Cambridge Hall of Fame

Born at the Galt Hospital on December 2, 1934, Bernice Marjorie (Brine) Adams was well known for her work as a radio commentator, as a journalist and as a member of first the Galt and then the Cambridge city councils. At the radio station she began work as a secretary but was soon recognized as a person with spark, enthusiasm, humour and a gift of the gab who was soon one of the city's better-known radio personalities. Her radio features included her "Woman of the Week" in which women of Cambridge were recognized for their contributions to the community. Mrs. Adams also submitted a number of unsolicited pieces to the Cambridge Reporter and soon found herself writing a weekly column called "Adams About Anything". The column featured stories about local history, personalities and all the fun of raising teenagers. Following the 1974 flood Mrs. Adams, through her work at the local radio station, was instrumental in attracting significant contributions to a fund to assist people who had suffered losses to the flood waters. Her other passion was for acting and she participated in a number of performances staged by the Galt Little Theatre. Mrs. Adams served as both president and vice-president of Beta Sigma Phi and the Cambridge Jay-cees. Mrs. Adams was first elected to Galt city council in 1971 and was acclaimed to represent Ward 2 in Cambridge in five subsequent elections. Elected to regional council in 1977, Mrs. Adams was appointed to the Waterloo Regional Police Commission in 1978. She was named vice-chair of the commission in January 1978 and was named commission Chair of the Commission in May 1979, the first woman to hold the position. She is reported to have taken "complete charge" of the five-member board leading it through its court battle with former police chief Syd Brown. She was described as "fiery", a "hard worker", a person who possessed a "colourful personality" and one of council's "most forceful and influential spokesmen." The Bernice Adams Awards program that recognizes local contributions to the visual arts, the performing arts, music and communications and the literary arts, was named in her memory. Mrs. Adams died on November 26, 1980 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Thomas Alison was born at Rosehill in Dalkeith, Scotland on 11 Nov 1850 the son of John Alison and Annie Nesbitt. In 1866 he came to Galt with his mother and six siblings to join his father who, two years earlier, had come to Galt where he had established a butcher shop. Mr Alison went to work in his father's shop in 1870 and married Susan Grills in 1874. In 1876 he opened his own butcher shop in a market stall on the lower level of the Galt City Hall. Mr Alison was described as a "fine type of man, sturdy, honest, industrious, of the strictest integrity, a good neighbour and a popular man, of genial temperament and whole souled nature". In 1879 Mr Alison purchased a 70 acre farm on Elgin St. near Jackson Park, later Soper Park. The farm was known as "The Oaks" in recognition of the nine old English oaks on the property and was used to raise livestock for the butcher shop. The farm included an abattoir where the animals were slaughtered under controlled conditions. He also developed an ice house operation at "The Oaks" taking ice from nearby Mill Creek and storing the ice in sufficient quantities to meet the needs of the farm and his retail business. In 1900 Mr Alison gave up his stall at the Town Hall and moved his business to the "Alison Block" at 71 Dickson St. which he had purchased. The block consisted of stores and apartments and was located across from the Galt Fire Hall on Dickson St. In 1904 he was elected to the North Dumfries Council where he served for six years, the last four of them, 1907-1910, as reeve. Mr Alison was a strong supporter of the Conservative Party and served as a returning officer for many years. He was an enthusiastic curler and was one of the founding members of the Galt Curling Club. Mr Alison died at "The Oaks" on 11 May 1927 but the butcher business he started continued to operate until 1952.

Ross Anderson (Inducted 2017)

Born and raised in Toronto in 1927, the only son of a dentist and his wife, Ross took an early interest in the arts. He became an enthusiastic and accomplished artist, filling sketchbook after sketchbook with drawings and watercolours. Drawing and painting is something he would do for as long as he lived. As a child, Ross would spend his summer with his family at their cottage on Toronto Island.

 As he finished high school at Jarvis Collegiate In 1946, Ross was just old enough to enlist. He signed up for the navy just as the war was ending. Before he enrolled in university, he travelled around the world, working, sketching and skiing and riding a motorcycle. In 1947, he began studying in the Architecture program at the University of Toronto, graduating with a BA in 1952. Before beginning the Masters of Architecture program in 1956, Ross became engaged and married Katharine Margaret Stewart, with whom he would spend the next 61 years. After graduating, he taught architecture at the University of Kansas for three years and then settled in Quebec City in 1963 to teach architecture at Laval University.

Ross was fluently bilingual, and used his French to make friends wherever he went. While he was teaching at the University of Laval, he spent many months in France and Switzerland on architectural exchange programs. Over the years, he developed a specialty in historic buildings and much of his career was devoted to heritage preservation. After graduating from the University of Toronto, he began an architectural practice that would last most of his life in one form or another, even as he taught in Quebec. 

Not only was Ross and excellent artist, architect and scholar, he was a superb athlete. Swimming, skiing, tennis and water polo were his sports. He stayed fit his entire life, continuing to sail, windsurf and cross country ski well into his sixties. A true and proud Canadian, he also enjoyed camping and canoeing most of his life, and was happy to spend his time outdoors all year round. 

Ross taught and practiced architecture during the 1960's and seventies, developing expertise in restoring and renovating historic architecture in Quebec and Atlantic Canada. During this period, his projects included the Acadian Village and Kings Landing in New Brunswick and Place Royale in Quebec. Leading up to Expo 67, Ross also designed national pavilions for Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. 

During their years in Toronto, Kansas and Quebec City, Ross and Katharine had four children, Robin, a marine biologist in Newfoundland; Kate, a statistician in New Jersey; Laura (d. 2001), an urban planner and landscape architect: and John, an environmental consultant in California. 

Between 1977 and 1992, Ross and Katharine lived Ottawa where Ross worked for Canadian Parks Services at Environment Canada as a senior restoration architect. He was involved in managing the restoration of national historic landmarks on federal lands across the country. While in Ottawa, he also contributed articles and drawings to the Ottawa Field Naturalist Journal. 

Ross and Katharine settled in Cambridge in 1992, purchasing a heritage property in the Dickson Hill neighbourhood. Ross drew inspiration from this house to create a regular comic called, "This Old House", for Century Home magazine. He became involved in many local efforts to preserve and celebrate historic architecture. This included participation in local heritage committees and the Cambridge & North Dumfries Community Foundation. He created an inventory of local heritage properties and was involved in the Heritage House Tour program. Ross also played a key role in the creation of the Trinity Church Labyrinth.

In 2000, Ross had a cycling accident that left him temporarily paralyzed. It took several years and tremendous effort to regain his strength and the use of his legs. During this period and for many years afterwards, Ross continued to maintain a keen interest in heritage conservation, sketching and painting.

Mr. Anderson passed away May 8, 2016

Germano Bairos was born on the island of Santa Maria, Azores, Portugal June 8, 1942. He immigrated to Canada in 1966 settling first in Montreal, Quebec before moving to Ontario and Galt in 1968. He worked for Galt Metal Industries, later Walker Industries, from 1968 to 1977 and founded All-Points Travel in 1977. Mr. Bairos began his contributions to the Portuguese community in Cambridge and to the city as a whole shortly after his arrival. In 1969 he began co-producing radio programs aimed at providing information for Portuguese newcomers. He followed this with the production of a theatre piece depicting the various problems faced by new immigrants to Canada.
Mr. Bairos was a founding member of the cultural/charitable organization known as "Imperio Maniense" in 1972, the Cambridge Portuguese Information Centre in 1975 and the Lusitania Villas in 1989. He served as President of the Portuguese Oriental Sports Club (1971-1972); the Portuguese School of Cambridge (1980-81); and the Cambridge Portuguese Information Centre (1980-1981 and 1983-1984. In addition Mr. Bairos has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Cambridge United Way and the Cambridge Community Foundation. In 1984 he headed the task force set up to investigate the need for a multicultural centre in Cambridge and then served as the as the centre's first president from 1985 to 1987.
Mr. Bairos served as the co-chair of the Portuguese festivals "Fado'74" and "Fado'75" and participated in the organization of the first "Portugal Day" in Cambridge. He has served the Portuguese community by acting as a court interpreter, by translating documents and by processing various documents and applications on their behalf. He was the editor and publisher of the Portuguese language newspaper "O Lusitano" from 1986 to 2005 and, in the early 1970's, in addition to the radio programming mentioned earlier developed television programming for Grand River cable and radio programming that addressed issues of concern to the Portuguese community.
Mr. Bairos served on the Multiculturalism Council of Canada as an advisor to the Federal Minister of State for Multiculturalism of Canada from 1986-1988 and served on the Waterloo Region Police Services Board from 1994 to 2000. He has been the recipient of the Walker Excellence Award for community work (1977); the Portugal Silver Medal (1992); the Governor-General's Canada 125 Medal; the Bernice Adams Award for Arts and Communications (1995); and, in 2000, the Prestigio e Dedicacao awarded in Portugal for dedicated service to his community.

Kayla Baker was born May 7, 1998,  she suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, the legacy of childhood cancer.  She required and received a lung transplant in 2013.  Kayla became a tireless and dedicated advocate for lung health, all the while fighting her own battle with cancer.  She became a Sick kids ambassador attending patient care meetings, many fundraisers events as well as being an outreach speaker with Sick Kids and Trillium Gift of Life Network.  She was also involved with the Canadian Transplant Association as a member associate where she was given the Victor Davis Memorial Award along with the City of Cambridge for promoting Organ donations awareness with the “Going Green for Kayla“ Campaign.   As a member of the Trillium Gift of Life Network, Kayla received an award for the advocacy for organ donation.  She helped increase organ donation registration in the Waterloo Region area by 30%.  She was also involved with the Ontario Lung Association with the Kayla baker Research Fund, raising $80,000.00 for lung research health.  She also served as the spokesperson for the Breathing as One Campaign bring awareness to lung health and research.  Kayla received the Lung Association National Youth Award and was the Founder of Run a Lung.  She is also the namesake of the The Kayla Baker Research Award, which was developed with Kayla's family.  This award helps fund research in support of Kayla’s vision of improved care and quality of life for people affected by lung disease, particularly lung transplant patients. She was also the recipient of Toronto Hospital for Sick Kids' Spirit Award which recognizes an individual who inspires others and encourages others in the community to take philanthropic leadership.  Through an event this individual involves the community by mobilizing volunteers, participants and also creates awareness.  Kayla went on to help raise over $120,000.00 for Toronto Sick kids in 3 years.  She was the top individual fundraising award for sick kids 2013 $78,000.00 raised that year.  Launched Go Green for Kayla bring awareness to organ donation.  Local catholic schools St. Michael and St. Benedict have a Kayla Baker runalung award that is presented to one student a year along with awards for Cambridge Minor Baseball and Cambridge Softball! 

Kayla Baker served as inspiration to many in her community that it did not matter how young or sick you may be, that you could make a lasting impact on your community.  Kayla sadly passed away on January 1, 2014.  She made an incredible impact in just a short time.

Bill Barlow, affectionately and widely known as “Bowtie Bill” for his trademark bowtie, was born February 20th 1931 in Galt and has been a lifelong engaged caring community citizen. 

He attended St. Andrew’s public school, Galt Collegiate and the Galt Business School.  

During these early years Bill joined the Boy Scouts, was an Air Cadet and met Bernice Hedges a fellow scouter who was also an active volunteer,  dedicated to family and passionate about the community and politics. Bill and Bernice got married in 1955 at Trinity Church and as raised their 3 children Tom, Janice & Terry they became leaders and organizers of various service clubs, community associations and cultural projects. 

Bill served as Alderman for the City of Galt from 1967 to 1972 and as Councillor for the City of Cambridge for 1973 to 1977.  When he retired from council he planned to enjoy private time but   was asked by many and answered the call to serve and represent them in provincially. He was elected Cambridge & North Dumfries' Member of Provincial Parliament for two terms (1981 to 1987).   

 Bill began working at his family's business at age of 15 and soon after he joined the Galt branch of Junior Chamber International. During the more than 40 years he operated and owned Barlow Cartage he served on local and provincial business and trade associations.  

Bill’s activities with many community organizations throughout his lifetime epitomize the Rotary Club’s motto, Service Above Self & One Profits Most Who Serves Best, the Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycee) creed the Service to Humanity is the Best Work of Life.

Bill served for 62 years, off and on, as a Cub, Scout, Rover, leader, executive member and administrator in scouting movement.  

For his duty and service to the community, Bill was named Cambridge Citizen of the Year for 1988 by the Jaycees, was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, and was made a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary and an honorary lifetime member of the Preston Hespeler Rotary Club. 

Bill currently supports many organizations and is active member of Probus,  Trinity Church, the Association of Former Parliamentarians, the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario-Cambridge Branch and,  Junior Chamber International as a Jaycee Senator. 

Born in Toronto on 4 Jan 1909, Ewart Andrew Bartley was educated in Woodstock, Ontario, where he moved with his family when age nine, then came to Galt in 1943. He began studying piano at the age of eight and by the time he was twelve had two piano students of his own. Mr Bartley continued his music education in Toronto at the Royal Conservatory of Music where he studied with some of the best music teachers in the country. He studied the organ with Albert Jordan, the piano with Ernest Sietz and composition with Healy Willan. Mr Bartley began his musical career at the age of 17 when he became the church organist at St Paul's Presbyterian Church and Trinity United Church in Ingersoll. In 1943 he became the director of music at Knox's Presbyterian Church in Galt, a post he was to hold until ill health forced his retirement in 1980. His church gratefully designated him organist emeritus. From 1943 until 1968, Mr Bartley acted as music supervisor of the Preston public schools and served on the examining board of the Western Conservatory of Music, London, from 1953 to 1960. In addition, he served on the examining board of the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, from 1961 to 1980. Mr Bartley was a composer of note, producing over seventy compositions, including "The Whistling Boy", "River Song", "Suite for Children" and "Two Dances for Piano". The latter, performed by John Newmark, was included in a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation recording of the works of outstanding Canadian composers. Some of his other piano compositions were chosen by the CBC for overseas broadcast. One of his choral pieces, "Blessed is the Man", was published in 1975.
Mr Bartley's musicianship and outstanding keyboard technique were legendary. Nothing seemed too difficult. He felt that the choir should be challenged to sing the very best music and they performed such oratorios and cantatas as "Messiah" and "Samson" by Handel, Haydn's "The Creation", Beethoven's "Mount of Olives", Vivaldi's "Gloria" and C.P.E. Bach's "Magnificat". Mr Bartley attracted fine singers and trained the soloists required for these compositions. He inspired in all choir members the dedication and enthusiasm required for success. Mr Bartley's musical influence was also felt outside his church where he organized the Scroggins Male Chorus. As evidence of Mr Bartley's teaching ability, this choir achieved first place in choir competitions in Hamilton and Toronto only seventeen months after its formation. When Mr Bartley resigned as director of the chorus it continued as the Savage Shoe Male Chorus under the leadership of Duncan Addison. Another outstanding group of singers trained and led by Mr Bartley was the Bartley Singers. Mr Bartley was the organist and music director at Knox's Presbyterian Church in Galt for about 37 years and was the recipient of the Bernice Adams Trustees Special Award of 1985 for his contributions to the cultural life of Cambridge. Mr Bartley died on 28 Aug 1987.

