Rev T.R. Foulger, M.A
Remembering the past teaches us good ways. Remembering the life of a legend, founder of an institution, a person who crossed miles and served hundred years will surely be an inspiration for us to walk in the right path.
Thomas Robert Foulger was born on 26th December 1896 (128 years back) in Hastings, a town in England.
He was the topper in his schooling and received various scholarships for his contribution in studies and exemplary performances in various exhibitions. He had won 60 pounds in 1914 from his school (3500 pounds), worth approximately 3 lakh in Indian Rupees.
He left school in 1915 and joined the army and committed his early life to the nation.
Wesleyan Methodist missionary society gave our founder an opportunity to study theology and education to earn a teaching certificate. Later, he obeyed God’s calling for ministry, specifically to the people of India. In 1923, he got ordination and became Reverend T.R. Foulger.
Reverend T.R. Foulger sailed to Bombay in September 1923 and then reached his mission field Royapettah, Chennai.
He joined as a staff of Wesley college, which was a part of Madras Christian College.
He devoted himself to studying Tamil. His study of Tamil was less successful in the beginning. He passed the oral test for Tamil vernacular into English with a credit of 74% but had failed in written examination scoring 29%.
After two and a half years of staying away from his native place, he became a fluent Tamil speaker.
At the age of 27, he became the Headmaster of High school. In 1927, he went back to London to have M.A. Education (4 years) to equip himself as a Teacher Educator. In 1931 he came back and started to plan for a teacher education institution. Here, the seed for our college was sowed.
Based on the recommendation of Lindsay Commission on Christian Higher Education in India, he started our college with a great vision in 1937. The United Kingdom provided 750 pounds for equipment and 910 pounds for five years, approximately two crore rupees.
“MESTON” the name of the college was chosen and it was named after Rev. Dr. William Meston, a Church of Scotland minister and the former distinguished Principal of Madras Christian College. In one of his letters, Reverend T.R. Foulger has described Rev. Dr. William Meston, a “great leader”.
Reverend T.R. Foulger framed our college Motto in Latin, “QUIDAT ACCIPIT” which means “who gives, receives.”
Meston college became a recognized institution by lifting the standard of Education in collaborating with the University of Madras. The M.Ed. degree programme was started in 1943 by our founder, which became the first college to start the M.Ed.Programme.
The true role of an educator is to ensure that the students become better than the masters in fulfilling what can be seen as the natural evolutionary progression of educational life. It is a wonderful line of wisdom.
Our former principal Dr. L.D. Rabindradas visited our founder in the year 1976 in London and shared his love and thoughts with him.
Our founder loved our college and the place Royapettah and so he had named his house at London as “Royapet”. His body and soul longed for Meston.
He passed away in 1999 when he was 102 years old. A life that touches others goes on forever. Reverend T.R. Foulger’s life touched the Meston family and so it grows. !!