JOURNALIST Colin McAlpin has passed away just weeks before his ambitious plan for a museum dedicated to his beloved football team became a reality.
Mr McAlpin, who died yesterday morning, wore many hats during his 77 years, with an award-winning journalism career spanning time as a sports editor, features editor, arts/entertainment editor, Northern Ireland soccer correspondent, columnist and travel writer for the Sunday News, Irish News and World Soccer among others.
He was also a founding member of the Guild of Regional Film Writers, Northern Ireland Film Commission (now Northern Ireland Screen) and chairman of Dance Northern Ireland.
In between Mr McAlpin found time to author nine books, including a number of transatlantic historical romances.
He had dedicated much of his final years to the campaign and then the realisation of a Crusaders FC museum at his beloved Seaview football ground, where he wrote the match day programmes for many years.
His only child Heidi, who followed her father both into his career in journalism and his love for the `Crues' and the Northern Ireland team, said his ultimate ambition was that it would encourage other teams "across Northern Ireland, including (north Belfast rivals) Cliftonville would do the the same".
Mark Langhammer of Crusaders FC said it is "nearly completed".
"Colin lead a small group of volunteers to do that and it's going to be temporarily opening in premises in York Road in December before it moves to our new stand which we are going to be building.
"Colin has been the archivist and driving force behind putting the collection together, both visual and audiovisual, for the last three years, even when he's been ill.
"He will be very missed on the stands, but this will be his legacy."
Ms McAlpin said she received a message just hours after he died from an American couple he met while they were recently sightseeing in Belfast.
"They wrote to say they loved his book and I had to let them know he had just died.
"He always said if he saw a tourist with a map he loved to go up and help them. He would spend hours talking to them over a coffee."
Never learning to drive and with a lifelong love of trains which saw him criss-cross America on now-defunct railway lines, his adventurous spirit saw him "try to see if he could get to Sligo and back in one day. And he did".
Irish News editor Noel Doran paid tribute to Mr McAlpin.
"Colin was one of the great characters of Irish journalism, and played key roles for our paper in terms of both features and sport," he said.
"He was also a noted author, an exceptionally well travelled individual and a recognised authority on a range of subjects including the US civil war and the world of films. Life was seldom dull while Colin was around and he will be sadly missed by his past and present colleagues at The Irish News."
The newspaper's columnist Anne Hailes said he "introduced me to the Irish News some twenty years ago".
"I reminded him of this when I was with him in hospital four days before he died and the chat was mighty. His eyes were bright and his mind sharp. `It is what it is' was his take on dying, then we got on with sharing our memories.
"A man of many parts and many interests, I was privileged to be invited to his home to see his collection of American Civil War memorabilia, to read his novels, to consult him on journalistic matters and to enjoy and take part in the radio shows he and his daughter Heidi shared. A good man gone far too soon."
Mr McAlpin's funeral service will be held on Wednesday September 25 at 10.30am in Roselawn Crematorium.
His family have asked for donations to Macmillan Cancer Care in his memory.
