Dr. Henry Foster, 83; made a fortune and then shared it

(photos by Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff/file 1992)

Freshly graduated from veterinary school, Henry L. Foster was in Virginia in the mid-1940s when he ran into an older fellow who wanted to get out of the business of breeding rats. Buying a few thousand rodent cages for $1,200, Dr. Foster returned home to Boston and, in a loft overlooking the Charles River, founded what would become Charles River Laboratories.

Rather than build a better mousetrap, Dr. Foster bred a better mouse for scientists to use in clinical trials - rodents that were free of disease or germs. His company, now based in Wilmington, grew into a billion-dollar business with nearly 9,000 employees in 15 countries.

"Back in the 1940s, the field consisted mostly of small breeders who sold mice from pickup trucks," he told the Globe in 1977. "Give a researcher a warm body and he'd be happy. I figured there had to be a more professional way to do things."

Turning to philanthropy a few decades ago, Dr. Foster and his wife, Lois, became major benefactors in Greater Boston's art community, contributing generously to the Museum of Fine Arts and Brandeis University's Rose Art Museum.

Dr. Foster, chairman emeritus of Charles River Laboratories, died of cancer Tuesday in the apartment at the Taj Boston, where he and his wife had lived for many years, beginning when the hotel was the Ritz-Carlton. He was 83 and had divided his time between Boston and Palm Beach, Fla.

Dr. Foster also worked with the Commonwealth and with Jean Mayer, former president of Tufts University, to create the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine 30 years ago. He and his wife also funded scholarships for students at the North Grafton veterinary school.

"Dr. Foster was truly the heart and soul of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University," Dr. Deborah T. Kochevar, dean of the Cummings school, said in a statement. "Dr. Foster touched nearly every element of our school with his thoughtful guidance and generous support. Our Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals, now seeing over 26,000 cases per year, could not have been a reality without Dr. and Mrs. Foster's vision and generosity."

Chairman emeritus of the MFA's board of trustees, on which he served for 21 years, Dr. Foster was associated with the museum for more than three decades. In 1974, the museum named a gallery that features contemporary art in honor of the Fosters.

"A key impact he had on the Museum of Fine Arts was the passion he brought to the area of contemporary art," said Malcolm Rogers, director of the MFA. "It was pioneering and transforming, and we certainly wouldn't be where we are now without his example."

The Fosters established an endowment fund for contemporary art exhibitions at the MFA and another fund to purchase artwork created in recent years.

Dr. Foster, who led the museum's board from 1991 to 1994, "was a very strong chairman of the trustees at a critical time," Rogers said. "He put his strong, business hand on the tiller, I would say, and I feel eternally grateful to him for preparing the soil in which I was to grow. I'll be perpetually grateful to him for his ongoing advice and support."

At Brandeis, the Fosters established a research center, funded construction of a wing at the Rose Art Museum, and endowed the museum director's position. Dr. Foster also served for many years on the university's board of trustees, which he chaired from 1979 to 1985.

"Brandeis today mourns one of the great men in the history of this university," Jehuda Reinharz, the college's president, said in a statement. "Hank's commitment and dedication to Brandeis were instrumental in helping Brandeis reach the top tier of American universities. I will miss his friendship and wise counsel."

Four years ago, the Fosters endowed a chair in contemporary art practice and theory at Emerson College in Boston. They also created an endowment at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Dr. Foster, who preferred to be called Hank, was born in Boston. He grew up in Roxbury and Brookline, where in high school he met Lois Bronstein, whom he married in 1948.

"It was one of those storybook romances and turned into a 60-year, very exceptional relationship," said their son Jim of Weston, who is chief executive of Charles River Laboratories. "They worshiped each other and spent most of their time together."

Said Rogers, "In everything Hank did in his philanthropy and his love of contemporary art, his wife, Lois, stood by his side. They were a remarkable couple. They shared a vision and each reinforced the other."

In 1946, Dr. Foster graduated from Middlesex Veterinary College, which soon closed. That school's Waltham campus became the site of Brandeis University two years later. By then, Dr. Foster had already launched his breeding laboratory.

"He was a natural entrepreneur," his son said. "He never even contemplated the possibility of failure. But the more successful he became, the kinder and humbler he became. He had time for everyone and was always trying to solve everyone's problems, whether they were financial, emotional, or educational. He was never full of himself, and it was never about him."

In addition to his wife and son, Dr. Foster leaves two other sons, John of Boston and Neal of Weston; three grandsons and two granddaughters.

A service will be held at 10 a.m. today in Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley. Burial will be in Sharon Memorial Park in Sharon.