Incidental Gains from An Item on Richmond College, and Its Apollo Club = http://richmondcollege.org/drama
Prof. E.F.C. Ludowyk
Prof. Evelyn Frederick Charles Ludowyk (1906-1985) a Sri Lankan Burgher Shakespearean scholar, author, playwright and critic, the first Professor of English of the University of Ceylon is the son of E. F. C. Ludowyk (Snr) who was an English teacher at Richmond from 1908 to 1935. Prof. Ludowyk was born on the 16th of October 1906 in Galle and died in 1985 in England.
In 1913 he passed the Junior Cambridge Examination with First Class Honours, with four distinctions. He also had the unparalleled distinction of being the youngest King’s Scout in the British Empire at the tender age of thirteen.
E.F.C. Ludowyk, joined the staff of University College in 1932 (and was appointed Professor in 1936), was the first Professor of English of the University of Ceylon and was the first Dean of Arts in the University in Peradeniya. Ludowyk born in colonial Galle and educated at Richmond College and the University College became Sri Lanka’s first native English language savant while being able to retain his bonds with Sinhala culture to the extent of being able to write a monumental work such as ‘The Footprints of the Buddha.’ Dr. Ludowyk died in England in 1985.
Prof. Ediriweera Sarachchandra
Dr. Ediriweera Sarachchandra is considered the Sri Lanka’s premier playwright person, writer, author, novelist, academic, diplomat, ambassador. Born on 3rd June 1914 in Galle Dr. Srachchandra had his early education at Richmond.
Professor Sarachchandra is a household name in Sri Lanka. He authored three major plays, Maname (1956), Sinhabahu (1961) and Pemato Jayati Soko (1969) as well several other smaller plays which enjoyed great popularity with the imggoer and take pride of place in the dramatic literature of his country. He was no doubt influenced by Prof. Ludowyk who was heading the English Department during his time at Peradeniya. The University named the open air theater in his honour during his lifetime. He achieved the unusual distinction (the more unusual for an academic) of being recognised in his own lifetime as the national dramatist of his country. The recognition came with Maname in 1956, nearly twenty years ago.
A legend in his own lifetime, he was appointed Ceylonese Ambassador in Paris In 1974. He died on August 16th 1996
