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The Arts and Letters Club of Burlington, Ontario was formed in 1948 by a small group of dedicated women as an out-growth of the Roseland Book Club. Its purpose was to develop interest in literature and the arts, through the circulation of books, lectures on literary topics, art, music, films and drama. The early meetings were held in the Lion’s Club Hall, later in Trefoil Lodge, and then in the Burlington Central Library.

Personal Studio was founded by Robert T.G. Nicol and a friend, and officially opened for business on March 21, 1946. Nicol was the sole photographer and owner by the fall of 1946. For the next fifty years Robert Nicol documented the Waterloo Region through personal and commercial photography. He pioneered the concept of wedding albums in the local area. He had started flying in 1961 and from that time on took aerial photographs as well as studio and candid photography. In the course of his career he maintained memberships in professional photographers' organizations as well as completing continuing photographic educational courses offered by those organizations. He retired as a professional photographer in 1996.

The Department of Surgery at Women's College Hospital was established in 1915 under the leadership Dr. Minerva Reid (1915-1926), Chief of Surgery. By 1920, the department was performing approximately 500 operations per year. The Department was next headed by the following Surgeons-in-Chiefs: Dr. Edna Guest (1926-1931); Dr. Kathleen Bartley (1931-1946); Dr. Jessie Gray (1946-1964); Dr. Marjorie Davis (1965-1976); Dr. Robert D. Henderson (1976-1988); Dr. Lavina Lickley (1988-1999). In 1999, Women's College Hospital amalgamated with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the Orthopedic and Arthritic Institute to form Sunnybrook & Women’s College Hospital. During this time period, Women’s College Campus continued to maintain a Chief of Surgery. On April 1, 2006, Women's College Hospital regained its independent governance and became Ontario’s first and only ambulatory care hospital. The Ambulatory Surgical Services Program at Women's College Hospital performs a variety of surgical procedures including general surgery, plastic surgery focusing on breast cancer & breast reconstruction and urological procedures under the leadership of Dr. John Semple, Chief of Surgery.

The Walden Garden Club was first founded by Jean Narozanski in 1976. Narozanski was the municipal horticulturalist in Walden and also worked at the public library. She noticed a desire of residents to learn more about horticulture and founded the club to provide an outlet for various homeowners to discuss gardening. That same year, Narozanski also established Northern Perennials, a local gardening store. By 1980, Narozanski moved to Manitolan Island and the club discontinued around the mid 1980's.

Former Chairmen of the Walden Garden Club include;

Jean Narozanski 1976-1977
Evelyn Nelson 1977-1978
Myra Gauthier 1978-1979

The Faculty of Science at Wilfrid Laurier University was founded in 2000, when the Faculty of Arts and Sciences partitioned into distinct faculties of Arts and Science. The Faculty consists of the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Kinesiology and Physical Education, Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, Psychology and the Health Sciences program. Deans of the Faculty of Science have been Dr. Arthur Szabo (2000-2007), Dr. Deb MacLatchy (2007-2009), and Dr. Paul Jessop (2009- present).

The Faculty is predominantly housed in the Science Building which was officially opened in 1995. Eventually the Science Research Centre (opened in 2004) was added between the Science and Bricker Academic Buildings. The Research Centre is a dedicated research building for faculty and students.

In 2000, the Faculty of Science mandate was as follows:
“Laurier’s Faculty of Science is dedicated to collaboration between and beyond its six departments. In that spirit, the Faculty offers selected high quality programs with homes in Biology, Chemistry, Kinesiology & Physical Education, Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science and Psychology. Its programs are contemporary and competitive, designed to attract the highest quality students, and to provide them with a stimulating education and thorough preparation for employment or further studies. That Faculty holds the advance of scientific knowledge as one of its key values, and as such is committed to sustaining a supportive climate for research in the pure, social and applied sciences. The Faculty’s spirit of shared enterprise is highly valued by its members.”

The Brantford campus of Wilfrid Laurier University opened in 1999. The campus is located in downtown Brantford, Ontario and awards Bachelors degrees in Business Technology Management, Contemporary Studies, Criminology, Education, English, Health Administration, Health Studies, History, Human Rights and Human Diversity, Journalism, Law and Society, Leadership, Psychology and Youth and Children's Studies.

Planning for the creation of a university in Brantford began in 1996, when the Brant Community Futures Development Corporation commissioned a business plan for the establishment of a university in Brantford. The city of Brantford had experienced economic decline in the wake of the collapse of the farm equipment industry. Community leaders, including members of the Grand Valley Educational Society, hoped that a university would contribute to urban renewal of the city’s downtown core. They also sought to provide local post-secondary educational opportunities for local students. In 1998, the City of Brantford, The Grand Valley Educational Society and Wilfrid Laurier University signed a “letter of intent” to form a campus of Laurier in Brantford.

The first building occupied by Laurier Brantford was the Carnegie Building on George Street, originally constructed as a library, and renovated as a university building. As it expanded the university has constructed new buildings, including the Student Centre built by the Student Union in 2005. Other university buildings, like Grand River Hall which opened in 2001, are examples of adaptive re-use, and have been renovated to meet the needs of the university.

Laurier Brantford is administered by a Vice-President/Principal who reports to the President of Wilfrid Laurier University. The faculty report to the Dean of Brantford, and govern through the Brantford Divisional Council. Library service is provided by Laurier librarians at the Brantford Public Library.

Brantford students are members of the Wilfrid Laurier University Students Union (WLUSU).

