The First Recorded Foundation of Dow Alumni Organization
Birth of the Dow Medical College Graduates’ Association — 1953
TheDowDays.com is honored to present the earliest surviving documentary evidence of organized Dow alumni activity—the very document that marks the formal beginning of the Dow Medical College alumni movement.
This historic correspondence, dated July 1953, records the first-ever general meeting of Dow Medical College graduates, held in Karachi on 10th July 1953, at which it was formally resolved to establish the Dow Medical College Graduates’ Association (DMCGA). This document represents the genesis of all Dow alumni organizations worldwide and predates every subsequent Dow graduate body formed in later decades.
The document announces the creation of an Ad Hoc Committee, entrusted with drafting the constitution of the Association and conducting its affairs until formal office bearers and an executive committee could be elected. Notably, the initial constitution of the Dow Graduate Association was formulated in 1953, a copy of which is also being published here on TheDowDays.com as a historical PDF record.
This foundational moment in Dow’s alumni history occurred more than two decades before the formation of DOGANA, which was established in 1979–1980, and well before the emergence of other Dow alumni associations across Pakistan, North America, Europe, Australia, and beyond. Every organized Dow alumni body that followed can trace its institutional lineage back to this seminal gathering in Karachi.
The language of the letter reflects the idealism, collegial spirit, and institutional pride of early Dow graduates—emphasizing service, unity, and lifelong commitment to the Alma Mater. It is particularly remarkable for its inclusive composition of the Ad Hoc Committee, representing both male and female graduates at a time when such representation was far from universal.
What follows below is the verbatim transcript of this historic document, which laid the foundation for the Dow Graduate Association and, in effect, the global Dow alumni movement as we know it today.
Transcript of the Foundational Document (1953)
Dear Doctor,
We are pleased to inform you that a general meeting of the graduates of the Dow Medical College was held on 10th July 1953, in which it was resolved to form the “Dow Medical College Graduates’ Association” and enlist the members for the same.
At the same time, an Ad Hoc Committee consisting of the following members was formed to frame the constitution of the Association as well as to conduct all necessary business till such time as the Association is properly constituted with its Office Bearers and Executive Committee:
- Dr. Masood Ali
- Dr. Malik Aurangzeb
- Dr. Behram Shroff
- Dr. H. V. Vajid
- Dr. Mrs. A. Abbasi
- Dr. Miss Muntaz Akbani
- Dr. Mansoor Soomro
- Dr. Asifali Hamidee
- Dr. Sulaiman Karatela
- Dr. Asaf Husain Jafferey (Convener)
The said Ad Hoc Committee has drafted the constitution as desired, the copy of which is sent herewith.
If you wish to propose any amendments to this draft constitution please send the same in writing which should reach us on or before the 16th Aug. 1953. Your amendments will be put before the general body meeting of the Association to be held on 23rd Aug. 1953 at 3 p.m. in the Student Hall to finalise, approve, and adopt the constitution and to elect the Office Bearers and Executive Committee members of the Association.
Your work, sincerity, enthusiasm, and zeal for the corporate affairs of the Dow Medical College during your student life gives us the hope that you will not only enlist yourself as the member of the D. M. C. Graduates’ Association but also work as ceaselessly as you used to do in your student career, for the lofty ideals for which the Association is formed.
In the end we send our sincere greetings to you wherever you are to spread the ever shining light of our Alma mater and request you to fill and send the enrolment form attached herewith along with the necessary fees at your earliest at the address stated below.
Yours sincerely,
DOW MEDICAL COLLEGE GRADUATES’ ASSOCIATION
C/o. Dow Medical College Union Office
Bunder Road, Karachi-1(A. H. Jaffery)
Convener, Ad Hoc Committee, D.M.C.G.A.
This document stands as a cornerstone of Dow’s institutional memory. By preserving and sharing it, TheDowDays.com continues its mission to serve as the global archival repository of Dow Medical College history, ensuring that the origins, legacy, and continuity of Dow alumni life are never lost to time.
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