Mr. Edward Pegler was born at Cromhall, Gloucestershire, in 1852. After his training at Cheltenham in 1871 - 1872, he worked at Luton for three years. He came to India in 1875 to take charge of the Jamalpur Railway School.

The Government co-educational school at Kurseong was opened in 1879 at Constantia. Mr. Pegler was selected to be its first Headmaster by Sir Alfred Croft, the then D.P.I. of Bengal. There were 15 children, when the school was opened in 'Constantia' (a large bunglow on the Punkhabari Road). Mrs. Pegler was the only other teacher besides the Headmaster. In 1887 the girls' section was closed to be re-opened in 1898. Meanwhile the school was brought up to Dow Hill, where the Railway quarters were lying vacant. In 1895, the boys' school was shifted to its present building. The girls' school was restarted in Dow Hill where it used to be. Mr. Pegler left Dow Hill in 1901, and came to Calcutta. His health failed gradually and so he sailed for England in 1907 He died in his own home at Cheltenham in 1909.

He had won the hearts of people for his conscientious work, integrity of character and devotion to his pupils and friends. As Arnold said, 'Because he loved light, and did not prefer to it any little private darkness of his own, he found light; his eye was single, and therefore his whole body was full of light. And because he loved light, he was also full of happiness.'