Presentations and Seminars

William S. (Bill) Caudill

Bill Caudill is a native of Waxhaw, North Carolina. He is descended from both Highland Scots and Ulster Scots families who settled in the Carolina sandhills and piedmont regions respectively. He was an avid history buff from a very young age and this, combined with an interest in music, led him to take up the Scottish bagpipe at the age of nine - which he has pursued to great success in becoming one of the few Southern-born players of the 20th century to reach the Professional level of playing and competition and taking prizes in the USA and Canada. He graduated from St. Andrews Presbyterian College with a B.A. degree (with Honors) in History in 1989 and also completed graduate studies in Folklore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, receiving the M.A. degree in Folklore and History (American Studies). His M.A. thesis dealt with the history and associated oral traditions relative to the last Highland emigration to North Carolina which occurred in Scotland, Robeson, Richmond and Moore Counties in 1884, and involved research and oral history fieldwork both in North Carolina and Scotland. He has given lectures and other presentations for countless historical and genealogical societies throughout the Carolinas and has also presented lectures on the history of Scottish settlements in the Carolinas and the cultural retentions of Highland Scots in the Carolinas at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as at a symposium on Scottish Gaelic Culture in North America sponsored by Harvard University in honor of their late Chair of Celtic Studies, Dr. Charles W. Dunn.

Caudill is the founder of the Scottish Heritage Center and the pipe band at St. Andrews University (formerly St. Andrews Presbyterian College), where he was hired after graduation in 1989 to launch those programs. Since that time the Scottish Heritage Center has become a clearinghouse of information for those researching the experience of Scots in the Carolinas. The Center was relocated into its own free-standing 4500 square foot facility in March of 2008. The Center's annual Scottish Heritage Weekend, which Caudill also founded - was an outgrowth of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the arrival of the Argyll Colony in the Cape Fear region in 1989 and sponsored initially by the Museum of the Cape Fear in Fayetteville. After a five-year run in Fayetteville, and discontinuation of the event by the local museum, the event was moved to the St. Andrews University Campus where it continued from 1996-2021 and was discontinued in part due to changes brought about by the COVID pandemic. The event hosted notable scholars from Scotland and North America who gave presentations on topics related to emigration, genealogy, folklore, and cultural retention. Since moving into its own free-standing facility on the St. Andrews campus in 2008, visitors have come to the Scottish Heritage Center for research and pleasure visits, and can see the various displays and artifacts which document the experience of Highland Scots in this region of the Carolinas. The Center hosts a monthly lecture series during the academic year featuring topics relative to local and regional history as well as Scottish-American topics, and Caudill is very active in community outreach and giving presentations on Scottish-American historical topics to both public and private groups. St. Andrews University was closed in May of 2025 and efforts are underway to re-envision and reinstate the Center at a location within the area of historical significance to Scots.

Caudill is also the founder of the Scotland County Highland Games, which began in 2009 and have since grown to become the largest single tourism attraction in Scotland County annually since that time.

Andrew Morrison, Viscount Dunrossil

Andrew Morrison, Viscount Dunrossil, was born in London and educated at Eton and Oxford, where he studied the Classics.

After joining a bank (Kleinwort, Benson) he moved to the US. For the last thirty years Andrew has made his home in San Antonio, Texas, during which time he has been a principal spokesman for the consumer finance industry. He is a former chairman of the American Financial Services Association and a co-founder of the National Installment Lenders Association. Andrew retired from the Consumer Finance industry in January 2022. He is now a Director of the Equitable Growth Fund, which is dedicated to addressing the problem of unequal access to critical resources among minorities and lower income communities.

Lord Dunrossil is closely involved with various organizations dedicated to strengthening the ties between Scotland and its Diaspora. He is the Vice Convenor and US representative for the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, serves on the Advisory Board of the Council of Scottish Clans and Associations (COSCA) and is an Honorary Patron of the American-Scottish Foundation. He is also a former Chairman of the Society of Scottish Armigers, whose President is the Lord Lyon, King of Arms, and is a Director and Patron of Scottish Heritage USA.

He has been the keynote speaker or Guest of Honor at meetings of the Scottish North American Community Council (formerly the Scottish North American Leadership Council) and at Tartan Day events, Highland Games and St Andrew's Societies around the country. In 2024 he received the National Tartan Day Award from the Scottish Coalition and was appointed by the Scottish Government to serve on its Scottish Connections Advisory Panel.

Lord Dunrossil is also the Honorary British Consul in San Antonio and is a chieftain of Clan Morrison, one of the nine largest clans in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

In July 2025 he published Connected Works, consisting of poetry and prose on related subjects. This innovative composition can be seen as a meditation on the idea of, and the need for, connection. Copies may be ordered or bought from The Twig Bookshop (thetwig.com) in San Antonio.

A second book, on the Making of a Scottish Clan Chief: Shakes and the Morrisons of Ruchdi, is being prepared for publication at the end of the year.

Nathan Kring: The Burnsian Recitationist

Nathan Kring is a proud Burnsian recitationist whose performances bring Robert Burns' poetry to life with theatrical flair and emotional depth. Praised by native Scots for his authentic dialect and cadence, Nathan has made a name for himself as a passionate interpreter of Scotland's national bard.

His journey began not on stage, but in memory work-reciting lyrics and film quotes until he could perform entire movies from heart. That gift found its true expression on his first trip to Scotland at the Clan MacThomas Gathering, where he was inspired by Robin Thoms' stirring rendition of Address to a Haggis. Since then, Nathan has committed 13 of Burns' works to memory, with Tam o' Shanter standing as his crowning piece.

He gave his first public recital beyond family at the 2024 Grandfather Mountain Highland Games Sponsor Dinner, performing To a Mouse for Madam Pauline Hunter, Chief of Clan Hunter. His repertoire continues to grow, and his future goals include memorizing every poem along The Poet's Path in Scotland and performing at clan gatherings both in the U.S. and abroad.

A devoted husband and father, Nathan proudly represents Clan Fraser (through his mother) and Clan MacThomas (through his wife). A regular presence at Highland Games in both Scotland and the U.S., he embraces Scottish culture fully-often kilted, always passionate, and forever guided by Burns' words:

"O, wad some Power the giftie gie us to see oursels as others see us!"

Through voice and verse, Nathan invites audiences to feel the timeless power of Burns-where tradition meets performance, and the Bard's spirit lives on.