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Clara Bernhardt (1911-1993) was a poet, novelist, composer, and columnist, who lived in Cambridge, Ontario. At the age of eleven she was stricken with polio and confined to a wheelchair. Although she was unable to pursue more that a Grade 8 education, Bernhardt wrote poetry, articles, and stories. Her newspaper columns circulated in Canada and the United States for more than sixty years, and she was a columnist for the Preston Times Herald (now the Cambridge Times) for thirty years. She published three volumes of poetry, two novels, and a book of songs. In 1991 Clara Bernhardt was presented with the Order of Ontario.

Len Gertler (1923-2005) was a planner, administrator, author, and university professor, whose areas of study included planning, and public policy. Gertler was born in Montreal, Quebec, and was educated at Queen's University, McGill University, and the University of Toronto. Throughout his career he held a wide variety of positions. Len Gertler served as Director of the Edmonton District Planning Commission, and also held the position of Deputy Commissioner of Planning for the City of Toronto. In 1966 he became a professor at the University of Waterloo, establishing a new program in Urban and Regional Planning. He was also involved in establishing the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Environmental Studies, and became the first Director of the School of Planning. Gertler was the coordinator and author of the Niagara Escarpment Study in 1968. His international work included assignments in Indonesia, Jamaica, India, Japan, and Uzbekistan. Gertler was a member and Vice-Chair of the Ontario Environmental Assessment Board, from 1990-2001. The Canadian Institute of Planners' Award for Planning Excellence in 2001 was named in honour of Len Gertler.

In 1910 the Canada Synod and Synod of Central Canada of the Lutheran Church entered into an agreement to establish a Lutheran Seminary. Though the location first proposed for the Seminary was Toronto, Waterloo was selected when its citizens offered a tract of land on the boundary of the town. The choice of location was affected, too, by the fact that the majority of Lutherans in Ontario lived in the vicinity of Waterloo and Berlin (Kitchener). In 1911 the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary of Canada opened its doors.

Facilities for pre-theological education were established in 1914 with courses leading to senior matriculation given in Waterloo College School.

In 1924 the Waterloo College of Arts, providing courses in post-secondary education in a four year program, was established. In 1925 the Faculty of Arts, under the name of Waterloo College, affiliated with the University of Western Ontario. Waterloo College soon began to offer Honours degree programs in the arts.

The affiliation with the University of Western Ontario ended in 1960 when the Seminary obtained a revised charter changing the name of the institution to Waterloo Lutheran University.

On November 1, 1973, Waterloo Lutheran University became Wilfrid Laurier University, one of Ontario's provincially assisted universities after Bill 178 was given Royal Assent by the Lieutenant Governor (and former Waterloo Lutheran University Chancellor) William Ross Macdonald.

In September 1999, Laurier opened a campus in Brantford, Ontario.

Alexander Oberlander Potter (1897-1969) was a professor at Waterloo College (now Wilfrid Laurier University) in Waterloo, Ontario. Potter received his BA and MA from Gettysburg College, Pennsylvania, and his PhD from Columbia University. From 1923-1924 Alex Potter was an instructor at Waterloo College School. In 1924 he became the first Dean and Executive Head of the Waterloo College. A long time member of Rotary International, he served as Assistant to the President of Rotary International, Paris, France from 1937-1938. For several years he attended sessions of the League of Nations as a special observer and in 1931 represented Rotary International at the public conference on disarmament in Paris, France. In recognition of his services he was awarded the Order of St. Sava by the Yugoslavian government in 1936. During World War II, Potter worked for the Department of National War Services. After the war he returned to Waterloo College as a history professor, retiring in 1954. In 1965 Alex Potter received an honorary degree from Waterloo Lutheran University.

The Evangelical Lutheran Seminary of Canada began in 1911. In 1924 Waterloo College was established, providing courses in post-secondary education. In 1960 Waterloo Lutheran University was formed, consisting of Waterloo University College and Waterloo Lutheran Seminary. In 1973 the name of the University was changed to Wilfrid Laurier University, with Waterloo Lutheran Seminary as a federated college.

Jim Heldmann is an alumnus of Wilfrid Laurier University having graduated with a BA in 1958 and an MA in 1990. As an undergraduate, Heldmann was a member of the editorial staff of the Cord as well as News Weekly where wrote the humor advice column “Miss Winks”. He was also a member of the Keystone editorial staff and the curling team.

William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874-1950) was Canada’s Prime Minister for 22 years, holding office 1921-1926, 1926-1930, and 1935-1948. King was born in Berlin (later renamed Kitchener), Ontario. King received his BA, LLB, and MA at the University of Toronto. At Harvard University he received an MA and a PhD. King was leader of the Liberal Party from 1919-1948.

OTWRC is a group of citizens' and agricultural groups who succeeded in cancelling the Ontario Waste Management Corporation's plans to build a hazardous waste plant in West Lincoln in the Niagara Peninsula. The group now comments on hazardous waste issues in Ontario and pushes for waste elimination.

Kenneth Hewitt (1937- ) was a professor of geography and environmental studies at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, from 1976 until his retirement in 2002. Hewitt earned his BA and MA at Cambridge University, and his PhD at London University. He is a founding member of the Cold Regions Research Centre. Hewitt has been the recipient of many research awards. Hewitt was proclaimed Wilfrid Laurier University Research Professor for 1988-1989, and received the Award for Scholarly Distinction in Geography from the Canadian Association of Geographers in 1991.