T. Jack Foster*
Class of 1964
- Building and Land Developer
It's good if you can say at the end of the day you did something that will last and have a positive effect on others.
T. Jack Foster was born in Norman, Oklahoma in 1901. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma in 1928 and earning an ROTC commission, he served for two years in the U.S. Air Force.
He then moved to Hawaii, entered the land development business, and dreamed of building a planned community. His dream came true in the 1960s when he bought four square miles of what was then called Brewer Island, located next to San Mateo, California. The land was mostly a vast hay field, but Foster could see its potential. His plan included 230 acres of lagoons, and his goal was to develop a balanced community that met the physical, economic, and social needs of its residents.
Foster received his Horatio Alger Award in 1964, just as the first homeowners began to take up residence. In 1971, the 10,000 residents voted to incorporate their town as Foster City.