Rev. George Samuel She (Zimmern)

George was a famous social activist in old Hong Kong.

He was one of the earliest barristers-at-law, a clergyman and the sixth headmaster of Diocesan Boys’ School, HK (tenure 1955-1961).

George was only two years old when his father passed away. He lived a humble life in childhood, though he was also taken care of by Sir Robert Ho Tung, one of his father’s sworn brothers. After graduation from DBSO in 1921, he worked in Ho Tung’s company for several years and studied in Oxford and St. Augustine’s College in early 1930’s. After returning to Hong Kong in 1935 he became a personal secretary of both Ho Tung and Bishop R. O. Hall, besides working as a barrister.

After the Pacific War, George was ordained. He was responsible for reviving the bankrupt St. John’s Cathedral, and reopening a number of Anglican Church schools.

It is said that there were at least two reasons why George was chosen as the head of DBS. First, George was initially considered as the successor of Bishop Hall, but it was eventually thought that the time for appointing a local citizen as Bishop had not yet come. George became the head of DBS as a ‘consolation prize’, while the localisation of DBS was started earlier.

Second, the existing head of DBS, Gerald Goodban, was an expatriate whose optimal age for returning to UK was before becoming 45 in 1956. Both Goodban and Bishop Hall wished a young teacher, Jimmy Lowcock, to become the next headmaster. However Jimmy had only taught for two years when Goodban resigned in 1955. As Jimmy still needed six more years’ experience to become an eligible head, George was invited to fill in this time gap. As the result George always regarded himself as a caretaker and kept on training Jimmy to be a capable successor. Nonetheless George made the school more local and less ‘elite’ by almost doubling the size of accommodation of students during his six years’ tenure. And his idea of philanthropy was carried on by Jimmy after his retirement.