During his period as Lord Provost, he oversaw the investigations into the 1971 Ibrox disaster. In his role as a Director of Rangers Football Club, he was also physically present at the time of the disaster and witnessed much of the tragedy first-hand. Shortly after this, Strathclyde University awarded him an honorary doctorate (LLD). On 1 September 1971, he also had the sad honour of lighting the final operational gas lamp on North Portland Street before they were ripped out and replaced by electric lamps.