Lady Doak in Madurai is South India’s pioneering college opened in 1948 as an exclusive preserve for women. Kodaikanal’s Mother Teresa Women’s University came into being only 36 years later in1984.

With an initial 87girls on its rolls, Lady Doak College (LDC) now boasts of 4287 students and 261 teachers. It is an Autonomous A Grade college with exemplary achievements in academic and non-academic fields.

Lakshmi Nair, Dr. Beulah Jeyashree, Dr. Vanitha Malarmizhi at Lady Doak

Lady Doak with a beautiful 18 ac campus was founded by American missionary Miss Katie Wilcox and was named after her associate Dame Helen Doak, wife of the Scottish business magnate Sir James Doak.

LDC introduced women studies in 1989 much before gender studies was in vogue in many universities in India. A women exclusive satellite campus is being planned on a 40 ac green field in Velichanatham village 20 km away from the city.

Poet Emily Dickinson and Prof Elizabath George, both alumni of Holyoke College, US

To add to the college’s claim as a women preserve, Principal Dr. Beulah Jeyashree did her PhD on two women writers of repute-Bharati Mukherjee, a Calcutta born American professor who died in New York and Vasanti, 85, of Chennai who was a legendary journalist turned writer of fiction. 

Among Lady Doak’s illustrious teachers is Dr. Marian Oommen the first principal of 1948-50. She taught Chemistry before being elevated as Principal. Jane George taught logic and was in charge of physical education and Anna Mathew taught English to serve as hostel warden too.

Campus colour and diversity 

On my maiden visit to the manicured lawns of LDC, I was warmly welcomed by Principal Jeyashree who took me around the sun-drenched green campus. She also introduced me to the College Bursar Dr. Vanitha Malarmizhi, a key member of the Board of Directors of the Katie Wilcox Education Association where Dr. Jeyashree is the Secretary. Lakshmi Nair from Palakkad town who teaches history also joined.

Recently retired Dr. Synthia Mary Mathew, Associate Professor and Head of Social Sciences, helped me trace the Keralites who stood as beacon lights in the growth and development of Lay Doak. Among the most notable Malayalees are Marian Ommen, Elizabeth George, Ramani Bai Solomon, Anna Abraham, Ammini Francis, Latha Nair, S. Sri Sudha, Synthia Mary Mathew and Lakshmi Nair.

Dr. Elizabeth George (1953-63) from Chathannoor, Kollam taught philosophy, Ramani Bai Solomon from Neyyattinkara-English, Anna Abraham (1971-94) from Bangalore-History, Ammini Francis (1962-97, 2009-13) from Ernakulam-Hindi, Dr. Latha Nair (1977-2013) from Palakkad-Commerce, Dr. S. Sri Sudha (1986-2019) from Kayamkulam-Botany, Dr. Synthia Mary Mathew (1988-2021) from Thiruvananthapuram-Psychology. Lakshmi Nair from Palakkad-History (Still in service)

Elizabeth George was a legend. She studied in Nicolson School Tiruvalla, Women’s Christian College, Queen Mary’s College, and Presidency College, all in Chennai, and University of Edinburgh. She earned her DLitt from Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts, USA.

Clockwise: Marian Oommen, Anna Abraham, Sri Sudha, Synthia Mary Mathew, Latha Nair, Ammini Francis

Mount Holyoke was established by Mary Leon as a women only seminary in 1837. Among its alumni are poet Emily Dickinson, Chinese film maker Chloe Zhao, American Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s wife Nancy Kissinger and Indian politician Mahua Moitra. 
 
Elizabath started as a lecturer at Lady Keniyard College, Lahore. She returned to her alma mater WCC where she rose to become Vice Principal and eventually the first Indian Principal. Had to leave WCC due to serious health concerns which led her to LDC. She joined the Lady Doak in 1953 as head of the Department of Philosophy and retired after a stint of 10 years after carrying out the ground-work for the initiation of the Department of Social Sciences which took its birth in 1963. The Department owes its very formation to her.

Shanti Manuel, who reigned as principal for 26 years; Shanti & Synthia

The Department of Social Sciences, instituted the Elizabeth George Memorial Endowment Lecture in 2016 at the behest of former Principal Shanti Manuel (1967-93) who worked as a lecturer under Dr. Elizabeth in the department of Philosophy.
Shanti hailed from Nagarcovil, part of the kingdom of Travancore before it became an integral part of the State of Kerala. “She was so charismatic a leader who believed, ‘When you listen to a different drummer, you march to a different tune, in a different direction,’ ”  recalls Dr. Synthia who joined Lady Doak in 1988 to work under her.

Who is the tallest of them all-post graduate students
Synthia Mary Mathew earned her PhD from the University of Kerala on ‘Interactive influence of Personality and Counselling on the Psycho Social Competence of Adolescent Girls’ with Prof. Dr. Kumari Bhagavathy as her guide.

Dr. Synthia also remembers a handful of teachers specially in the Department of Social Sciences from Kerala serving the college for short terms.  They included Rani George, Susan Abraham, Annie George, Latha Pillai and Deepa Thomas. Most of them were products of WCC, Chennai.

Teachers of 1956; Elizabeth George and Shanti in red circle 
 
A unique distinction of Lady Doak has been that it does not take any donation for appointments nor does it levy any capitation free for admission.

At the end of my tour of Lady Doak presto came a green three-wheeler, owned and operated by the college, to take me to the American College, a sister institution hardly 2 km away.  Helen Mary manipulated the vehicle deftly through the chaotic traffic at the height of the Meenakshi Temple Chithira Festival.  

Memento from Principal to the writer 

Lady Doak entrance in Tallakulam, Madurai

Campus three-wheeler driven by Helen Mary