KARACHI: Scores of former students and teachers of St Bonaventure’s high school, Hyderabad, gathered here on Monday night to celebrate the 94th birthday of Father J. B. Todd, who was the school principal in the late 1960s and ‘70s.

Many of the students and former teachers had specially come from Hyderabad and other cities to participate in the ceremony held at the Karachi Gymkhana.

Though a bit frail, Father Todd was in a real jovial mood and extremely thrilled to see that such a large number of his students had turned up to celebrate the day with him. Flanked by the current principal, Bertram De Souza (affectionately known as sir Berty) and other former teachers, as well as the Bishop of Hyderabad, Father Samson, who also was once his student, Father Todd cut the cake, had a slice, and then shook hands with almost everyone present there.

Since passing out from the school, and after completing higher education, many of his students rose to join the ranks of leading doctors, engineers, bankers, successful entrepreneurs and government officials.

Speaking on the occasion, Father Todd said that during his 60 years as an educationist at St Patrick’s in Karachi, St Bonaventure’s in Hyderabad and other schools, the most rewarding thing was to teach tens of thousands of students and make them responsible citizens.

Sir Berty recalled how he and Father Todd had together moved from St Pat’s to Hyderabad and set up the first school band at St Bonaventure’s which, according to him, remains the finest in the city. He hoped that one day all of them would gather again to celebrate Father Todd’s 100th birthday.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2015