The Rev. John Bayne was born in the west parish of Greenoch, Scotland on 16 Nov 1806 the eldest son of the Rev. Kenneth Bayne, then minister of the Gaelic Chapel of Greenoch, and Margaret Hay the daughter of a Presbyterian minister.
Mr Bayne was intellectually precocious and possessed a fine analytical mind. He attended grammar school in Greenoch and entered the University of Glasgow in November 1819. He completed his theological studies on 8 Sep 1830. Mr Bayne was ordained a minister of the Presbyterian Church on 3 Sep 1834 and was sent by the Colonial Committee of the Church to Toronto where he served in St Andrew's Church until the summer of the following year. He then received and accepted a call from the "Scotch Church" congregation at Galt and in 1835 took over St Andrews Church from the its founding minister the Rev. William Stewart.
For Rev. Bayne no undertaking could be more important than helping to bring souls to eternal salvation. And, For Rev. Bayne, there was no better way to convince people of the righteousness of God's word than through preaching. He believed that his message was so important to the well being of his congregation that he sometimes seemed unable to end a service and would speak until fatigue forced him to stop. In consequence his services were seldom less than 1.5 hours and more often than not stretched to well over 2 hours. Yet the abilities of Rev. Bayne was such that he attracted and maintained what has been described as a well-consolidated congregation with the largest communion roll of any Presbyterian congregation in the province, drawing Presbyterians from a radius of 15 miles to attend his services. It was largely through Rev. Bayne's influence that Presbyterian congregations were established in Paris, Ayr, Doon, Berlin, New Hope and Puslinch.
His preaching has been described as "pointed" and that he was unsparing in condemning sin and hypocrisy. In Rev. Bayne's mind there was to be no compromising with evil. The truth and doctrinal purity must prevail. It was this fierce attachment to doctrinal purity that motivated Rev. Bayne to become deeply involved in the disruption that broke apart the Canadian Presbyterian Church in 1844.
The problem in the Canadian church developed out of a dispute within the Church of Scotland. Because of what Rev. Bayne and others saw as unconscionable interference in the Church of Scotland by British government authorities, a movement began which urged the Presbyterian Church of Canada in connection with the Church of Scotland to break all ties with the Established Church of Scotland. At a church synod held in Kingston in 1844, Rev. Bayne led those urging the church to eliminate the words "in connection with the Church of Scotland" from the Canadian church's name. The argument failed to win adequate support and Rev. Bayne was among 23 ministers who broke away to form the Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Canada, often described as the Free Presbyterian Church.
Upon Rev. Bayne's return to Galt from the Kingston synod he prepared and preached a sermon in which he gave the reasons for his stance and, in a dramatic finale, descended from the pulpit and walked out of the church followed by the majority of his congregation.
A minority remained at St Andrews and kept the congregation alive until it merged with the Union Presbyterian Church in 1880 to form Central Presbyterian Church. The majority, formed themselves into a new congregation which they called Knox's Presbyterian Church and built a new stone church building at the north-east corner of Dickson and Ainslie Street. The congregation remained at this site until 1869 when they moved into a new Knox's Presbyterian Church built on Queen's Square.
Although prior to the Kingston Synod, Rev. Bayne had been little involved in the administration of the Canadian Church, he soon became an important figure in the Synod of the (Free) Presbyterian Church of Canada. He served as moderator of the church in 1846 for a one year period and then served as a convenor of the committee investigating the possible union of the Free Church with the United Presbyterian Church. As moderator, Rev. Bayne was influential in the establishment of Knox College, the Free Church's theological seminary and in 1847 he was given the task of journeying to Scotland to find a suitable professor for the school.
In 1853 Rev. Bayne was urged by colleagues to take up a vacancy at Knox College in Toronto but he declined, feeling himself insufficiently qualified for what was widely held as a most prestigious position. This decision was consistent with Rev Bayne's character. For all his importance within the church hierarchy, Rev. Bayne remained remarkably self-effacing and sought to avoid any situation that appeared to honour him as an individual rather then as a servant of the church. Consequently he was deeply embarrassed when later in 1853 the Presbyterian Church in the United States, without his knowledge, conferred on him the title of Doctor of Divinity. His chagrin was such that he was later heard to remark that he "had not yet got over the shame of it".
In September 1853, Rev. Bayne became severely ill and although he recovered, it was clear that he must change his work habits. His solution was to shorten afternoon service to save more energy for the evening service. This was not satisfactory and in 1858 the congregation succeeded in obtaining the services of Rev. Archibald Geike to serve as Rev. Bayne's assistant.
Relieved of some of his responsibilities, Rev. Bayne's health and spirits revived somewhat but, on 3 Nov 1859, Rev. Bayne fell ill once again and took to his bed. Although the illness did not appear serious, this time there was no recovery and Rev. Bayne died quietly in his sleep. He is buried in Mountview Cemetery.

Jessie Louise Beattie was born at "Willow Bank", her parents' home in Blair on 2 Oct 1896, the youngest of the seven children of Frank and Janet (Fleming) Beattie. It is said that she compressed several careers into one lifetime including those of librarian, teacher and social worker but she herself held her most important vocation to be that of "author".
At an early age she demonstrated an ability to make language do her bidding and began composing poetry at age 5. She published her first work when she was 15. It was a poem written in honour of Dr Charlton, a Galt physician who cared for her during her various illnesses. The poem was printed in the Galt Reporter and was soon followed by others written under the name Rainbow Bright.
Following graduation from high school, Ms Beattie went to work in libraries in Kitchener, Buffalo and Hamilton. By 1928, however, she returned to Blair to see to the needs of her aging parents.
The following year, the Dickson family, who lived across the road from her parents' home, asked Ms Beattie to tutor their three daughters. Unsure of how to handle the situation she contacted the Ministry of Education which provided her with a licence to teach privately anywhere in Ontario up to the high school entrance level.
With her teaching licence in hand she converted a room in the Beattie home into a class room and set about teaching the Dickson children. Her teaching, however, did not interfere with her writing and in 1929 Ryerson Press published a book of her poems called Blown Leaves. This was followed, in 1931, by a second book of poems called Shifting Sails. In 1935 her first novel Hill Top was published by The MacMillan Company and in all she published 20 books, three plays and an operetta.
By now well versed in the literary arts, Ms Beattie gathered about her a number of teen-age girls from Blair and, with them, formed a Literary Club called the "Cruisers". It was soon apparent that there was a general lack of reading material available to the group and, with the Great Depression in full swing, money to buy books was scarce. The Cruisers decided to raise some money by putting on a play but they couldn't find a script that suited them. Undaunted, Ms Beattie decided to write the play herself and produced The Four Leaf Clover. The play, which included a cast of 21, was first staged in the Blair Union School early in 1934.
The play proved a resounding success but in a way no one foresaw. The Ontario Welfare Council of Ontario became aware of the project and between 1934 and 1937 engaged Ms Beattie to travel to rural areas and small villages to teach play production skills as a means by which these areas could develop winter recreation and local fundraising activities.
Following this assignment Ms Beattie took a position, from 1937 to 1939, as House Mother at Coronation Cottage at the Ontario Training School for Girls in Galt. Here she was confronted with a young girl who could be taught little using the usual teaching methods. With the permission of the Ministry of Education, Ms Beattie introduced, with considerable success, a teaching method aimed at Handicapped Children that had been developed in California.
During the Second World War, Ms Beattie lived in Vancouver, working at the Vancouver Public Library and writing a column called "I Listen In" for the Vancouver Province.
While pursuing all her other careers, Ms Beattie continued to write books that were well received. Unlike some authors who are strong only in one area, she had success in various literary forms publishing books on travel, adventure, biography and fiction as well as her autobiography.
Following the Second World War, Ms Beattie settled in Hamilton with her new husband David Gaffin. She continued to tutor students and to write but by 1967 she began to lose her sight. Despite this setback, she continued to write, her books now dictated onto tape. Her last book was published in 1983. She died in Hamilton on 5 Oct 1985 just two days after her 89th birthday. She is buried in the Blair Cemetery with other family members.

Clara Bernhardt was born in Preston on June18, 1911 the daughter of A. R. Bernhardt. Stricken with polio at the age of eleven, Clara used a wheelchair for the remainder of her days. Her formal education ended after Grade 8. At the time Preston didn't have a high school and the streetcars that took her friends to Galt Collegiate Institute could not accommodate her wheel chair. Frustrated by this situation Miss Bernhardt turned to books to advance her education and to writing to fill her time. Her first published work, "Eve's Opportunity", appeared in an American magazine Girlhood Days when she was seventeen years old. In the following years she wrote thousands of poems and had a number of them published in the Canadian Home Journal and the Star Weekly. She had five collections of poems published including "Silent Rhythm", "Far Horizons", "Hidden Music", "Bermuda Interlude" and "I Need You". Miss Bernhardt claimed that it was during the Second World War that she actually learned to write by contributing book reviews to the Prestonian, a local weekly newspaper. She also wrote a column for the Canadian Red Cross reminding citizens of the needs of the fighting forces was a correspondent for the Kitchener-Waterloo Record. Miss Bernhardt was also the author of two published novels, "Song of Zion", about Christian-Jewish relations and "Open Window" which was concerned with post war conditions. Miss Bernhardt provided the lyrics for the Centennial Year Hymn that was sung in Canadian churches throughout 1967. In addition, she wrote a play called "Constant Flame" which depicted early Lutheranism in Canada and which was performed during the 50th anniversary of Waterloo Lutheran Seminary. For 30 years Miss Bernhardt wrote columns in the Preston Times and its successors under the titles "So This is Preston" and "From Where I Sit". In 1991 Lt.-Gov. Lincoln Alexander presented Miss Bernhardt with the Order of Ontario in recognition of "achieving outstanding excellence and achievement in her field of endeavour". Miss Bernhardt died on May 1, 1993 at the Freeport Health Centre Village in Kitchener. Her ashes are buried in Preston Cemetery.

Richard Blain was born in Bowness-on-Solway in Cumberland, England on January 26, 1821. He came to Canada in 1839 to learn the milling business in the employ of James Bell Ewart of Dundas. Four years later Mr. Blain along with Adam Ker took over operations of the Dickson Mills in Galt with Mr. Blain acting as the chief miller. A few months later the mill was heavily damaged by fire but was rebuilt with the assistance of Mr. Ewart. Mr. Blain continued as chief miller and manager of the mill until the death of Mr. Ewart in 1853. The following year Mr. Blain formed a partnership with his brother James to lease and operate the mills until 1858. The partnership dissolved that year and in 1859 Richard Blain again leased the property and operated the mill for the next 23 years. In 1874 Richard Blain purchased the property from his brother James and retained possession of it until he retired from business in 1882. Mr. Blain served on Galt municipal council from 1857 to 1859, from 1862 to 1864, from 1866 to 1870 and again from 1871 to 1875. He served as mayor of Galt from 1876 to 1879. In addition he served as president of the Galt Mechanics Institute and, for seventeen years, as secretary of the South Waterloo Agricultural Society, resigning in 1901. He was also a director of the Gore Mutual Fire Insurance Company and was president of the Grand River Mutual Insurance Company. Mr. Blain died on July 14, 1905 and is buried in Trinity Anglican Cemetery.

Wilfred J. Blum was a Preston pharmacist who operated Blum's Pharmacy. He is best remembered, however, as the founder and driving force behind the Preston Scout House Band. Mr. Blum had a great interest in the Scouting movement and upon his return to Preston after graduating with honours from the College of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto he helped to found the 1st Preston Boy Scout Troop. At the time, as now, many Scout troops were associated with churches that provided rooms for troop meetings and other activities. With the 1st Preston troop things were done a bit differently and the charter for the local scout troop was granted directly to Mr. Blum. Mr. Blum looked at Scouting as a means of instilling lasting values in the boys as well as keeping them active and helping to build character. Lacking a hall in which to hold scout meetings Mr. Blum approached the Bernhardt family, owners of the dilapidated Rock Spring Brewery stable and had little difficulty convincing them to turn the forlorn old building over to him for a minor fee for use as a scout hall. He then raised the necessary funds in the community and the scouts transformed the eyesore into a handsome home for the 1st Preston troop. Under his leadership the Scout Hall became a centre of teen activity in the community. Each Saturday evening the "Teen Canteen" offered dances and entertainment that attracted crowds of up to 500 teens from Galt, Hespeler, Brantford, Guelph and Kitchener in addition to those from Preston. As the local assistant Scout Master, Mr. Blum started the Preston Scout House Band in October 1938. Initially the band was intended to be one of a number of scouting activities that the 1st Preston troop members could undertake. However the band soon became the primary Scouting activity for which Mr. Blum demanded total commitment by band members. He laid down a series of rules that required the boys take care of their health and appearance as well as adopting a "buddy" system to help take care of each other. As the band took up more and more of the troop's time tension developed between the local troop and provincial Boy Scout officials. Continuing disputes over uniforms, band publicity and an extensive tour schedule were exacerbated by personal conflicts between the officials and Mr. Blum. Finally in 1953 the Band's ties to the Scouting movement were officially severed when provincial authorities refused to renew 1st Preston's charter. The band was now outside the Scout movement but that had little effect on the band's continuing development. Through hard work and perseverance the band developed into one of the most well-known and respected drum and bugle bands in all of North America. In 1979, in recognition of his work with the band Mr. Blum was presented with the Founders Award from the Canadian Drum Corps Association. In 1985 he was inducted into the United States Drum Corps Hall of Fame and in 1987 he was awarded the Province of Ontario Volunteer Service Award. Mr. Blum died on December 21, 1993 and is buried in the Preston Cemetery.

The Rev. Michael Boomer as born at Hill Hall near Lisburn, County Down, Ireland in 1810. He was educated at Belfast Royal Academical Institution and graduated with a M.A from Trinity College, Dublin in 1838. He subsequently received his L.L.D degree from the same college and was ordained a deacon in 1840 and an Anglican priest in 1841. He was described as a "scholarly man, of fine presence and possessing a deep, rich voice was a good reader and preacher". He was appointed a missionary for the propagation of the Gospel by the Right Rev. Dr. Strachan, Bishop of Toronto and arrived in Galt in 1840 to take over the newly formed Trinity Anglican Parish. He oversaw the building of the church building that was completed in 1844. Rev. Boomer was instrumental, directly and indirectly, in establishing all of the Anglican churches in Cambridge and North Dumfries. He was also responsible, through William Jaffray, for the establishment of St. John the Evangelist Church in Berlin. Indeed, all the Anglican churches in Waterloo Region, save one, can trace its roots back to Trinity Anglican Church and the expansion drive begun by Rev. Boomer. In 1842 Rev. Boomer was named a Commissioner of Schools for the Township of North Dumfries and in 1845 became the third member of the Galt Public School Board. He was also one of the first trustees of the newly formed Galt Grammar School later known as Galt Collegiate Institute. He remained in charge of Trinity Anglican Church for well over 30 years leaving finally in 1872 to move to London, Ontario where he became Dean of Huron. He died in London, Ontario on March 4, 1888 and is buried in the London Cemetery.

