The Founders
The men and women whose conviction, sacrifice, and vision gave birth to Hebron — and whose spirit endures in every student who walks these halls.
"A school is not built with bricks alone — it is built with the lives of those who believe in the potential of every child."
Mr. J.C. Thakore
Co-Founder & First Principal
Their Story
Mr. J.C. Thakore
Co-Founder & First Principal
Born in Surat in 1921, James Cornelius Thakore spent his formative years witnessing the disparity in educational access across India. Trained in theology and pedagogy in England, he returned with a singular conviction: that the hills of the Nilgiris could become a sanctuary where children from every background could encounter genuine learning.
In 1966, with a loan, a leased bungalow, and twelve students on the first roll, Thakore opened the doors of what would become Hebron School. He served as its founding Principal for eighteen years, shaping every aspect of its culture — from the morning assembly prayers to the ethos of servant leadership he instilled in his staff.
He believed the classroom was secondary to character. 'Teach a child who he is,' he would say, 'and the rest will follow.' His philosophy wove together rigorous academics, pastoral care, and a deep respect for each student's unique dignity — a tripartite vision that remains the school's north star.
Thakore retired in 1984 but remained a beloved presence on campus until his passing in 2003. A portrait of him still hangs in the main hall, and the J.C. Thakore Prize for Character is awarded every year at Founder's Day.
"Curiosity is the engine of civilization. Our job is to keep it alive in every child, every single day."
Dr. Samuel Mathew
Founding Academic Director
Their Story
Dr. Samuel Mathew
Founding Academic Director
Dr. Samuel Mathew arrived at Hebron in its second year, recruited by J.C. Thakore from a prestigious government college in Thiruvananthapuram. A mathematician by training and a polymath by temperament, Mathew brought the intellectual rigour that transformed Hebron from a small mission school into an academically formidable institution.
His first act as Academic Director was to design a curriculum that refused to teach subjects in isolation. Science was connected to philosophy; literature to history; mathematics to music. He called it the 'integrated method,' and while it was met with scepticism from examiners initially, the results — a string of state toppers in the 1970s and 1980s — silenced critics definitively.
Dr. Mathew was famous for wandering the campus at night, stopping to observe the stars and invite any student he met to join him. Those impromptu astronomy sessions became legendary: generations of Hebronites trace their love of science to a conversation with 'Doc Sam' under an open sky.
He served Hebron for 26 years before retiring to write three books on pedagogy. His 1991 work, The Living Curriculum, is still assigned in teacher training programmes across Kerala and Tamil Nadu.