On November 19, Thomas Foster visited the Journalism class to ask for help promoting all the good that happens at Morgan and Clinton. He views Clinton as a hidden gem. Now that he has retired to Clinton, he wants to give back to the community by celebrating all things Clinton. Tom Foster volunteered in his previous town in a similar capacity. Mr. Foster wants to acknowledge the family we have here at Morgan, so he plans on starting a Coaches Corner, interviewing coaches of Morgan’s sports. He also hopes to provide play-by-play of the basketball games with the help of someone who knows the players and team. Mr. Foster also wants to promote the community beyond Morgan by publicizing the positives at Eliot, Joel and the town.

He said Morgan students have a lot to offer, and he wants to mentor interested students. He is looking for students willing to help him by recording the interviews, editing the footage, and providing help with play by play for the basketball games. Junior Iris Dunham met with Mr. Foster. They plan on starting a YouTube channel that will post biweekly. The channel will consist of long videos with different segments of sports here at Morgan, events in the town of Clinton, and the people of the town. She is helping to recruit more students. Those who are interested can be editors of videos, record events, and be interviewed. If you are interested in participating, contact [email protected] or [email protected].

Before his retirement, Tom Foster was a national spokesperson for a major insurance company. He first went to college for football, but shortly into his freshman year, his mother passed away, which led him to go back home. When he returned home, he went to American International College and rejoined football while also being in a fraternity. Once he graduated, he realized that his mother wouldn’t want him to throw his life away, so he turned his life around and went to law school to become a lawyer. After four years, when he realized corporate law wasn’t the right fit for him, a friend referred him to a legal counsel job that opened up in a Boston Bank. During his interview, when he was told that he had no marketing experience, he argued that a lawyer was the ultimate salesperson.

Boston Bank started IRA’s, and he was the national spokesperson for the large insurance company, Voya. He did public speaking all over the country to all sorts of groups. Mr. Foster explains the key to public speaking is “being yourself, and believing in your core values. If you want to be effective, you have to be animated and engage your audience.” Make sure you know the material. During his presentation to the Journalism class, his skills as a public speaker engaged the students.

As a result of his public speaking, he got involved in a lot of national organizations and was exposed to many people. He had the opportunity to interact with the past 4 presidents and to entertain them. He also worked for John Hancock, which is an insurance company based in Boston. They were hosting the Ryder Cup, which is a golf competition between Europe and the United States. Many celebrities would come to the event, such as Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong. Many people would be intimidated by all of these people, but Mr. Foster said, “never be intimidated by anybody. We’re all created equal. The only thing is they might make a little more money. They might have a little more fame, but they’re just like you and I, so never be intimidated cause you go into your career, and you’re going to come across a lot of people and a lot of different lifestyles, but don’t be intimidated. Always be true to yourself, and you’ll be successful.”

When you do public speaking, you are likely to be approached by the press and be interviewed. Mr. Foster pointed out that when you are dealing with the press, you are the one in control of the interview, don’t let them control you. You should stick to 3 solid points you want to make. Never let the press intimidate you, and don’t intimidate them. Once one question is asked, it will lead to another and the interview will get deeper as it progresses.

About 30 years ago, Mr. Foster was diagnosed with terminal cancer and only given 9 months to live. He told his doctor, “if you save my life, I will spend the rest of my life trying to help other people.” This has been his mantra ever since. He has dedicated so much of his time all around the world, getting involved in other communities because he wants to help people. This became his why and what drives him every day to do what he loves. Now he hopes to make a difference in Clinton by mentoring Morgan students and promoting the town he loves. Consider taking advantage of what Mr. Foster has to offer by getting involved.