Andrew Jackson Brewster was born in Jefferson County in New York state in 1836. He came to Hespeler in 1854 and was first employed as a foreman in the construction of the Great Western Railway branch line that was built between Galt and Guelph. In 1859 he accepted a teaching position at SS No.19, Waterloo Township, known as the Groh School, and in 1865 he was appointed the principal of Hespeler Public School. He held the position for 11 years, resigning in 1876. Mr Brewster remained connected with education in the village serving as a member of the local school board beginning in 1877. He took on further duties as the Secretary-Treasurer of the board in 1889. In 1877, Mr Brewster opened an office for conveyancing and insurance in Hespeler, a business he operated until his death in 1903. His son, Winfield Brewster, succeeded him in this business as in so many other things. Mr Brewster was appointed the Village Clerk of Hespeler in 1870 and became the Village Treasurer in 1892. He was also, for many years, an auditor of both the Guelph and Ontario Investment Co. and the Mutual Life Assurance Co. and acted as auditor in investigations into the workings of the Waterloo Registry Office held in 1891 and 1896. It was Mr Brewster who read the proclamation incorporating the settlement of New Hope as the Village of Hespeler in 1858. He died 4 Mar 1903 and is buried in New Hope Cemetery.

Winfield Brewster entered into the political life of Hespeler when, in 1900, he was asked to read the proclamation which incorporated Hespeler as a town. In doing so he followed in the footsteps of his father, Andrew Jackson Brewster, who performed this duty in 1858 when Hespeler was incorporated as a village. Winfield followed his father in many endeavours. In 1898, he entered the conveyancing and insurance business started by his father in 1877. He was known as one of Hespeler's leading citizens and was instrumental in building up an "outstanding" Patriotic Fund during World War I. He was his father's successor as Hespeler Town Clerk and Treasurer of the Hespeler Public School Board when the elder Mr Brewster died in 1903. Mr Brewster was a Captain in the 29th Waterloo Militia and was a one third owner of the first automobile in Hespeler, a steam runabout purchased in Brooklyn, New York in 1906. Mr Brewster was the primary organizer of both the 1906 and the 1926 Old Boys Reunion and was consulted frequently by the organizers of the 1947 Homecoming. Mr Brewster was the Honorary President of the Hespeler Horticultural Society, operated the Hespeler Fuel Co., and, at one time, headed the Universal Lightning Rod Co. He was also the author of six small books on the history of Hespeler and area. They include "La Rue de Commerce; Queen St. Hespeler, Ontario", "The Floodgate: Random Writings of Our Ain Folk", "Pine-Bush Genealogy", "Hespeler Yarns", "Lot Six in the Third of Waterloo" and "J. Hespeler, New Hope C.W.". Winfield Brewster died 2 Nov 1962 and is buried in New Hope Cemetery.

One of Galt's pre-eminent long distance runners, Cliff Bricker was described by the press of his day as the "premier long distance runner of the entire Dominion of Canada". Mr Bricker was born in St. George on 23 Apr 1904 and came to Galt in about 1919. He started running competitively in 1923 finishing seventh in the Reporter Cup race. He won the second race he entered, a ten mile event in 1924. He was asked at that time to compete in the Canadian Olympic trials but declined. He was soon under the training of David Parker of Hamilton who developed Mr Bricker into a world class long distance runner.
Mr Bricker was the Ontario champion at the distances of two, three, five and ten miles and the Canadian champion at the five mile distance when he attempted the marathon distance for the first time in 1927 in Boston. He finished fourth in that race and later that year went on to win the Canadian Olympic marathon trial at Hamilton in a time of 2:40:05.
He was a member of the Canadian Olympic team in 1928 in Amsterdam and in 1932 in Los Angeles. In Amsterdam he ran his best marathon time up to that point finishing in tenth place in a time of 2:39:00. In Los Angeles Mr Bricker competed in the 10,000 metre event where he finished in ninth place.
Mr Bricker retired from racing in the mid-1930's. He then lived on a farm near Clyde for a number of years and served as a mechanic with the Highland Light Infantry of Canada in Galt during the Second World War. After the war he took up residence in Waterloo and helped to establish the Waterloo Legion Track and Field Club. He worked as an auto mechanic in Waterloo until he retired in 1966. He moved to New Brunswick where he died on 20 Sep 1980.

Known as "Mr Music", Fred Budd was born in Ottawa on 11 Apr 1916. He moved first to Guelph as a young boy and then to Waterloo at the age of 10 before finally settling in Preston in 1946. Upon his arrival, he joined the Preston Legion Citizens' Band and, beginning in 1957, served as bandmaster for over 20 years. Under his leadership, the band grew from ten to forty-four members and is now known as the Cambridge Concert Band. Mr Budd demanded much from his band and, while his rehearsals were serious affairs, they were by no means oppressive. Because he always brought "great sense of humour" to rehearsals and was "always encouraging", he was able to bring out the best in the musicians. His dedication and hard work resulted in many awards for the bands he conducted. Among them were a second place finish in their class in the band's initial entry in the 1970 Canadian National Exhibition band competition. This was followed by first place finishes in 1972 and 1973. The band also achieved numerous first place finishes in the Kiwanis Music Festival in Waterloo beginning in 1971 and were successful in competitions at the Stratford Music Festival and the Waterloo Tattoo.
Under Mr Budd's direction, the Preston Legion Band and its successor, the Cambridge Concert Band, was a band of the community playing for the benefit of the community. The band played at community picnics, the Kinsmen's Carnival and in many summer concerts. In addition, the band has been a regular performer at both Fairview Mennonite Home, at the Golden Years Nursing Home and at the Preston Springs Gardens. The band also played in support of many community projects and organizations including the Robertson Fire Fund in 1958, the Cambridge Memorial Hospital Fund, the Preston Memorial Auditorium and the Kinsmen Club.
In 1950 Mr Budd organized an orchestra which provided the music for the operas and operettas of the Preston Operatic Society for over 10 years. In addition to teaching music in local schools, Mr Budd encouraged many children to take up the study of music and organized a junior band in which they could play. In addition, he has played with the Ayr-Paris Band, the Galt Kiltie Band, the Johnny Kostigian Band at Leisure Lodge, the Waterloo Musical Society Band and, for three years, the K-W Symphony. In the 1950's and 1960's he performed in the chamber music series held under the direction of Nathaniel Stroh in St. Jerome's College. He has also directed the Milverton Red Seal Band for many years, formed, and still plays in, a small jazz group which has played in many public functions and helped to organize the Wellington Winds with whom he also still plays.
It was largely through Mr Budd's efforts that the Town of Preston and local service clubs agreed to finance the construction of a mobile stage which is still used for special events and outdoor band concerts in Cambridge. In addition to his love for music, Mr Budd found time to belong to the Preston Kinsmen Club, K-40, the Probus Club and the Preston/Hespeler Rotary Club. He has also served on both the Preston Committee of Adjustments and the Preston Planning Board. In recognition of his many contributions to music in our community, Mr Budd received the 1992 Bernice Adams Award for Music.

Alexander Burnett was born in Aberdeen Scotland in April 1796 and immigrated to New York in 1832. He arrived in Galt in 1834 and accepted employment in James Smith's harness and shoe shop where he met fellow cobbler Walter H. Benn. Mr. Benn was to become Mr. Burnett's life long friend and political cohort in the struggle for a more egalitarian society. Mr. Burnett was a noted orator and a fearless debater providing strong local support for responsible government and the reform efforts of William Lyon Mackenzie. He often spoke against the Family Compact in such strong terms that his arrest was proposed, but never carried out, following the failure of William Lyon Mackenzie's rebellion in 1837. He was a moving force behind the establishment of Galt's first lending library and was himself an eloquent writer, providing a moving description of the effects of the cholera epidemic that swept through Galt in 1834. Mr. Burnett was an active participant in the various local meetings that sprang up with the release of the Durham Report in 1839. This report recommended the implementation of many political reforms in an effort to eliminate the inequities that had led to the Rebellion of 1837. Mr. Burnett was also a strong opponent of the Clergy Reserves, land amounting to about one seventh of the land in Upper Canada that had been set aside by the ruling Family Compact for the benefit of the Anglican Church. Mr. Burnett preferred that any money raised from the sale of these lands be used for improvements in general education and internal improvement. In his middle years Mr. Burnett appears to have severed his connections with Galt setting up a shop in Whistlebare. By his later years, however, Mr. Burnett returned to Galt, moving into a house on Ramore St. By this time Mr. Burnett was unable to continue within his chosen trade and was appointed Galt's market clerk. He held this position until the infirmities of age forced his retirement. He is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Manual Cabral is considered the father of the Portuguese community in Cambridge. He was born in Summerset Massachusetts on 12 Mar 1894 the son of immigrants from the Azores. He came to Canada in 1919 arriving first in Morrisburg Ontario before coming to Galt in 1928. He found work at Dominion Tack and Nail and in 1935 opened his own tack and nail business in Ayr. He sold it in 1945 and went into the mink feed business from which he retired in 1965. It was in December 1954 that Manual Arragua, the first Portuguese immigrant to settle in Galt, arrived at Mr Cabral's door. Mr Arragua was the first of thousands of Portuguese immigrants that Mr Cabral helped to get settled in their new homes. Because he was fluent in both English and Portuguese, Mr Cabral could act as an intermediary for the newcomers even going with them to their new jobs and translating instructions to ensure they knew what was expected. Mr Cabral, acted as an interpreter in the Galt court for 15 years and travelled to court in London, Oakville, Brantford, Woodstock and Kitchener to provide assistance to Portuguese immigrants who had not yet mastered English. Mr Cabral died on 7 Sep 1979 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

John C. Cairns was born in Galt on July 19, 1921 and received his elementary education at Central Public School before graduating from Galt Collegiate Institute in 1938. He then worked as a teller on the Bank of Montreal in Galt until he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in September 1941. He served in the military until September 1945 in Canada, the United Kingdom, India and Burma as a radar technician for the Coastal and Transport Commands. Following the war he attended the University of Western Ontario where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1950. In 1951 he was made a member of the Honour Society, University of Western Ontario, for outstanding extracurricular activities and academic achievement and then took a position as a District Officer and District Commissioner in the British Administrative Service in Tanganyika, East Africa. His experiences in that country are recounted in "Bush and Boma: The Life of a District Officer" published in England in 1958. Following his time as an administrator in East Africa he returned to Canada where he taught high school in Delhi, Ontario and Kitchener-Waterloo. At the same time he completed a Master of Arts degree at the University of Western Ontario and obtained a teaching degree. He taught high school until 1962 when he became an educational advisor to the Government of Eastern Nigeria under a Canadian External Aid program. While in this position he introduced programs for widespread educational reform in primary, secondary and teacher training levels in Eastern Nigeria and served as a team leader for re-designing the English language education system of Cameroon, West Africa following that country achieving it's independence from the administration of France and Great Britain in the early 1960's. During his time in Africa he wrote three text books on the teaching of the English language that were published by the African University Press in 1967 and 1968. Mr. Cairns left Africa in 1966 to accept a position as Head of the Adult Education section of the Northern Administration branch of the Canadian Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development where he planned and managed the department's adult educational programs for Canada's aboriginal peoples throughout the North West Territories. He remained with the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development until 1968 when he was named Director of both UNESCO's Experimental World Literacy program and the Division of Adult Education for UNESCO in Paris, France. Concurrently he served as Acting Director for UNESCO's Department of Out of School Education. In these positions Mr. Cairns coordinated and administered global educational programs that covered everything from basic literacy to university education in over 50 countries. This involved the management of some 60 international specialists at headquarters and over 350 staff officers employed in field offices around the world. During this period Mr. Cairns decided upon and helped design the basic UNESCO approach to evaluation used throughout the Experimental World Literacy Program. This work involved the largest evaluation of socio/economic development activities carried out to that date in the United Nations system. While with UNESCO Mr. Cairns planned and/or chaired 24 international Seminars and Conferences on educational issues including the Third International Conference on Adult Education held in Tokyo, Japan in 1972. He also represented UNESCO at 15 conferences and meetings during his time with the organization. In 1974 Mr. Cairns moved to the University of Guelph where he served until 1986 as the Director of the Centre of International Programs. In this position he was responsible for the overall planning and management for approximately 100 university international development projects. During this period Guelph was recognized as the leading university in Canada for international development programs and Mr. Cairns was invited to speak on his experiences at 30 major educational conferences in Canada and the United States. In 1985 Mr. Cairns began service as a consultant involved in the planning, monitoring or evaluating of educational programs for countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. In this capacity he was prepared over 80 professional reports on educational systems for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Council of Ministers of Education and other agencies and various non-governmental organizations in Canada, the United States and Latin America. As monitor of the CIDA's Canada/China Management Education program (CCMEP II) from 1989 to its completion in 1995 Mr. Cairns was responsible for professional analysis/advice concerning the introduction and development of modern management education into nine of China's leading universities. This model, later extended into more than 15 more Chinese universities, played a major role in providing the trained personnel for China's move towards a more open free market economy. In addition to the four books and the 80 professional reports mentioned earlier, Mr. Cairns has published numerous articles focusing on adult education, literacy and rural development. He has served as the Canadian representative at the International Association of Community Educators, as a member of the management committee of the International Council for Adult Education and on the Board of Directors of both World Literacy of Canada and Laubach Literacy International, Syracuse, New York. He has been a member of the executive board of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO and of the International Boards of the University of Calgary and the Sumner Institute of Linguistics in Dallas, Texas. John C. Cairns passed away in 2014.

