Nils Willison (1880-1964) was a Lutheran pastor, professor and administrator. Willison graduated from the University of Toronto in 1908, received a BA from Queens University, and was the first graduate of Evangelical Lutheran Seminary (now Waterloo Lutheran Seminary) in 1914. He was a professor at Waterloo College from 1918-1928, and also served as Registrar. From 1928-1936 Nils Willison was pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Hamilton. He was President and Dean of the Lutheran College and Seminary in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, from 1936-1949. Willison returned to Ontario in 1949 and served as pastor of the Owen Sound-Wiarton parish until 1952. He was a member of the Board of Governors of Waterloo College and Seminary for 12 years. The University of Western Ontario granted Nils Willison an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1944. Wilfrid Laurier University’s Willison Hall is named in his honour.
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.
John Cowper Powys (1872-1963) was an English author and lecturer. Born in Derbyshire, England, he was the eldest of eleven children of Rev. Francis and Mary Powys. John Cowper Powys was educated at Sherborne School and Corpus Christi, Cambridge. He first lectured at girls' schools in the Brighton area, and from 1898 to 1909 lectured for the Oxford University Extension Delegacy. In 1905 he made his first lecture tour in the United States, where he continued to tour until 1934. Powys' publications include novels, an autobiography, and a series of philosophical essays. In 1958 he received the plaque of the Hamburg Free Academy of Arts for outstanding services to literature and philosophy. In 1962 Powys received an honorary degree from the University of Wales.
Jim Birtch (19-- - ) is the Executive Secretary of the Canadian Biosphere Reserves Association, a non-profit association incorporated in 1997, to provide support and networking relationships that help develop and maintain biosphere reserves throughout Canada.
Michael Kelly was born in Sudbury Ontario in 1953 and attended Laurentian University from 1973 to 1978. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History and then matriculated to the University of Toronto (1979-1985) for his Master of Arts in History. During this time, he was asked to write a chapter in an upcoming local Sudbury history book to help celebrate the one hundred anniversary of the founding of Sudbury. The book was divided up into decades and Michael Kelly was assigned 1900-1910. This chapter was later completed by Ashley Thompson and the book was published ten years after its intended publication date in 1993 entitled Sudbury Rail Town to Regional Capital.
Other books Kelly worked on while a student at Laurentian include Inventory and Guide to Historic Building in Sudbury, 1978.
From 1979 to 1985, Kelly traded commercial paper and foreign exchange securities as part of a corporate cash management team with INCO Limited. From 1985 to 1986 he was a regional economic development officer in Northern Ontario and from 1986-1989 he operated as a training consultant for various companies. From 1990 to the present, Kelly has worked as a professor at Cambrian College specializing in Human Relations, Ethics and Project Management.
George Grace was born January 15, 1917. He moved to Sudbury, Ontario from Toronto on December 15, 1939 and began work as a sports reporter for The Sudbury Star in 1942. After serving in World War II, Grace returned to reporting for The Sudbury Star. During the 1950's, Grace developed polio which left his right hand atrophied and forced him into a wheelchair for several years. With the help of his wife Isobel, his condition improved and he continued writing sports articles. Grace was eventually promoted to Executive Editor before retiring in 1980. Ten years later, Grace began a regular sports column entitled 'Looking Back' which ran for about a decade. His final article appeared in the paper December 31, 2000. George Grace passed away December 23, 2007 at the age of 90.
Israel "Irving" Steinberg was born January 16 1919 in Peterborough Ontario. Shortly after his birth he moved with his parents, Joseph and Leah Steinberg and his sister Rose Steinberg, to Sudbury Ontario where his father founded Toronto Bargain Stores. The Steinbergs lived in Sudbury until 1932 when they moved to Toronto. Joseph Steinberg died on July 14 1963, and Irving Steinberg as executor of his estate retained property in Sudbury until 1968 when it was expropriated by the city as part of a downtown urban development project. Irving Steinberg passed away on March 1, 2011.
Denis Landry was born in Azilda, Ontario, on May 16, 1919. He began his academic pursuits at the age of seven and matriculated from Azilda Public School #2 at fourteen with an eighth grade education. Landry was unable to continue formal academic pursuits due to economic reasons and began to work on the family farm where he pasteurized milk and took care of the animals. Landry married his wife Thérèse Paquette on January 6th, 1945 and they had seven children. In order to support his family Landry worked as a miner for Inco at the Levack Nickel Mine Deposit where he held many positions. Despite his work, Landry still found the time for his family, and his community.
Landry was a devote catholic and enjoyed religious music. Denis was a member of the “paroisse de Chelmsford” choir and when the “paroisse Sainte-Agnès” was formed in 1953, he became leader of orchestra and remained so for 20 years.
Landry was an important figure for the education sector in the Azilda - Chelmsford area. He played a significant role during the creation of the Roman Catholic Separate School Section No.1 in 1955. Landry was appointed trustee for the RCS.S No.1 from 1955 to 1956. Thanks to Landry and other trustees, the Roman Catholic schools in the No.1 and No.2 district merged in 1961 and two new Separate schools were created “l’école St-Patrick” and “l’école St-Dominique-Savio”. In 1965 Landry was appointed to serve as trustee for the Chelmsford Valley District High School Board to represent all the Separate Schools in the areas of Rayside Balfour, Chelmsford, Dowling, and Levack. He spent six years as a trustee with the Chelmsford Valley District High School Board, to ensure that Catholic children from the area have an opportunity to pursue their studies at the secondary level. In 1968, the Ministry of Education warned the school boards of its intention to establish larger administrative units. Landry was appointed by the Chelmsford High School Board to serve in the “ADD-Hoc” committee in order to prepare the documents needed to restructure the School Boards in Ontario. Denis was then elected to represent the Western Separate Schools in 1969. He was honored to serve as a representative for the Western Separate Schools for the following 12 years. Denis Landry’s 32 years of service as a trustee for Separate Schools, gave generations of French Catholic children in the Azilda, Rayside area the opportunity to learn and grow in a proper education system.
Landry retired from Inco after 43 years of service. After his retirement he went on to work as a Real Estate agent. He was a strong supporter of the French culture in the community. His passion for education, the town of Azilda and the French culture inspired him to write a book entitled “Azilda comme je l’ai connue”.
Landry was also a member of the “Coopérative funéraire” and the “Club d’âge d’or d’ Azilda” (one of the founding members). For the remainder of his retirement Landry continued to devote himself to his pastimes, his community and his family. Denis Landry passed away on May 6th 2008 at the age of 88.
Gail Carr was a student at Waterloo Lutheran University (now Wilfrid Laurier University) from 1967 to 1970. She was a contestant in the Miss Canadian University Queen Contest in 1969. Her married name is Gail Murray.