Plaque to honour Ardglass man who became US pioneer

Plaque to honour Ardglass man who became US pioneer

18 June 2014

AN Ardglass man, who helped reform American education by pioneering the abolition of corporal punishment before establishing a successful New York college, will be remembered in the village on Saturday.

Loretta Glucksman, former President of the American Ireland Fund, will unveil a blue plaque to Thomas Hunter at Kildare Street to mark the birthplace of the social reformer.

Thomas Hunter, the son of a sea captain, was born in October 1831, and following the premature death of his mother, he was raised by his father, who instilled in him the value of learning.

While being educated at the Dundalk Institution, Thomas described schoolmasters as “horrors” who flogged the children for little reason.

This instilled in him an unshakeable sense of justice, which he retained through the rest of his schooling and following his emigration to America where he was a teacher, quickly climbing the ranks to become the principal of New York’s largest public school No. 35.

He abolished corporal punishment in his school, replacing it with moral discipline, with detention, suspension, and expulsion. His system was eventually adopted through the USA.

In 1870 he founded the Female Normal and High School in New York City, now known as Hunter College and became its first President, a position he held for 37 years.

During his tenure, the school became known for its impartiality regarding race, religion, ethnicity, financial or political favouritism, its pursuit of higher education for women, its high entry requirements, and its rigorous academics.

Today, Hunter College is a comprehensive teaching and research institution with more than 23,000 students. Princeton Review named the college as one of America’s “Best Value” Colleges in its 2007 guide.