Alan C. Cairns was born in Galt in 1930 and received his elementary schooling at Central Public School. He graduated from Galt Collegiate Institute prior to studying Political Science and Economics at the University of Toronto. He won the Gold Medal in his final year and after receiving a B.A. degree in 1953 and an M.A. degree in 1957 went on to study at St. Antony's College, University of Oxford from which he obtained a D. Phil degree in 1963. He was a member of the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia from 1960 until his retirement in 1995 and served as head of the department from 1973 to 1980. Professor Cairns was the first holder of the Brenda and David McLean Chair in Canadian Studies at the University of British Columbia (1993-1995). He has had visiting appointments and chairs at the University of Toronto, Memorial University of Newfoundland, the University of Edinburgh, Harvard University, Queen's University, the University of Saskatchewan, York University, the University of Waterloo and the University of British Columbia. Professor Cairns has received honourary degrees from Carleton University (1994), the University of Toronto (1996), the University of British Columbia (1998) and the University of Saskatchewan (2002). Professor Cairns is a well-known expert on constitutional and political issues whose writings and research are said to have profoundly influenced the way scholars think about issues such as federalism, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the operation of democracy and the rights of aboriginal peoples. Professor Cairns has been described as Canada's leading authority on federalism and governance. As a writer and commentator he has made a significant contribution to academic analysis and public debate on questions concerning constitutional developments in Canada. Professor Cairns has brought a meticulous scholarly sensibility, a keen awareness of constitutional priorities and a passion about the constitutional future of the country to bear on issues of pressing and significant concern to the citizens of Canada. In recognition of his achievements he has been made an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He received the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal as well as the President's Medal from the University of Western Ontario. He was the recipient of the prestigious Canada Council Killam Research Fellowship from 1989 to 1991 and was awarded the first Governor-General's International Award for Canadian Studies in 1994. He received the Molson Prize of the Canada Council in 1982 and was the research director for institutions for the Royal Canadian Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada (1983-1985). Professor Cairns' writings are considered pivotal to Canadian political thought. An article that he wrote and published in the Canadian Journal of Political Science in the late 1960's was that journal's most cited article. His book Charter versus Federalism: The Dilemmas of Constitutional Reform (1992) ranks as one of the most insightful analyses of the Canadian constitutional debate. Another of his books Citizens Plus: Aboriginal Peoples and the Canadian State was a runner up for the 2000/2001 Donner Prize for the best book on Canadian public policy.

David Carse was born in Kitchener Ontario on May 17, 1938. A Chartered Accountant, receiving his CA in 1963, David retired from Allen Bradley Canada Ltd, now Rockwell Automation in 1998 as Vice President of Operations. Mr. Carse began his association with the YMCA as a teenager in Kitchener. Moving to Cambridge he became active with the Galt YMCA. In the over 50 years of involvement with the "Y" both locally and nationally David has held numerous volunteer positions. David joined the local board and then served as Vice President and President during the 1980's. David was instrumental in re-establishing a firm financial footing as well as cementing strong ties with the City of Cambridge. As Vice Chair of the Building & Campaign Committee David helped raise 1.25 million for the addition at the Queen's Square building. He served the board until 1988 and was behind the decision to close the Galt YMCA and build the Chaplin Family YMCA on Hespeler Road. David again joined the board between 1999 and 2005. He helped to establish the joining the Cambridge Multicultural Centre and the Cambridge YMCA. He helped to secure the financing for a 20,000 square foot addition which included expanding the space leased to KidsAbility, an organization that works with children and young adults with disabilities. As a CA. David kept a close eye on the finances and pushed for the creation of the Audit Committee. David was awarded the Meritorious Service Award by the YMCA of Cambridge in 1988 and in 2013 was appointed as an Officer of the YMCA Fellowship of Honour, a national award recognizing his long time association with the organization. As well as his extensive work with the YMCA, David has also been involved with the Big Brothers Association of Cambridge, United Way of Cambridge and North Dumfries, Cambridge Memorial Hospital Board, Can- Amera Games Committee, Conestoga College Social Services Advisory Committee, University of Waterloo School of Accounting, various municipal committees, Chairman of the Local Advisory Council on the Canadian job strategy, Cambridge Minor Hockey and was founding President of the Cambridge Volleyball League.

Janet Wishart Carter was born in Galt in 1870 the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Carter. Soon after her birth her family moved to Elora where she spent her childhood and received her elementary education. She attended the University of Toronto and was the first woman to receive a Master of Arts degree from that school. Following graduation she taught at the Presbyterian Ladies' College and then returned to teach at Elora High School. She returned to Galt in 1901 where she became the first woman to teach on the staff of Galt Collegiate Institute. She was the only female teacher on staff for the next ten years. According to all accounts she left an indelible mark on the school in part by instituting the school's first girls' basketball team. It was said that her quick mind and her sense of humour left their mark on all her students. Miss Carter taught English, French, German and Spanish and spent more than one summer studying languages in Europe. In addition to her teaching responsibilities she acted as the head of the modern languages department at Galt Collegiate for a number of years. She was the first president of the GCI Staff Players Club, organized in 1924, and was an active member of the Galt Little Theatre. Upon her retirement in 1934, Miss Carter was presented with a decoration from King George V in tribute to her contributions to the field of education. Following her retirement Miss Carter showed keen interest in the Grenfell Mission in Labrador. Miss Carter organized various events in Galt to raise money for the mission and the mission's founder, Wilfred Grenfell, came to Galt personally to thank her for her work. In addition to this work Miss Carter was a member of the Galt Public Library Board from 1935 to 1949 and was a member of the Waterloo County Historical Society. Miss Carter died at the age of 83 on February 21, 1953.

George Adam Clare was born on June 6, 1854 a son of John Clare and Margaret (Marguerite) Beck. In 1875 he joined the small foundry that had been started by his father. In 1881, upon the retirement of his father, he purchased the company in partnership with his brother Frederick Clare and Henry C. Hilborn. When the business was incorporated in 1901 as Clare Bros. Co. Ltd., Mr. Clare became the president of the company. Mr. Clare was also president of a number of other companies including Galt Stove and Furnace Co. Ltd., Clare and Clare and Brodest Ltd. of Winnipeg, Canadian Office and School Furniture Co. Ltd., Solid Leather Shoe Co. Ltd. and the Preston Car and Coach Co., all of Preston. He was also a director of Stamped and Enamelled Ware Ltd. of Hespeler and of the Wellington Mutual Fire Insurance Co. of Guelph. In addition to all his business concerns, Mr. Clare had a deep interest in politics and served as a member of Preston council from 1883 to 1885. In 1886 he was named reeve of Preston and held the position until 1888. After a short time away from the council table he was once again named as reeve in 1891 and remained in the post until 1898. In 1900 Mr. Clare became the first elected Mayor of Preston as Preston was incorporated as a town. He was also a member of Waterloo County council from 1888 to 1898 and acted as warden of the County in 1895. His career in federal politics began in 1891 when he was chosen by the Conservative Party as its candidate in the riding of South Waterloo. He was defeated in that election and again in 1896 but was finally successful in the election of 1900. He was appointed a Privy Councillor in 1913 and represented the constituency until his death in 1915. He was one of five federal members of Parliament for Waterloo South to die while in office. The others were Alexander M. Edwards (1938), Karl Homuth (1951), William Anderson 1961 and Gordon Chaplin (1964). He is buried in the Preston Cemetery.

Known locally and affectionately in his old age as the "Laird of Craigielea", James Cowan was born the son of Thomas Cowan in Pebbleshire in the Ettrick Forest district of Scotland in 1803. He lived his first 30 years in Scotland before emigrating to Canada in 1834 and settling almost immediately to Galt. Shortly after his arrival he purchased a farm north of the village which he named "Clochmohr". Establishing himself on the new homestead he imported improved breeds of sheep and raised short-horned cattle. It was not long before he turned his considerable energy to public affairs when was named as one of two area representatives sent to Hamilton, in 1846, to help form the Provincial Agricultural Association and Board of Agriculture for Canada West. In 1853 he became the first vice president of the Agricultural Society of the County of Waterloo, the forerunner of the South Waterloo Agricultural Society. In the 1850's his interests seemed to develop beyond the strictly agricultural and he became more involved in local politics. He had helped to organized the Galt Subscription and Circulation Library in 1836 and in 1853 became one of three vice-presidents of the newly created Galt Mechanics Institute. That same year Mr Cowan purchased an interest in the agricultural implement manufacturing firm of Lutz and Cook. The business soon became known as Lutz and Cowan when Mr Cook was killed in an accident at the foundry. When the business was sold some time later to Cameron and Co. Mr Cowan retained a substantial interest in the company and when Mr Cameron died in 1879 the foundry became known as Cowan and Co. Mr Cowan entered politics in a serious way in the early 1850's when he combined forces with Absalom Shade in an concerted, though ultimately futile effort, to have Galt officially recognized as the chief town in the newly created County of Waterloo. At the same time he was involved with a number of notable public enterprises in the area including the effort to bring the first railway to Galt. These efforts proved successful and in 1857 he attempted to build on this achievement by becoming the Reform candidate to represent the Gore District in the Legislative Assembly. He came up short in this election but was more successful in 1860 when he defeated Conservative candidate Jacob Hespeler to take a seat in the Legislative Assembly. He retained the seat in the 1863 general election defeating industrialist William Robinson and holding the seat until the 1867 election. Toward the end of his second term he became disenchanted with the Reform platform leader George Brown while, at the same time, developing an admiration for Conservative leader John A. Macdonald. As a result Mr Cowan repudiated the Reformers and crossed the floor to join the Conservative Party. In the 1867 general election, which would choose the members of the first Parliament of the newly formed Dominion of Canada, he ran for the Conservatives against the Reform standard bearer James Young. Mr Cowan was defeated and in 1869 withdrew from politics. He accepted an appointment to the Dominion Board of Arbitration where he served with such distinction that he was elevated to the Chairmanship of the Board. He was acclaimed for his even-handed justice and is credited with settling more than 1500 cases in one year. In 1886 he passed the family homestead at "Clochmohr" to his son James Laing Cowan and moved into Galt, settling at "Craigielea", the former home of industrialist Andrew Elliott. He died at the age of 97 on 22 May 1900 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Jennie Ferguson (Turnbull) Cowan was born in the Mill Creek area near Galt in 1898, a daughter of Jared Turnbull. She was educated at Mill Creek School and at the Galt Collegiate Institute before graduating from the Toronto Normal School and the University of Toronto. She taught school in Bruce County, Kitchener and Galt. The latter positions assisted in developing a keen interest in the history of Galt and particularly of Waterloo County and she spent much of her life acquiring and sharing her knowledge of the area. She served as the president of the Waterloo Historical Society from 1951 to 1953 and, between 1940 and 1960 was a regular contributor to the Waterloo Historical Society's annual volume. In later years she was a more occasional contributor with her last article appearing in 1984. Mrs. Cowan was active in the Mill Creek Women's Institute and in 1941 and 1942 served on the Board of the Federated Women's Institutes of Ontario. She gave leadership in the Women's Institutes to compile the community histories named for Lady Tweedsmuir and served as London area curator. She felt strongly that these books were useful ways to preserve and share historical information. She was a charter member of the Ontario Pioneer Community Foundation that established the Doon Pioneer Village, now Doon Heritage Crossroads. In 1952 Mrs. Cowan acted as official historian for Waterloo County's centennial. She was on the research committee of the Waterloo County Hall of Fame and was herself elected to the Hall in 1978. Mrs. Cowan died at the age of 88 on November 15, 1986 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Lyn Cross as born on November 28, 1903 and started the business L. Cross Florist in 1923. He began with greenhouses and ventured into retailing in 1936. Mr. Cross was deeply involved in his community serving in 1957 as vice-chairman and in 1958 as chairman of the Galt Red Feather Appeal, the precursor of the United Way Appeal. For many years he presented an orchid each month to one of Galt's citizens in recognition of community service or achievement. He hosted Galt's annual Spring Flower Show that over the years drew over 75,000 attendees. The proceeds from the event went to a student bursary fund. He was a founding member of the Galt Civic Service Club a local service club started in 1938 that worked for betterment of the community. Among its programmes was to name an annual "Citizen of the Year" in Galt. Mr. Cross received that honour in 1969 joining other prominent citizens as Duncan McIntosh, Frank Dalton, Mel Moffatt, Munro Fraser and Gertrude Berger. Mr. Cross was a tireless promoter of Galt and its citizens and was a driving force behind the revival of the Galt Horse Show in 1947. He served as a director of the Horse Show for thirteen years and acted as president of the Galt Horse Show Association in 1947 and 1948. The Galt Horse Show was rated as one the best outdoor horse shows in the country and operated until 1958 raising in that time over $27,000 for the service work of the Galt Civic Service Club. Mr. Cross was the chief creator and promoter of the Galt Centennial booklet in 1967 and made sure that proceeds from sales of the book went to a student bursary fund. Mr. Cross was a member of the Probus Club and served as president of the local Progressive Conservative Party organization. Mr. Cross died on July 25, 1991 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Colonel Dailley was born in Winnipeg on July 24, 1911 and was educated at St. John's College and at the University of Manitoba. He was active in sporting circles in Western Canada and in England where he was captain of the English hockey team that won the Olympic title in 1936 and the European titles in 1937 and 1938. He attended the Canadian War Staff College in 1943 and served in England throughout the Second World War. After the war he held a number of posts in Ottawa and served on the United Nations Armistice Commission in Korea. He attained the rank of Colonel in 1955 and was assigned to Belgrade Yugoslavia as the Canadian Military Attache©. After attending the National Defence College in Kingston for four years he was appointed, in August 1960, the base commander at Gagetown in New Brunswick. Colonel Dailley retired from the army in 1964 to become the Co-Director of the New Brunswick Centennial Administration. Always interested in nature conservation, Colonel Dailley formulated, in mid-1968, plans for what was to become the African Lion Safari and Game Farm. The park opened in August 1969 and was the first in the country to feature a drive-through reserve displaying Canadian as well as exotic animals. Colonel Dailley also served as president of the United Nations Association in Ottawa and was on the National Council, Canadian Institute of International Affairs. He was a director of Oxfam Canada and of the Canadian Folk Arts Council. He served as vice-president of the Association of Canadian Clubs and was the founder of both the Canadian Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums and the Attractions Ontario Association. He served as a director of the New Brunswick Symphony and assisted in the formation of the Atlantic Symphony and the New Brunswick Junior Symphony. Colonel Dailley died on May 3, 1989.

Martha "Marty" Deacon Educator, Athlete, Olympic Team Leader Marty Deacon was born in Oakville and became involved in the sport of badminton in her early teens. She learned early the power and the opportunity that sport provided, has had many opportunities and continues to give back to her community. Marty attended McMaster University and did her graduate degrees at the University of Western Ontario where she met her husband Bruce. Marty has lived, worked and enjoyed Cambridge as home for her family for the last 31 years. Marty started her teaching career at Southwood Secondary School and continued her career as a Secondary Vice-Principal, Principal and as the Executive Officer working with the Director of Education for the Waterloo Region District School Board. Two of Marty's passions are sport and education. After many years as a high performance athlete, she began coaching local, provincial and national level athletes and was the first female to become a national level certified coach in 1981. Marty was invited to her first international multi-sport games as a coach at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, BC (1994). Her desire to lead athletes at the highest of levels continued into coaching, team leadership and team support as a volunteer for eight Olympics, four Commonwealth and three Pan American Games teams. The pinnacle of her experience representing Canada was that as Chef de Mission for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi (2010) where she was selected to lead 300 athletes and coaches representing Canada. Marty has been president of a national sport organization, led and mentored others in Central, South America, Africa and Asia where her expertise has been greatly appreciated and highly regarded. She has demonstrated her executive skills as a Director of the Canadian Olympic Committee with specific leadership portfolios in education, youth, outreach and coaching excellence. Marty was also inducted in the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame in May 2014 and as a result of her efforts in the national and international sport and education sector, she received the IOC Sport Trophy for Inspiring youth in 2010. She also received the Rolf Lund Jule Nisse Award in 2006 which recognizes exemplary dedication to regional, provincial, national and international sport from playground to podium. Marty continues work at the community grass roots level and has enjoyed sitting on community committees over the past three decades. Marty has enjoyed sharing her community and international experiences with her family, friends and community. Her daughters Kristine and Kailee and husband Bruce have travelled and supported her whenever possible. Her family is very important to her and she is most thankful for their love and support. Marty is passionate about the capacity and possibility of every individual. She believes that sport, the arts and education can contribute to strong community building one community at a time.

