Thomas Scholfield Foster (13 September 1853 – 8 September 1918), commonly known as Tony Foster, was a New Zealand school principal and inspector, and university lecturer.

Early life and education

He was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England, in 1853. His parents moved to New Zealand when he was a child; they arrived in Wellington 31 December 1856, and settled ultimately in Canterbury. Foster studied at the Rangiora Church School before winning a Somes scholarship to study at Christ's College. In 1881 he received a

BA Degree Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from

Canterbury College Canterbury College may refer to: * Canterbury College (Indiana), U.S. * Canterbury College (Waterford), Queensland, Australia * Canterbury College (Windsor, Ontario), Canada * Canterbury College, Kent, England * Canterbury College, Oxford, England ...

, followed by an MA Degree in languages and literature the following year.

Career

Foster was appointed as the headmaster at

Christchurch West High School Christchurch West High School (originally Christchurch Academy then High School of Christchurch and then West Christchurch Borough School) existed prior to 1966 on the site of Hagley College in Hagley Avenue, in Christchurch, New Zealand. In that ...

in 1882, where he had also held the position of master from 1874 to 1881. In 1904 he was elected as a school inspector for the North Canterbury School District. In 1911 he was appointed the chief school inspector for the North Canterbury Board of Education.

Personal life

On 29 August 1882, he married Emily Sophia Brittan, the daughter of

Guise Brittan William Guise Brittan (3 December 1809 – 18 July 1876), mostly known as Guise Brittan and commonly referred to as W. G. Brittan, was the first Commissioner of Crown Lands for Canterbury in New Zealand. Biography Brittan was born in Gloucester, ...

. His wife was the senior female teacher at Christchurch West High School. His wife died on 30 December 1897 and Foster died on 8 September 1918. Both are buried at St Paul's Anglican Church, Papanui.

Legacy

In 1920 a memorial tablet to his life was unveiled at Canterbury College Hall, where he had studied and later become a lecturer and the president of its training college. The tablet bore the inscription "His life was devoted with untiring zeal and perfect singleness of aim to the cause of education."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Tony 1853 births 1918 deaths Educators from Christchurch Burials at St Paul's Cemetery, Christchurch 19th-century New Zealand educators People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch University of Canterbury alumni British emigrants to New Zealand Brittan family