Waterloo Lutheran Seminary (WLS) officially opened on October 30, 1911 in Waterloo, Ontario in a house located on five acres of land donated by the City of Waterloo. The first class consisted of four students and one full-time faculty member, Ottomar Lincke. Lincke would also serve as the first executive officer until 1914. In 1924, Waterloo College was established, providing courses in post-secondary education. The following year, the Seminary and Waterloo College affiliated with the University of Western Ontario (UWO) allowing students to earn an accredited degree. Women were allowed to attend to Waterloo College beginning in 1929.

In 1960 Waterloo College ended its affiliation with the University of Western Ontario and became an independent, degree granting institution called Waterloo Lutheran University that operated alongside the Seminary.

The current Seminary building was dedicated on October 20th, 1963. In 1973 Waterloo Lutheran University became a provincially-funded, secular institution and was renamed Wilfrid Laurier University. The Lutheran Church was no longer responsible for the operating the University but the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary remained a federated college of Wilfrid Laurier University.

In the 1980s, the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary gained full accreditation status in the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. In 1994, a Doctor of Ministry degree was added. The year 2010 saw the creation of the Kanata Centre for Worship and Global Song, which seeks to bridge the cultural gap between developed and less developed countries. Currently, the Seminary offers a variety of diploma, master’s and doctoral programs, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies and Global Citizenship.

The Soroptimist Club was formed in Oakland, California in 1921 for women who hold executive status in business, government or a profession. Membership was by invitation only and was limited to women with careers outside of the home. The aim of the Soroptimist Club was to provide service to the community, usually through fundraising and donations, to promote the advancement of women in business and to maintain high ethical standards in professional life.

The Soroptimist Club of the Sudbury Nickel District was chartered on January 29, 1949. It was founded by Margaret Kerr of Montreal. Elizabeth Soutar (Bess Soutar), head of the local Victorian Order of Nurses (V.O.N.), was the first President of the Sudbury Nickel District chapter. The club met twice monthly, on the second and fourth Mondays, the first only for business and the second to have a dinner meeting followed by business and/or a speaker. These early meetings were held mainly at Cassio's Motor Hotel or in members' homes.

During it's life, the Soroptimist Club sponsored many community projects, including providing a monthly allowance for three years to a nurse in training; Christmas dinners to elderly members of the community; sponsoring the Soutar Senior Citizen's Club; sending underprivileged children to summer camp; giving a clothing allowance to a secondary school student, which allowed her to graduate; providing rent for underprivileged college students during the summer months; donating $500 to the Centennial Project for trees in Bell Park; giving a donation of $1000 so a room could be refurnished at the Y.W.C.A. and putting on concerts.

The club celebrated their 25th Anniversary with dinner at Cassio's Motor Hotel in the Venetian Room on June 8, 1974. However, membership and participation in the club was declining. By 1975 meetings dwindled and only seven or eight women were taking an active interest, so in 1976 the club's activities came to an end after 27 years.

Club Presidents:
Bess Soutor 1949-1950
Kay Elliott 1950-1950
Allegra Walker 1951-1952
Eleanor Hambley 1952-1954
Lempi Johnson 1954-1955
Grace Wigg 1955-1957
Thelma Paulson 1957-1959
Ursala Black 1959-1961
Margaret Blue 1961-1962
Mary Brown 1962-1964
Florence Tomlinson 1964-1966
Myrtle Kennedy 1966-1969
Editha McLellan 1969-1970
Mary Brown 1970-1972
Myrtle Kennedy 1972-1974

The Chelmsford Women's Institute was founded on June 3rd, 1949. It was created by the women of Chelmsford as a branch of the pre-existing Women's Institutes in Canada, founded by Adelaide Hoodless in 1897. Mrs. Grace McCrystal (nee Vaillancourt) organized the first meeting at her home in Chelmsford and sixteen ladies attended to listen to District President, Mrs. H. Williams, and District Secretary, Mrs. J. Hamilton, explain the work and aims of the Women's Institute.

The organization was founded as a non-partisan and non-sectarian group with the primary goal of education. Standing committees included Agriculture and Canadian Industries, Citizenship and Education, Community Activities and Public Relations, Historic Research and Current Events, Home Economics and Health, and Resolutions.

The Women's Institute helped local families in need, usually by raising funds, donating clothing or sending flowers. They also gave monetary donations to national causes, such as the Red Cross, presented papers at meetings on the topics of agriculture, local history, geography, shopping and hygiene and hosted events for members, such as baby showers, Christmas gift exchanges and sleigh rides. The group also took it upon themselves to document the history of Chelmsford with the creation of their Tweedsmuir History Scrapbooks between 1949 and 1956. The research for these scrapbooks was undertaken by their Historic Research and Current Events Standing Committee Convener, Rose Cvitkovich.

The Chelmsford Women's Institute officially disbanded in 1960.

Former Presidents of the Chelmsford Women's Institute include:

Mrs. A. Rheaume (1949 - 1950)
Mrs. Albert DeFinney (December 1950 - April 1951)
Mrs. Yvonne Trottier (nee Paquette) (1951 - 1952, 1953 - 1955)
Mrs. G. Castonguay (1952)
Mrs. R. Cvitkovich (1956)

Robert Frederick Hagan, painter, printmaker and educator, was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1918. He was educated at Central Technical School (Toronto) and the Ontario College of Art. From 1941-1946, Hagan was employed as Resident Artist and Master at Pickering College in Newmarket, Ontario. In the spring of 1946, Hagan journeyed to New York for further studies. Later the same year, he began teaching at the Ontario College of Art. In 1955 he became Head of Printmaking, a position which he held until his retirement in 1983. Frederick Hagan has held memberships in the Canadian Society of Graphic Art (of which he was made an Honourary Member in 1965), the Canadian Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, the Ontario Society of Artists, and the Print and Drawing Council of Canada. His work is in the collections of numerous Canadian galleries. Frederick Hagan passed away on September 6, 2003 at the age of 85.