The Honourable William Dickson was born in Dumfries Scotland on 13 July 1769, the second of six sons of John Dickson, a merchant, and Mary Wight, daughter of a Presbyterian minister. Following a reversal in his father's fortunes, William emigrated to Canada in 1785 to join his cousin Robert Hamilton in western Quebec. He settled at Niagara in about 1790 and on 12 Apr 1794 married Charlotte Adlam in Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake). They had three sons: Robert, William Jr. and Walter. Using his profits from merchandising, Mr Dickson moved into large scale land speculation, often in conjunction with his cousins Thomas Clark and Robert Hamilton. Mr Dickson was connected with land speculations involving land along the Grand River possibly as early as 1795 when it was reported that he acted as an agent for a group of Americans who wished to purchase land from the Six Nations Indians. He later acted on behalf of the Indians in many of the transactions involving land along the Grand River. In part as a result of these dealings, he received in 1803 a special licence to practise law at the provincial bar. In addition, Mr Dickson frequently served as a justice of the peace. During the Niagara assizes of 1806, William Weekes, a lawyer prominent in the province's political opposition, made abusive remarks about one of the province's lieutenant governors. The presiding judge let the remark pass without censure whereupon Mr Dickson, Mr Weekes' fellow in the case, protested. The resulting breach between the two men could not be resolved and when Weekes demanded an apology or satisfaction a duel was fought between the two men on American soil near Fort Niagara. Mr Dickson emerged unharmed but Weekes was mortally wounded and died the following day. Duelling was illegal but the combatants were careful to take their argument outside British territory and so no legal action was ever taken against Mr Dickson in the affair. In June 1813, during the War of 1812, American forces invaded Niagara-on-the-Lake and Mr Dickson -- as one of the leading citizens of the town -- was taken prisoner and removed to the United States. In his absence his house and his extensive library were burned by the retreating Americans. Mr Dickson returned to Canada in 1814 and the following year was made a member of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada. In 1811, Mr Dickson, as the silent and hidden partner of his cousin Thomas Clark, became the owner of approximately 94,000 acres of land in the Grand River Valley designated as Block 1. Mr Dickson became sole owner of the land in 1816 and named it Dumfries after his home in Scotland. That same year Mr Dickson toured his lands with Absalom Shade, a carpenter from the United States, and with him chose the site where Mill Creek joins the waters of the Grand River as the location of the settlement that was to serve as the administrative centre in Mr Dickson's efforts to populate his lands. That settlement was first called Shade's Mills and later Galt. In an earlier trip to Scotland Mr Dickson had assessed the attitudes of lowland Scots to emigration to Upper Canada and had made some preliminary arrangements regarding agents. Once Shade's Mills was established and a survey of his lands complete, he sent his Scottish agents printed prospectuses concerning Dumfries Township, wrote articles in the Scottish press and contacted leading Scots, concentrating his efforts on Dumfries, Roxburgh and Selkirk counties in Scotland. When these direct efforts did not bear immediate results, Mr Dickson arranged for John Telfer to travel to Scotland to encourage potential emigrants to move to Mr Dickson's lands in Dumfries in Upper Canada. Mr Dickson was noted for his paternalistic treatment of new settlers. He did not require a large down payment from the new settlers and he made certain that they were moved immediately onto their lands and were provided with stock, implements and provisions. Although the population of Mr Dickson's lands grew slowly at first, by 1825 his settlement at Shade's Mills was doing well. So well, in fact, that it was awarded the first post office in the area. The Post Office needed a name, so Mr Dickson decided to name it Galt after the Scottish novelist and Canada Company Commissioner John Galt. The local residents were slow to adopt the new name and it was not until 1827 following a visit to the community by John Galt that the new name was finally confirmed. At the same time, within a year after the death of his wife, in 1826, Mr Dickson decided to leave Woodlawn, his home in Niagara-on-the-Lake, in favour of a home which had been built for him in Galt. He remained in the settlement until 1837 when he returned to Niagara and Woodlawn leaving the administration of his Dumfries lands in the lands of his sons, particularly William Dickson Jr. Mr Dickson died on 19 Feb 1846 at the age of 77 and is buried in St. Mark's Church cemetery in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Known to those close to him as "W.A" Bill or Billy William Alfred Dixon was born in Toronto on March 4, 1881 but lived in Ottawa through much of his youth. His family lived in difficult economic conditions and he helped out as much as possible by selling produce at the nearby train station. At the age of 12 he left school to apprentice as a baker and dutifully took his weekly wages home to his mother. She allowed him to keep 50 cents for himself while the other $1 went to contribute to the support of the family. Twelve years later Mr. Dixon entered the baking profession in a serious way when he established his own enterprise, the Palace Bakery in St. Thomas, Ontario. In 1913 he moved to Galt where over the next fifteen years he established several bakeries including Dixon Bakery on Dickson Street and Polly Perkins on Main Street. At the same time he erected a large brick factory on Hobson Street that he sold to the Canada Bread Company, a business that he, himself, was to head. In 1929 he was elected President of both the Canada Bread Company and the Bread and Cake Bakers Association of Canada. In those ventures he gained a reputation both for providing a good quality product and for being a reliable, honest and kindly businessman. He had many faithful workers with long records of dedicated service and always treated his employees with respect. He had little patience with trade unions that he thought unnecessary if employers took a sympathetic interest in their personnel. At Mr. Dixon's businesses there were gifts at Christmas and at times of need and financial assistance was available for the education of employees and children. After a considerable time in the bakery business Mr. Dixon turned his hand to the dairy business first in producing and selling milk from his own registered herd of purebred Jersey cows and then selling milk provided by neighbouring farms. The dairy business was set up as a co-operative company something relatively new for the time in which farmers purchased shares in the company and thereby enjoyed a sense of ownership and allegiance to the business. At the time milk was delivered directly to homes by means of horse-drawn wagons. Mr. Dixon was considered something of an innovator by introducing one of the first motorized delivery vehicles in use in the city. Whether the vehicles were motorized or horse-drawn Mr. Dixon insisted that they be kept clean at all times. In politics Mr. Dixon was a conservative but any political activity was mainly confined to promoting the temperance vote. He used to joke that he could not support more than one kind of beverage industry. Mr. Dixon served on Galt council in 1919 and 1920 and again from 1933 and 1934 and worked hard to promote several initiatives, including in his latter term, support for the new Queen Street bridge that was officially opened on May 19, 1934. He was also active outside of city council and was part of the Galt Amateur Athletic Association that was organized in 1919 to build a new arena in Galt to provide suitable accommodation for Galt's Ontario Hockey Association champion Galt Terriers. Mr. Dixon was a member of the Galt Hydro Commission in the early 1920's when the Commission's fine new Beaux Arts head quarters was erected at the corner of Dickson and Wellington Streets and Wesley United Church received a major refit when he was chair of its building committee. In 1915 he joined the Highland Light Infantry and attained the rank of Lieutenant and between the wars he was involved with the committee that selected the Queen's Square cenotaph that honours the city's war dead. For several years Mr. Dixon served on Galt's Agricultural Society where he took a keen interest in the Society's Fall Fair. As a Kiwanian he established an annual Town and Country meeting to create goodwill and understanding between area businessmen and farmers. He also established the Adopted Son's program to assist orphaned children from England to settle in Galt. Mr. Dixon conceived the idea of brightening the downtown each year by erecting a large illuminated Christmas tree overlooking Main Street. With his quiet support he assisted the Y.M.C.A. in the construction of a new swimming pool and it's Camp Pinecrest for young boys. Mr. Dixon died on December 14, 1974 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Cyrus Dolph was born on 22 July 1865 on a farm near Breslau, the son of Mr and Mrs Moses Dolph who were themselves among the early settlers who came to the area from Pennsylvania. Mr Dolph received his early education at Riverbank School and later came to live in Preston while attending Galt Collegiate. Following the completion of a business course he went to work at Clare Brothers foundry in Preston as a bookkeeper. It appears that Mr Dolph learned his profession quite well for in 1897 he was able to purchase the Metal Shingle and Siding Co. for $10,000. By 1903 capital stock in the company was valued at $250,000 and the company provided employment for 100 men. It produced "safelock" shingles as well as other sheet metal building products. Another plant in Montreal employed a further 60 men. Mr Dolph remained with the company until 1931 when he retired and sold his interests in the company. Mr Dolph had a large number of interests outside of his business. In 1910 he was one of six men serving on the Preston Library Board. In 1908, and for a few years before that, he served as an officer on the Preston Board of Trade. Through his wife, Jennie Murdock Dolph who founded the Preston Chapter of the Victorian Order of Nurses, Mr Dolph served on the board of the VON and was appointed president of the VON's men's advisory board. He retired from the board in 1935 but remained an honourary member until his death in 1937. Mr Dolph was also a member of the Waterloo County Health Association and an honourary president of the Freeport Sanitorium Board of Directors. Mr Dolph served on the Preston Parks Board and was involved in several reforestation projects including advising and assisting in the conservation of Cressman's Bush, now Homer Watson Park in Kitchener. Mr Dolph was also an ardent member of the Anglican Church, taught Sunday School for many years and served on the church's Huron Diocese executive committee. He was chairman of the missionary committee and co-founder of the Church Army of Canada in 1928. Mr Dolph was also a noted philanthropist, twice donating land in Toronto for use by the Church Army organization. He also donated his summer cottage near Clearwater Lake on a 500 acre site for children's activities. The site became Ontario Pioneer Camps, which later expanded to include 1200 acres and became one of the largest children's church camps in Canada. Mr Dolph donated a pipe organ to St John's Anglican Church in Preston and through his association with the School Board provided scholarships for various musical and academic achievements. He was a parton of the Preston Silver Band and provided instruments and training for members of the Boy's Band. An amateur sports fan, Mr Dolph donated to the financial campaigns of promising athletes including Preston's Olympic and British Empire Games runner Robert "Scotty" Rankine. In addition, in 1924, Mr Dolph donated over $3,000 toward the purchase of modern X-ray equipment for Freeport Sanitorium and in July 1930 gave the town of Preston its first open tank swimming pool, later named the Ed Newland Pool, on William Street. During his life Mr Dolph often demonstrated an interest in innovations. He provided financial backing for new electrical appliances, refrigerators and perpetual motion machine and he was involved with such inventions as disc brakes and television tubes. Radio and broadcasting also held a special interest for him. This is well-illustrated in his involvement in Preston's first radio station CKPC. Started by Wallace Russ early in 1923, the radio station was acquired by Mr Dolph, who moved its broadcast facilities to the sunroom of his house on Guelph Street (later renamed Dolph Street in his honour). The station featured live broadcasts in preference to the playing of records, broadcast the home games of the Galt Terriers Baseball Club and served as an outlet for the broadcast of professional hockey games from Toronto's Mutual Street Arena, the predecessor of Maple Leaf Gardens. By the late 1920's the station was firmly established as a business complete with commercials for local business. In 1933, Mr Dolph discontinued active participation in the radio station and its management passed to his daughter, Florence Dolph Buchanan of Brantford. She formed a new company called Telephone City Broadcasting Ltd. to operate the station and moved it to Brantford where it continues to operate. Mr Dolph died in his 72nd year on 24 Nov 1937 while on his way to Miami, Florida. He is buried in the Preston Cemetery.

George M. Egoff was born in Boston, Massachusetts on 22 Feb 1915 and came to Galt in 1919. He received his primary education at St Mary's Roman Catholic School and received his high school education at Galt Collegiate Institute. Upon completing high school in the 1930's Mr Egoff obtained a position, paying $50.00 a month, as a storeman with Babcock-Wilcox and Goldie-McCulloch Co. Ltd. He augmented this income by working a second job at the local YMCA from 6:00 to 10:00pm. After about a year in his position at Babcock-Wilcox, Mr Egoff applied for, and obtained, a position as a pay and cost clerk at Sheldon's Engineering, a position that paid $60.00 a month. His years at Sheldon's Engineering were interrupted by military service in World War II, when he served as a Sergeant in the Royal Canadian Artillery (Radar). With his return to Sheldon's Engineering following the war Mr Egoff advanced from clerk, to secretary of the company, to general manager and finally to president. Under his leadership, the company prospered and when the company was sold in 1975 he continued on as president for a year before retiring. In 1980, when the company ran into some difficulties, Mr Egoff was asked to come back to act as managing director. He accepted the position and in a few months managed to solve a number of the problems that had been troubling the company. During his years at Sheldon's, Mr Egoff served first as president of the Canadian Fan Manufacturers' Association and then of the Air Moving and Conditioning Association of the United States. In 1970 the International Standard Organization formed four subcommittees to develop standards that would be used in the fan industry world-wide. Mr Egoff was chosen to head the fan standards subcommittee. In 1962, Mr Egoff was elected as a director of the Gore Mutual Insurance Company and in 1974 was elected Chairman of the Board. His election coincided with a crisis in the company. The Gore, at that time, was without a Chief Executive Officer and Mr Egoff was called on to fill this role as well as that of Chairman. Mr Egoff's stable leadership and his business acumen during this time contributed significantly to the company's ability to withstand serious financial reversals and to restructure itself and reposition itself within the industry. In addition to providing sound leadership at both Sheldon's and the Gore, Mr Egoff served as president of Sheldon's Manufacturing Corp of Elgin, Illinois and of Elgo Shutter (Canada) Ltd of Galt. At various times he also acted as president or chairman of the Society of Industrial Accountants of Ontario (Waterloo County), of the Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation, of the Freeport Hospital, of the Cancer Society of South Waterloo, of the South Waterloo Boy Scouts and of the Galt Board of Trade. In his time as chairman of the Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation, Mr Egoff oversaw a campaign aimed at raising funds for a $14 million hospital expansion. Mr Egoff was also a director of the Central Ontario Industrial Relations Institute, of the United Way of Cambridge, of the Cambridge Industrial Development Advisory Board, of the Mid-Western Ontario Regional Association, of Galt Community Services and of the Galt Library Board (on which he also served as Chairman of the Building Committee for the new library on Queen's Square). Mr Egoff also served as Chairman of the Conestoga College Business School Fundraising Campaign and was the founding Chairman of the Cambridge Foundation. He was also instrumental in the creation of St. Gregory's Roman Catholic Church and served as Chairman of the church's fundraising committee.

