘a moment when time and distance seem to fade and vanish, leaving a unique and incredibly moving connection to family.’” Whew. That’s a long sentence!
Timey-wimey talk like that seems very Doctor Who. So does this interview with Noble about his role as CEO.
As (Scotsman) Peter Capaldi-era Doctor Who put it, “I do what I do, because it’s right! Because it’s decent! And above all, it’s kind. It’s just that. Just kind.” And on another occasion, “Never be cruel, never be cowardly. And never ever eat pears! Remember: Hate is always foolish… and love is always wise.”
That’s not to blow smoke up Noble’s kilt. But these days, it’s nice to consider kindness.
