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.
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.
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.
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.
Gotthard Booth (1899-1975) was a medical doctor specializing in the practice of psychiatry concerned with chronic physical diseases, psychosomatic medicine, and studies in the relationship between religion and health. Born in Nuremberg, Germany, Booth graduated from the University of Munich Medical School in 1923, and in the early 1930s moved to the United States. He resided in Westport, Connecticut but maintained a practice in New York City. Booth taught at Columbia University from 1945 to 1953, was instructor for one year at the New York Medical College, and from 1962 was consulting psychiatrist for the Union Theological Seminary, New York. In 1965 he became a visiting lecturer at Waterloo Lutheran University (now Wilfrid Laurier University) and its federated college, Waterloo Lutheran Seminary. A fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Booth's research resulted in the publication of more than 60 articles. He worked as a research associate with the New York Psychiatric Institute for ten years. He was also a member of the American Psychosomatic Society, the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, the New York County Medical Society, and the American Medical Association.
J. Ray Houser (1897-1981) was a Lutheran pastor, and President of Waterloo Lutheran Seminary in Waterloo, Ontario. Houser was educated at Gettysburg College and Mt. Airy Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. After his ordination in 1924 he served as a pastor in the United States. In 1954 he became President of Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, serving until his retirement in 1968.
Elaine Briere is a Vancouver documentary-maker, photographer, journalist and social justice activist. Her documentary, Bitter Paradise: The Sell-Out of East Timor, won the best political documentary award at the Hot Docs Festival, North America’s preeminent documentary film showcase, in 1997. In addition to her work on East Timor, which includes a published collection of photographs (Testimony: Photographs of East Timor, Between the Lines, 2004), Briere has directed a documentary on Canadian merchant seamen, Betrayed: The Story of Canadian Merchant Seamen (1997), and has produced photo-journalism and print articles for "The Tyee", "Briarpatch", "Our Times", and other publications dedicated to labour and social justice issues. Briere’s photographs have appeared in many publications including, Carte Blanche Photography 1 (2004); The Other Mexico: The North American Triangle Completed (1996), South East Asia Tribal Groups and Ethnic Minorities (1987) and The Family of Women (1979). Her photographs have been featured in exhibits in Canada, Japan, Sweden and the United States.
Dr. Allon Peebles was born October 20th, 1900 in New Westminster. He graduated from UBC in 1920 and had a Ph.D. in economics from Columbia. Dr. Peebles taught economics at the University of California and at Columbia had worked with a committee in the United States on the costs of medical care. A medical and labour research economist, he was chairman of B.C.’s first Health Insurance Commission in 1936 and helped fashion the later B.C. Hospital Insurance Service. The 1936 Health Insurance Act was written by Peebles and Harry Morris Cassidy. In 1941, Peebles went to Ottawa as first executive director of the Unemployment Commission and was in charge of the labour department’s research and statistics. He wrote several books on medical facilities, insurance and care. After retiring from the labour department in 1947, Allon Peebles entered private business in Chatham, Ontario. He died in Ottawa on March 13, 1962.