Sheila Egoff is an internationally known teacher, librarian, lecturer, author and critic. She was born on 20 Jan 1918 in Auburn, Maine but grew up in Galt, arriving in the city at the age of seven months. She received her elementary education in the city before graduating from the Galt Collegiate Institute in 1937. She then earned a one year diploma from the University of Toronto and returned to Galt where she took a job as an assistant librarian at the Galt Public Library. She was paid 25 cents an hour for her efforts. While working at the library she began to take night courses at McMaster University toward a Bachelor of Arts degree. Four years later Ms Egoff began work at the Toronto Public Library as a children's and reference librarian and as the first curator of the Osborne Collection of early children's books. While in Toronto she transferred from McMaster to the University of Toronto and received her degree in 1947. In 1948 she attended University College in London and received a one-year post-graduate degree in librarianship. She also attained the coveted Fellowship of the British Library Association. After London, Ms Egoff returned to the Toronto Public Library for three more years in the Children's section followed by five years as a librarian in the reference department. She then spent four years at the Canadian Library Association's headquarters in Ottawa. In 1962 she moved to Vancouver to join the founding faculty at the newly established graduate School of Librarianship at the University of British Columbia. Beginning as an instructor with only part-time teaching duties Ms. Egoff soon came to specialize in children's literature and children's library services. She taught at the school until June 1983 rising from an instructor to a full professor. Her book on The Republic of Childhood, published in 1967, was the first major scholarly treatment of Canadian children's literature. This was followed, in 1981, by Thursday's Child: Trends and Patterns in Contemporary Children's Literature, an equally authoritative examination of children's literature in the whole English-speaking world. It won Ms Egoff the American Library Association's Ralph Shaw Award. Ms Egoff is also the author of Worlds Within, a 1988 publication which described and analyzed children's fantasy from the Middle Ages to the present. Her most recent book is Canadian Children's Books, 1799-1939 which describes the bibliographic features of the notable collection at the University of British Columbia. In addition to her books, Ms Egoff has produced numerous articles and lectures, and has had the honour of being the Arbuthnot Lecturer in the late 1970's and a lecturer at the Library of Congress during Children's Book Week in November 1993. Her lecture "Some Paradoxes to Ponder" was subtitled The Puzzling and Not Entirely Welcome Development of Children's Literature Since the Nineteen Sixties and explores the evolution of children's literature during that time. Ms Egoff's groundbreaking work has earned her many awards including the Landau Award (1983) for excellence in teaching, the Canadian Library Association Outstanding Service to Librarianship Award (1992), the British Columbia Library Association Helen Gordon Stewart Award (1984), the University of Toronto Faculty of Library and Information Science Jubilee Award (1980) and 60th Anniversary Award (1989) and the Claude Aubry Award which was presented by the International Board on Books for Young People in 1983. Ms Egoff also organized and inaugurated the Pan-Pacific Conferences on Children's Literature and now attends each conference to guide, lecture and inspire. Ms Egoff, now Professor Emerita from the University of British Columbia School of Library, Archival and Information Studies, was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in April 1994, only the second librarian to be so honoured.  Sheila Egoff passed away on May 22, 2005.

Horace Aylmer Elliott was born in Galt in 1894 the son of Robert Elliott and Emma Stevens. He received his elementary education at Victoria Public School and attended Galt Collegiate Institute from which he graduated from the commercial program. Following graduation he was employed by Galt Art Metal Company Ltd., Canadian Electric in Peterborough, Durant Motors in Toronto and the Toronto Type Foundry. His work always focused on mechanics and during his time in Toronto he studied drafting at Central Technical School. He graduated with honours from the Applied Mechanics course. In 1921 Mr. Elliott returned to Galt and Galt Art Metal Co. Ltd. where he became the sales manager and plant supervisor. He was named general manager of the firm in 1928 and remained with the company until it was sold in 1958. The company manufactured metal shingles, siding, ceiling panels in addition to components for barns including exterior cladding and ventilators. In 1931 Mr. Elliott designed and patented a ribbed metal panel whose purpose was to act as a joiner between the metal roofing and wall sheets the company manufactured. In addition to metal wall and roof coverings Galt Art Metal manufactured fenders, fuel tanks and hoods for the locally manufactured Galt car in 1912 and moved increasingly to the manufacture of automotive parts including the mufflers that were increasingly to become a major product line. The company continued to diversify its product lines even further by manufacturing rotating shelves for refrigerators in 1916 and later on with the manufacture of aluminium ice cube trays and other refrigerator parts. During the Depression the company introduced a line of popular, high quality metal-wheeled goods for children known in the trade as Super Toys. These toys were completely manufactured in the local factory and included pedal tricycles, tricycle trailers, scooters, wheelbarrows, coaster wagons and a line of toy trucks including a truck that a child could sit on. In conjunction with the development of this line of products Mr. Elliott became the founding member and director of the Canadian Playthings Manufacturers Association, now known as the Canadian Toy Manufacturers Association and served as Vice-President of the association in 1936. With the advent of World War II a significant part of the company's production facilities of Galt Art Metal were turned over to national defence work although the production of auto parts continued. On the military side the company's experience with aluminium enabled them to undertake the manufacture of components for the Mosquito bombers, tiny exploder caps and bomb noses and bomb tails for mortar shells. In May 1942 Galt Art Metal Co. Ltd. became Galt Metal Industries Ltd. to reflect the company's move away from the production of metal shingles and wall and ceiling coverings to the manufacture of metal parts for various industries. By this time Mr. Elliott was Vice-President and General Manager of the company that employed 400 workers spread over two shifts operating in four plants. With the end of the war the company returned solely to the manufacture of various metal components and parts, particularly auto parts, industrial stampings, mail boxes and toys. In 1952 Mr. Elliott was appointed President and General Manager of Galt Metal Industries Ltd. and in 1954 was instrumental in developing the design for Core Plugs and Core Caps for the paper industry. This was a major development for the paper industry and consequently the manufacture of the products became a major source of business for Galt Metal Industries. In 1958 the company became a subsidiary of Walker Manufacturing Company of Racine, Wisconsin and moved increasingly to a product line dominated by original equipment and aftermarket exhaust systems. With the move to new ownership Mr. Elliott moved to semi-retirement although he remained with company as a consultant for the next five years presenting Walker Manufacturing Company views in the consultations that led to the Canada-U.S. Automotive Products Trade Agreement more familiarly known as the Auto Pact. Mr. Elliott had various interests outside of his business including curling. He was a member of the Galt Curling Club beginning in the 1930's and was appointed President of the Ontario Curling Association in 1964. In 1965 he was made an Honourary Life Member of the Ontario Curling Association and was a member of the Seigniory Club in Montebello, Quebec. Mr. Elliott was a member of Central Presbyterian Church and was a long-time member of the church's Board of Directors. He also served on the Toronto Board of Trade, the Galt City Club and the Windsor Club of Windsor, Ontario. He died on December 24, 1969 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

John Erb was of Swiss decent and was born in Lancaster County Pennsylvania on 8 Dec 1764, the third son and one of twelve children of Christian and Maria Erb. He was married to Magdalena Schrantz, who was herself born in 1770 and with whom he had nine children. By 1800 several Mennonites had travelled to the new "Beasley Tract", also known as Block 2, on the Grand River to take possession of former Indian lands being sold by Richard Beasley. By 1803, 25 families had settled in the area. It came as a painful shock for these settlers to learn both that Beasley's creditors had placed a claim on their lands and that the Mennonites did not hold clear title. That same year an agreement was reached whereby the Mennonites would purchase 60000 acres of unsurveyed lands in Block 2 to provide Beasley with adequate funds to satisfy his creditors and the Mennonites with clear title to their previously purchased lands. Led by Samuel Bricker and Daniel Erb, the Mennonites hoped to pay for the lands with money provided by their Mennonite brethren in Pennsylvania. John Erb was among those who supported the pleas of Samuel Bricker and Daniel Erb and, according to one unconfirmed source, was instrumental in the ultimate success of Bricker and Daniel Erb in obtaining the required funds. Whether or not John Erb's was the most persuasive voice, he was certainly among the initial subscribers to the new "German Company" and as such acquired 7,500 acres in the north part of Block 2 and purchased additional lands in the south of what was to become Waterloo Township, at the confluence of the Speed and Grand Rivers. Once the cash had been raised in Pennsylvania, it had to be carried to Canada to pay Beasley. This was done in two journeys with the initial payment of $4692 in American silver dollars sewn into leather bags and carried on horseback. The second installment of $6102.10 was packed into oaken kegs and then securely fastened to a wagon driven by Samuel Bricker. John Erb was one of four companions each of whom was reportedly armed with a muzzle loader to discourage would-be thieves. John Erb, with his wife, settled on his Speed River lands in 1805 and built a sawmill on the river in 1806. A grist mill followed in 1807. The sawmill has long since vanished but the grist mill was the beginning of a flour milling business that has operated continuously, under a variety of owners, to the present day. The mill site is the oldest, continuously operating industrial site in the Region of Waterloo. These two enterprises formed the nucleus around which a settlement named Cambridge or Cambridge Mills, later Preston, developed. John Erb died on 2 Sep 1832 and is buried in Hagey Mennonite Cemetery.

James Esson was born on 10 Aug 1853, one of six children of noted Preston photographer George Esson and his wife Jane. The elder Esson opened a daguerre type gallery in about 1852 and continued with it until 1870 when his son James took over the business apparently first operating it from the family home on Queen Street.
James Esson quickly made a name for himself as an "artist", that is, someone who "creates" a picture as opposed to someone who merely "takes" a picture. His first subjects were architectural and scenic views, subjects which later formed the basis of his famous stereoscopic views that were so popular in the late 19th century.
In 1878 an advertisement in the "County of Waterloo Gazetteer and Directory" announced "James Esson Photographer, Publisher and dealer in Stereoscopic Views, C.D.V. Statuary, Monumental and Headstone Designs. Queen Street - Preston - Ontario." Within three years Mr. Esson had added "portrait artist" to his list.
In 1884, at the age of 30, Mr Esson opened a studio at 105 King Street naming it the Atelier. So excellent was his work that he soon attained a reputation for excellence and attracted to his studio patrons of political and social distinction from as far away as Ottawa and Montreal. The Marquis of Lorne and Princess Louise, members of the Senate and Commons, famous stage artists and prominent ladies and gentlemen were numbered among Mr Esson's clients.
His reputation brought Preston, which was elsewhere described as "not indicative of much energy or enterprise", a certain distinction and his famous "Atelier" became one of Preston's prominent commercial buildings. As such, it was featured as an individual illustration on a bird's-eye view map of Preston published c.1895. In May 1892 the Atelier was described in "The Canadian Photographic Journal" as "three storeys high, built of red brick and trimmed with Credit Valley brownstone". Visitors to the Atelier first entered the office, which is described as "a cosy cheerful looking" fairly spacious room. "The counter, desk, screen and wainscotting, all of which are quartered oak, are beautifully carved from special designs". A "massive oak stairway" led to the bright studio with ample natural light allowed to enter through a skylight of "ground glass". Mr Esson's exclusive use of natural light added a special feel to his photographs and earned him the nickname "The Lightman".
In the late 1870's and the early 1880's, Mr Esson travelled across Canada and the United States taking hundreds of stereoviews of landscapes, buildings, street scenes and parks that were arranged into some 15 geographic or thematic series including cities such as Toronto, Guelph and Galt and scenes of the Muskoka District, the Northern Lakes, the Thousand Islands, Central Park in New York, and what he described as "Picturesque America", "Picturesque Canada" and "Gems of Statuary".
Mr Esson used a binocular camera fitted with two lenses several inches apart to record the same scene from slightly different angles roughly corresponding to the perspective of human eyes. The resultant double image would then produce a three-dimensional result when viewed through a stereoscope, a common appliance in Victorian households. It has been noted that Mr Esson was one of only a very small number of Canadian photographers to produce the stereoviews that were common in both Britian and the United States at the time. It is estimated that Mr Esson's collection, including stereoviews, numbered in the vicinity of 5000 images, of which only a fraction now remain.
Through these stereoviews Mr Esson gained a "world-wide" reputation as a landscape photographer and these photographs combined with his portrait photographs created a body of work that placed him, in the eyes of many, among the foremost photographers of his day.
A fall suffered in 1916 forced Mr Esson into retirement and he asked his nephew, Elliot Law to take over his business. In 1920, Mr Esson decided to leave Preston, sold his "Atelier" and moved to Toronto. He died there on 12 Sept. 1933 and is buried in Prospect Cemetery.

A noted teacher, Frank A. Ferguson was born in Stoughton, Saskatchewan in 1905 the son of George Ferguson and Elizabeth Fairlie. He came to Ontario in 1920 and completed his elementary and secondary school education at Beeton Continuation School and Georgetown High School. He was initially interested in becoming a minister and decided to study English and History because they would be useful to him on the pulpit. He was educated at University College of the University of Toronto and spent two summers on mission placements in Saskatchewan. Following graduation in 1927 he became interested in education and decided to pursue a career in teaching. He then attended the Ontario College of Education, graduating in 1928. He taught in Weston Vocational School and in London at Sir Adam Beck Collegiate before coming to Galt in 1933 as Head of the English Department at the Galt Collegiate Institute. He held that position from 1933 to 1964 and was named Ontario's Outstanding English Teacher in 1963. He was presented with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation Diamond Jubilee Award for Distinguished Service in 1979 and, in 1980, was featured on a TVO production "Beyond the Shield", speaking about changes in education. In 1961 he was chosen to assist in revising the secondary school curricula for Ontario. He served as the senior English advisor for the committee. Mr. Ferguson also edited and wrote the introductions for numerous school editions of Shakespeare's plays, many of which are still used in schools. His aim as a teacher was to widen each student's cultural horizons and to make their lives richer and more satisfying. Mr. Ferguson was a member of the CCF Party and was the party's candidate for Waterloo South in the 1942 federal election. He was defeated by Conservative Karl Homuth. He was also named as the CCF Party candidate in 1949 for the next federal election but withdrew from the race because he felt that he did not have sufficient time to devote to politics. He was keenly interested in economic and labour problems and lectured in economic history and literature for the University of Toronto Extension Department to the Workers' Economic Association in Galt. Preston, Kitchener and Brantford. Mr. Ferguson was the father of Graeme Ferguson and the father-in-law of Roman Kroiter, both of whom were prominent in the development of IMAX films. The Frank Ferguson Memorial Award was established in Mr. Ferguson's honour and is presented annually to a Galt Collegiate Institute student who excels in English and wishes to proceed to a post-secondary education. In addition the student must display a lively interest in a few of the areas dear to Mr. Ferguson's heart: the arts, world affairs, social issues and general free thinking. Mr. Ferguson died on December 28, 1993 in Arundel Quebec.

Alex Forbes was born in Hespeler on January 2, 1897, the son of George Duthie Forbes and Amy Ellis. Following his father's death in 1934, Mr. Forbes became a director of a number of companies in which his father had an interest, including Hespeler's Simplicity Products where he was active until about 1970 when the business was sold. He was involved in a number of other business concerns and sat on the board of directories of many varied companies. He was active with the Hespeler Patriotic Society during the Second World War helping to raise over $35,000 for the war effort. He was also a life member of the Waterloo Historical Society, a member of the Executive Committee for the 1947 Hespeler Old Boys' Reunion and an honourary chairman of the celebrations marking the centenary of Hespeler's incorporation as a village. Mr. Forbes is best known, however, for his conservation work involving migrating waterfowl. Always an avid outdoorsman Mr. Forbes held many local and provincial titles in trap and skeet shooting. In his later years he committed himself to environmental concerns with particular attention to the well being of migratory waterfowl. Sometime in the 1950's he created a popular migratory stopover, which became known as the "Forbes Sanctuary", by excavating three depressions that were then connected to a nearby stream. In the 1960's and 1970's Mr. Forbes assisted the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the former Ontario Waterfowl Research Foundation with its Giant Canada Goose program by raising and releasing these birds on his property. More important was his work with the once endangered wood duck. He initiated Wood Duck enhancement programs by raising and releasing 3,500 wood ducks both locally and throughout the province and by providing a habitat for mating pairs of wood ducks. In addition, he developed a nesting box that the ducks would accept in the wild. The boxes are used in Canada and the United States and have helped the wood duck population recover in North American to the point that they are no longer considered an endangered species. Mr. Forbes was also the first person to breed Canvasback Ducks in captivity. In 1984 the Grand River Conservation Authority recognized Mr. Forbes' work with waterfowl by adding his name to the Authority's "Honour Roll". Mr. Forbes died on May 2, 1986 and is buried in New Hope Cemetery.

Known affectionately as "The Chief", Hespeler industrialist George Duthie Forbes was the son of Robert Forbes and Ann Duthie. He was born on a farm near Morriston Ontario in the township of Badenoch in 1860. He began to learn the textile trade in 1880 when he went to work in the worsted department of the Farr Alpaca plant in Holyoke Massachusetts. He returned to Hespeler in January 1882 and went to work in the family business the R. Forbes Co. Ltd. He became the company president in 1888. When his father died a few years later in 1895, George Forbes assumed full responsibility for the operations of the company. He led the company until 1928 when it was sold to Dominion Woollens and Worsteds Co. Ltd.
In addition to his interests in the R. Forbes Co., Mr Forbes was a director of Royal Trust Co.; the Lake Erie and Northern Railway; the Waterloo Trust and Savings Co. and the Hespeler Furniture Co. He was president of the C. Turnbull Co. of Galt; the Taylor-Forbes Co. of Guelph; the Guelph and Ontario Investment and Savings Society; the Guelph Trust Co. and Simplicity Products Ltd. of Hespeler. He was also the vice-president of the Canada Machinery Corporation of Galt, Galt Malleable Iron and the Dominion Life Assurance Co. of Waterloo.
He was also associated with the Kondu Co. of Preston and the Stamped and Enamelled Ware Co. of Hespeler. Mr Forbes was the first elected Mayor of the incorporated Town of Hespeler holding the office from 1901 to 1913. He was the president of the 1926 Hespeler Homecoming, was a consistent and generous supporter of Freeport Sanatorium, was active with the Red Cross and the Patriotic Society during World War I and, in 1915, donated Forbes Park in downtown Hespeler to the town. He died at his home in Hespeler on 27 Sep 1934 and is buried in New Hope Cemetery.

A dedicated newspaperman remembered for his journalistic integrity, Roy Francis earned a degree in journalism from the University of Western Ontario. He was born in Galt on 25 Mar 1920, the son of Herbert R. Francis and Ethel May Porter. He attended Central Public and Galt Collegiate Institute before taking a job as a saw setter. During the Second World War, Mr Francis served as a corporal with the Highland Light Infantry of Canada. He took part in the D-Day invasion landing with his regiment on the beach at Bernières-sur-Mer in Normandy on 6 Jun 1944. He was wounded some time later and was returned to Canada following the deaths in combat of his two brothers, Sgt. Herbert E. Francis who died on 14 Jul 1944 and C.S.M. Benjamin R. Francis who died on 10 Oct 1944. Following the war he earned a degree in journalism from the University of Western Ontario and then took a job as a sports reporter with the Sudbury Star. He then returned to Galt to work for the Galt Reporter, later the Cambridge Reporter where he remained for twenty-nine years. He was described as a "good, solid newspaper man" who had a gift for description. He had a reputation as a reporter who stuck to the facts and never cut corners. One who knew his work claimed that he "didn't put quotation marks around something unless he knew that that's what the person said." Mr Francis was also the author of "A History of the Development of the Galt Public Utilities Commission" a small publication produced in 1966 in cooperation with the Ontario Hydro-Electric Commission. In spite of having a reputation as a "grumpy newsman", Mr Francis possessed what has been described as an "impish sense of humour". When someone claimed to have seen a faceless beast with flaming eyes, Mr Francis and fellow journalist Claude Kewley created the "Doon Panther". Intended as a joke, the story soon gained wide circulation and was widely believed to be true. Soon the "Doon Panther" was seen all over the area and was thought for a time to pose a danger to the public. Eventually the story died down on its own and was only later revealed as a hoax. By then, however, the now fabled beast had become part of the folklore of the region. Mr Francis retired from the Cambridge Reporter in 1980 and died on 16 Sep 1998. He is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

The many people of Scottish background who originally settled in the Galt area undoubtedly brought the game of curling to their new land with them. The frozen water of the Grand River and the many small lakes surrounding the pioneer community were the scenes of many unorganized matches during the early 1830’s. However, the first game of which there is a definite record took place at Altrive Lake, on the farm of James S. Cowan, in February of 1837. The curling stones used were blocks of maple wood, heavily banded in iron, and having iron handles. The deep snow had to be shovelled off the playing surface first, and had to be kept off by vigorous activity with brooms. 

Founding of the Club

In 1838, the Galt Curling Club was formed with an informal organization of many of the curlers who took part in the historic game above. The game flourished and by 1841 it became necessary to establish the club in a more formal manner. It was then an executive was elected and formal club rules were set. Mr. William Dickson, the founder of Galt, became the first President of the club.

On the Ponds

History has it that, depending on the conditions of the weather, some great ice battles were staged on the ponds and lakes in and around Galt with the invading curlers coming from Guelph, Fergus, Ayr, Paris, Elora, West Flamborough, Dundas, Hamilton, Milton and from as far away as Toronto. Unlike today’s bonspiels where curlers may come from many different towns and cities to compete in a bonspiel in those early days competition would be head to head, between two communities. Home and home series would be arranged. The winners would go on to the next community until finally a District winner was established. Depending on the distance to be travelled a one-day competition could take three days with a day allowed for travel to and from the opposing town or village by horse-drawn sleigh.

O.C.A.

In the years that followed the game and the club grew. In 1866 the Galt Curling Club joined the Canadian Branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club. Then in 1875 when the Ontario Branch was formed Galt was one of the original founding clubs. The Ontario Branch of the R.C.C.C. later became the Ontario Curling Association and Galt curlers have served as Presidents of the O.C.A. on four different occasions.

First, Second and Third Rinks

The first rink in Galt was a wooden building with two sheets of ice located at the south end of Dickson Park. Unfortunately this structure burned to the ground. From there the curlers moved to a temporary site on Water St. where the Tiger Brand factory recently stood. The longest serving building on North Square was built during 1877 and 1878 and was one of the finest rinks in the country of that day. It originally had two sheets of curling ice on the outside, enclosing an ice-hockey rink in the centre area. Artificial ice was added in 1930.

Another Club Formed

In 1881 dissatisfaction arose in the club and a second club, the Galt Granite Club was formed. The two clubs shared the facilities of the one curling rink but were friendly rivals for many years. Indeed the weekly competition between them was a highlight of many winters. In 1930 the Galt Curling Club amalgamated with the Galt Granite Club and adopted the Galt Curling Club name and continued to grow.

Accomplishments

Curlers representing Galt Curling Club and Galt Granite Club won many honours over the years with Ontario Tankard winners in 1889, 1904, 1906, and 1924. In 1948 a Galt rink won the British Consols and went on to represent Ontario in the Brier. More recently Galt rinks have won provincial titles in Business Ladies, Senior Men's and Senior Mixed.

Ladies in Curling!!

Curling for women was introduced in 1951 and that year saw the first ladies games as well as the first mixed games. These popular sections of our club continue today after the curling boom of the 1960’s and early 1970’s. An active Business Ladies Section was added in 1967-68.

Another Club formed

With the explosion of interest in the game of curling in the 1960’s a new building was constructed at the Galt Country Club and now two clubs flourish in the city both with active memberships and with keen rivalry between them.

Repairs

Early the 1980’s the club faced a serious problem when the wood frame construction of the century-old building was found to be structurally unsafe. Extensive renovation and the addition of steel supporting beams was the answer and curling continued for a few more years in the upgraded facility.

Our new location

To make way for an addition to the Galt public library at Queen's Square a relocation committee was formed by the Galt Curling Club to have a new facility built in 1990. Serving on that committee were Dave Bartleman, Richard Bullock, Ken Cox, John Jacobs, Bill Meyer, Louise O’Brien, Kathy Wilkins and Jim Broomfield.

Our Curling Stone Fireplace

The current four sheet club was built on Dunbar Road in Cambridge. The unique fireplace from the former curling rink built in 1877 was rescued from the old building and was incorporated into the lower floor lounge. Made of old curling stones it stands as a monument to the early pioneer curlers of former Galt and district.

Improved Ice Surface

In 2009 with the substantial support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation a major upgrade program was undertaken. Included in this effort was the addition of enhanced insulation beneath the ice playing surface ensuring a superb base for our playing surface. This was accomplished through the extraordinary efforts of many club volunteers. Consequently the club has a superior curling surface throughout the entire curling season.

The primary credit for the organization of the Galt Little Theatre must be given to the principal of Galt Collegiate Institute (GCI), Dr. T. H. Wholton. It was Dr. Wholton's interest in the theatre that led him to organize a group of staff and students into the Galt Collegiate Players in the 1920's. From this group came the Galt Little Theatre company that was organized by a small group, which included Dr. Wholton that met at the local YMCA in August 1933. In a way it was not a good time to start any new ventures. The effects of the Great Depression had not diminished and money was extremely difficult to find. However, the material needs of the group were few and costs were relatively low so the dedicated little group managed to scrape together enough to get started. They began by organizing three one act plays for the 1933/1934 season, The Lost Silk Hat, The Locked Chest and The Grand Cham's Diamond. Because of Dr. Wholton's connection with the Galt Little Theatre, the company was given the use of Tassie Hall at GCI for a minimal charge and enjoyed considerable early success. By the early 1950' s the group boasted a membership of over 1,000 supporters and in 1955 was incorporated as Galt Little Theatre Inc. (GLT), a non-profit corporation. As such the members of the GLT committed the organization to promote and encourage interest in the arts, particularly the theatre arts and to present theatrical productions staged, acted and directed by amateurs. As part of this new commitment the company began to move from the one-act plays with which they had begun to more complex three act plays including Kind Lady, Light Up the Sky and The Little Foxes. The coming of television in the 1950's had a dramatic impact on the company's membership. At the same time financial difficulties and restrictions imposed on the group on the use of sets at GCI put further strains on the Galt Little Theatre. It was at about this time that the company began what was to become its all too familiar nomadic existence. Plays continued to be presented at Tassie Hall, on the stage of the Galt Public Library and in the Delta Playhouse but a long-term rehearsal stage and space in which to store sets and costumes could not be found. As a result the troupe found itself housed in a variety of sites including the old Post Office, the second floor above Kirkham's Appliance store on Wellington Street, the old Gore Building on Main Street, Briggs Grocery Store on Water Street South, Riverside Silk Mills on Melville Street, the Savage Shoe building in Preston and the Preston Hydro building on King Street. In the 1930's and 1940's light comedies were popular with local audiences while in the 1950's dramas were in vogue. In the 1960's musical revues written by local people about local events became very popular. The revues were presented at the theatre's annual dinner-dances held at the Iroquois Hotel, Leisure Lodge and the Highlands. Despite having to work in often cramped conditions in less than ideal conditions the GLT managed to put on professional quality productions and successfully presented large-scale productions like the Wizard of Oz and Oliver. In part because the company could not find a permanent home and because the facilities they could find were inadequate local support for the GLT had fallen to the point that only 70 people attended a fund raising "revival meeting" at the theatre in the Library. Despite the adversity, the company managed not only to survive but also to thrive. The troupe attracted new support and, in 1978, appointed a building committee to find a permanent home for the Galt Little Theatre. The task was not easy but after years of work and after many false starts, the City of Cambridge, in November 1987, purchased and began the renovation of the former Water Street Baptist Church to create the Cambridge Arts Theatre, the new and permanent home of the Galt Little Theatre. The City of Cambridge owns the building and the GLT operates it as the Cambridge Arts Theatre and is responsible for all maintenance and operating costs. The facility opened with great fanfare in October 1983 and in 2000, in a joint venture with the City extensive renovations were carried out at a cost to the GLT in excess of $100,000. In these renovations the seats of the theatre were racked and a new stage was built over a new workshop. The GLT is a long-time member of the Western Ontario Drama League (WODL). That group consists of 33 amateur theatre groups dedicated to the theatre arts in South Western Ontario. WODL sponsors an annual theatre festival at which five of the best productions of the member theatres are presented. The GLT sent a number of productions to the festival including the 1951 production of Little Foxes for which Audrie Vale won the best actress award. That play also included GLT newcomer Bernice Brine then 16. After her marriage she was known as Bernice Adams, the woman for whom the Bernice Adams Cultural Awards were later created and named. The GLT's best showing at the WODL festival came in Windsor in 1983 when the company's production of Spring and Port Wine won five of the fifteen awards presented by the festival adjudicator including the awards for the best play, the best co-ordinated production, best actor, most promising actress and the best director. The production then went on to the Theatre Ontario Festival in Sudbury where it achieved five more honours including the top prize for best production. Two members of the cast also received invitations to audition for the Stratford Festival in the fall. It was the first time in the GLT's long history that the company participated in a festival outside of the Western Ontario region. Once the GLT had a permanent home in the Cambridge Arts Theatre the company hosted the WODL Festival in 1986, 1989 and again in 2003.

Hockey was introduced into our area as early as the 1860's. The first organized hockey team in Galt was formed in 1891, one year after the formation of the Ontario Hockey Association. Over the years Galt developed into a hotbed for the sport and supported both amateur and professional teams. However, while support was strong, it was not always possible to ice a strong team at all levels and from the end of the 1940/41 season to the 1959/60 season, the city was not represented at the Senior O.H.A. level. This changed in June 1959 when Galt arena manager Len Gaudette organized the revival of the Seniors Terriers. The new Galt Terriers played in the Senior "B" loop for the 1959/60 season and then moved into Senior "A" ranks for the 1960/61 season.
To strengthen the team for the move to the more competitive league Mr Gaudette contacted several former members of the Kitchener Dutchmen including Harold "Boat" Hurley, Ted Maki, Floyd "Butch" Martin, Bill "Wiggie" Wylie, Bob McKnight and Darryl Sly. To the surprise of many, all the players signed and were soon joined by Harry Neale, Joe Hogan, Pete Kowalchuk, Ab Martin, Bobby Mader, Frankie Carroll, Alec "Butch" Keeling, and John Reinhardt. The team proved to be so strong that they captured the Allan Cup that year as Canada's top Senior "A" hockey Club.
With the Allan Cup win came the right to represent Canada at the 1962 World Hockey Championships played that year in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The club completed the tournament with a 6-1 record losing only to the powerful and undefeated squad from Sweden. That was good enough for a second place silver medal.
The team was unable to duplicate its winning ways during the following season finishing league play in fourth place. It was clear that the enthusiasm generated by the Allan Cup win and by the silver medal won at the World Championships could not be maintained and in the fall of 1963 it was announced that the Terriers would cease operations. Almost immediately a new organization sprang up, determined to keep senior hockey alive in the city. In September 1963 it was announced that a new team, to be called the Galt Hornets, would take the place of the Terriers in the O.H.A. Senior "A" loop.
Like the Terriers before them, the new team operated on a Share-the-Wealth scheme under which everyone in the organization shared equally in the profits of the operation. Using this system, the Hornets became one of the strongest, best run and most successful amateur teams in the country. Starting from nothing except the abilities of the organizers and a small core of players the Hornets finished their first season tied for first place in their league. They did not advance far in the playoffs that year but had served notice to the rest of the league that they were a force to be reckoned with. Through the next five years the Hornets developed their talents and by the 1968/69 season the club was strong enough to bring the Allan Cup to Galt back to Galt defeating the Calgary Stampeders in the final.
With the Allan Cup win came the opportunity to travel to Germany for a 8 game exhibition tour against teams from East and West Germany. The Hornets returned with a 4-3-1 record.
The club duplicated the 1968/69 Allan cup win with another in the 1970/71 season against the same Calgary Stampeders. Following this Allan Cup win, the Hornets travelled to Europe, in 1972, to represent Canada in the Ahearne Cup Tournament played that year in Sweden. The Club finished the tournament with a 4-3 record and claimed fourth place.
The Hornets did not win the Allan Cup again for some time but that did not put an end to their participation in international competition. During the 1970's the Hornets were regularly involved in games with visiting European hockey clubs. Late in 1972 the Hornets participated in the Royal Bank International Tournament and finished third behind strong club teams from Czechoslovakia and Russia. In the CCM International Hockey tournament played early in 1974, the Hornets placed second behind the Russian entry defeating the Tesla Pardubice, the Czech National Champions along the way. During the 1975/76 season the Hornets tied the Russian first division Khimik and defeated the Maple Leafs' Oklahoma farm club in exhibition play.
In 1980 the Hornets won the Eastern Canadian Championship and was named the Cambridge team of the year. Their success continued into the 1982/83 season when the team once again captured the Allan Cup defeating the St Boniface Mohawks. As a result of this win the Hornets travelled to Japan in February 1984 for a ten day, five game exhibition tour. That same year the club repeated as the Senior "A" Champions of Eastern Canada but were unable to repeat as Allan Cup winners, losing in the final series in Thunder Bay.
The club folded in 1987 only because the league in which they were playing ceased operations and there was no where else for them to play.

Elizabeth Gibson, the first superintendent of the Galt Hospital, was born in Galt, one of six children of David Gibson and Sarah Jamieson. She attended the Toronto Hospital School of Nursing at a time when the school was in its infancy and in December 1889 was hired by the trustees of the Galt Hospital to serve as the Lady Superintendent of the hospital. She took on this responsibility at a time when it was the opinion of many in the town that the hospital was a needless and useless expense since there were no poor or homeless in the town. As the first superintendent Miss Gibson became a leader in changing the opinion of many about the usefulness of a local hospital and was instrumental in establishing the Galt Hospital as a reputable institution. When the hospital opened in 1891 her staff consisted of three domestics, a caretaker and two student nurses. In return for a salary of $240 per year, Miss Gibson took on the duties of secretary, treasurer, admitting and discharging officer, dispenser, head nurse and housekeeper. The rules and regulations governing behaviour in the Galt Hospital submitted by Miss Gibson and adopted by the Board of Trustees demonstrated her professional knowledge of hospitals and their administration. Although some of the rules now appear outdated, some of them are not so different to those in place today. Nurses were always to keep themselves clean and neat and to conduct themselves in a quiet, orderly and kind manner at all times. In 1895, after serving five years as superintendent at the Galt Hospital, Miss Gibson resigned. She stated at the time that although she loved her work, she was "worked and worn out", and needed the time to care for her semi-invalid father. He father died two years later and Miss Gibson moved west and became a deaconess and missionary in the Presbyterian church. She was admitted to Ewart College in 1910 and graduated on April 4, 1911. She then served in Grosvenor and Cooke's Churches. Miss Gibson retired as a deaconess in 1936 and entered Belmont Nursing Home in Toronto where she died in January 1942.

John Goldie, the second son of John Goldie and Margaret Smith, was born in Ayrshire Scotland. The elder Mr. Goldie was a famed botanist and originator of the Greenfield Mill near Ayr, Ontario. For a short time, John Goldie Jr. went to school in Kilroy, a village near his home, but when he was still quite young he was apprenticed to James McNab, a millwright.
When he was 22 Mr. Goldie emigrated from Scotland with his family. The family came directly to Greenfield, a farmstead near the village of Ayr. Mr. Goldie worked for George Baird, a local contractor, for a little over a year and then moved to Montreal where he worked for eighteen months as a pattern maker. Upon his return he established a small machine shop with a lathe and other machinery in his father's flourmill. He operated a sawmill in Esquesing Township for a number of years, at the same time performing some work as a millwright for James Crombie's Dumfries Foundry in Galt.
In 1859 Mr. Crombie's foundry came up for sale and Mr. Goldie in partnership with Hugh McCulloch bought it, thus laying the foundations for Goldie-McCulloch Co. Ltd., one of the largest and most successful manufacturing establishments in Canada. The company's first contract was for the machinery of the rolling mill for the Great Western Railway at Hamilton. From there the business grew quickly and, in 1891, the company was granted a charter and became a joint stock company with Mr. Goldie one of the major stock holders along with his partner Hugh McCulloch, his brother David and, soon thereafter, his son Alexander R. Goldie. Mr. McCulloch's sons, Hugh McCulloch Jr. and Robert O. McCulloch were also major stockholders.
Mr. Goldie was a patron of the Galt Curling Club and a member of the Astronomical Society of Ontario. He maintained his own observatory and spent many hours investigating the night skies. He was associated with the Galt Mechanics Institute and was vice-president of the Galt Hospital Trust for several years. Mr. Goldie died, much to the regret of the general community, on March 26, 1896 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Dr. James (Jim) Gowing was born in Preston on April 10, 1938, the son of David and Alice Gowing. He is one of five boys. Jim is proud of his Preston upbringing. He attended Preston Public School and Preston High School where he was co-president of the Student Council and co-captain of the school's Panthers football team.
He attended McMaster University for one year, considering law as his future. However, he felt he could make a greater contribution in life in the medical profession. Jim switched to the University of Manitoba graduating with a B.A. in Psychology in 1960. There he participated in a study of the effects on human beings of the deprivation of sensory stimulation. The motive behind the experiment was the North Korean use of "White Boxes" to try to condition captured allied personnel. Doctor Gowing was the only undergraduate in the program and designed and built most of the electronic equipment used in the experiment.
His next achievement was earning a M.B., B.S. from the University of London (England) Westminster Medical School in 1966. In 1965 he was House Surgeon, Thoracic Surgery, Westminster Hospital and House Officer in 1966 at Westminster Children's Hospital.
Jim spent four years in Newfoundland holding positions as Chief Resident of Medicine at St. John's General Hospital, District Medical Officer and Chief Medical Officer of Health, Department of Health. He became a patient advocate early in his medical career. He always put the patient first.
From 1969-1974, he held Hematology, Oncology and Internal Medicine positions at Hamilton Civic Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital, Henderson General Hospital, McMaster University Medical Centre and Hamilton Regional Cancer Centre. He received his Fellowship, Internal Medicine from the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada in 1974.
In 1974 Dr. Gowing became medical oncologist and hematologist at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital until his retirement in 2013. During his time there he established the Cambridge Community Cancer Clinic and saw CMH become the first community hospital to be linked by computer to the Ontario Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation now Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) Dr. Gowing has promoted community cancer clinics across Canada and established the National Conference on Community Cancer Clinics.
Dr. Gowing has chaired the National Conference on Community Cancer Programs and is an Emeritus member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the European Society of Medical Oncology. He represents the Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada on the Canadian Cancer Action Network Board of Directors and serves as the Project Lead for the 2014-2016 Canadian Cancer Action Network Health Technology Assessment and remains an active member of the International Biolron Society.
Setting standards for care, Dr. Gowing has been praised for his out-of-the-box-thinking and his successful treatment of otherwise deadly diseases, but maintains family is most important to him, especially his seven grandchildren.

Bob Green is a writer, artist, musician and humourist - one of Galt`s best known and best loved contributors to Canadian art and letters.  He was born in Galt in 1930, graduated from Ryerson's journalism program, worked at the Vancouver Sun, but returned to Galt as the wire editor of the Reporter. His books include "Eavesdroppings: stories from small towns when sin was fun," recollections and stories of Galt, Preston and Hespeler that were taken from his widely enjoyed Cambridge Reporter columns, and, "It takes all kinds," more stories about the local communities and their characters.   "The great leap backward" originally -published in 1968, came out again in 20015.  It is a prophetic work of fiction of fiction about people who fear machinery and computers. 

Green's artistic media are primarily oils and acrylic.  According to an article he wrote in the Cambridge Citizen, Bob opened his first art gallery (the first of four) in 1976 above the back end of the Bank of Commerce at the corner of Water and Main.   He supplemented his artistic income by working as a porter at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital.  Some of his work is held in the City of Cambridge Corporate Art Collection, and another piece is held by the City of Cambridge Archives; many are in private collections.

 The multi-talented Green starred in a Canadian short film, Metamorphosis, which won the Short Film Palme d'Or of the Cannes Film Festival in 1976.  Green played the part of a man who makes his home in an elevator.

 It has been music that has been Green`s lifelong companion. Interested in music from his early childhood, he became a jazz drummer for local bands in his high school years, playing for the Charlie Rush Trio and Johnny Kostigan`s band at Preston`s Leisure Lodge.  He has played in all kinds of bands, including country western, and played at Milford Manor on Lake Muskoka with Robert Kerr.  More recently, he played with the Arte Trio.

 Green was awarded the Bernice Adams award in 1982 for Visual Arts, and in 1998 won the Bernice Adams Special Trustee Award.  The Rotary Club gave him a Paul Harris Fellowship in 1997.  He is married to author, poet and editor Veronica Ross. 

Robert "Bob" Green passed away on September 14, 2019.

Elizabeth Gress was born in the town of Hohnweiler in the Alsace-Lorraine region on the border between France and Germany on 12 Feb 1821. She chose midwifery as a profession and completed her training at a college in Strasbourg. She received her degree in 1847 and began a practice which saw her deliver 2700 babies in the course of a career that didn't end until her retirement in 1900.
In 1849 she married Henry Gress and came to Preston with him in 1853. Mrs Gress continued her practice in Preston and was in constant demand. Her fees for assisting at a birth varied ranged from a sack of potatoes to $5.00 depending on the resources of the family she was helping. She seldom charged more than $2.00 and sometimes she would charge nothing for her services.
In 1880, when she was in her 60th year, Mrs Gress was required to travel to Toronto to take a test to satisfy new regulations dealing with her profession. Mrs Gress had no difficulty in passing the test and continued to practise her profession for another 20 years finally retiring at the age of 79 in 1900.
"Mother" Gress died in Preston in September 1910 and is buried in the Preston Cemetery.

Peter Gzowski was born in Toronto on July 13, 1934 a great-great grandson of the engineer Casimir Gzowski. He left Toronto with his parents at an early age and was raised in Galt. He attended Galt Collegiate Institute and credited Frank Ferguson, the head of the school's English Department with having a significant influence on his development as a journalist. Mr. Gzowski left Galt in 1949 in Grade 11 to attend Ridley College in St. Catharines. He later attended the University of Toronto where he edited the university's student newspaper "The Varsity". He worked on newspapers in Timmins, Moose Jaw and Chatham before moving to Macleans magazine in 1958. Mr. Gzowski became Maclean's youngest managing editor in 1962. He was also the entertainment editor for the Toronto Star and editor of the Star Weekly before returning to Macleans in 1970 for a short stint as the magazine's editor. The following year he moved into radio as host of the popular CBC morning show "This Country in the Morning". He remained with the show until 1974 and then moved to the FM dial with "Gzowski on FM". In 1976 Mr. Gzowski moved into television with the late night talk show "90 Minutes Live". Although the show ran through 1978, most observers agree that "90 Minutes Live" was not Mr. Gzowski's most successful venture. Following the television experience Mr. Gzowski turned his attention to writing and in the next three years produced three books: "Spring Tonic" (1979), "The Sacrament" (1980) and "The Game of Our Lives" (1981). The latter book is considered by many as the best sports book ever published in this country. In 1982 he returned to radio where he was host of CBC's "Morningside" until 1997. After leaving the show he remained active returning to television with "Gzowski in Conversation" and producing a monthly column for "Canadian Living" magazine and, later, a weekly column for the "Globe and Mail". One of Canada's pre-eminent journalists, Mr. Gzowski was invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada (1999) and presented with the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement (1995), the Canadian Journalism Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award (1999) and the Peabody Award for his Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting (1997). In addition Mr. Gzowski was the recipient of seven ACTRA Awards, was honourary degrees from twelve Canadian universities and is a member the Canadian News Hall of Fame. In addition to the three non-fiction books noted previously, Mr. Gzowski wrote a memoir "The Private Voice" published in 1988 and the "Peter Gzowski Reader" (2001). He also produced five editions of "The Morningside Papers", the retrospective "Morningside Years" and two collections of columns,"Canadian Living" and "Friends, Moments, Countryside". Mr. Gzowski was appointed Chancellor of Trent University in Peterborough in 1999 and accepted a second term in 2001. He also acted as the first Writer-in-Residence North of 60. In 1986 Mr. Gzowski started PGI Golf Tournaments for Literacy to raise funds to teach people to read and write and inspire Canadians to celebrate literacy. Tournaments have been held in each of the provinces and territories and have raised almost $7 million to improve literacy programs in the communities in which they are held. Mr. Gzowski died in Toronto on January 24, 2002.

George Hancock Jr was born in Galt on 13 Apr 1879, the son of George Hancock Sr. He received his formal education at Victoria Public School and at the Galt Collegiate Institute. While his two brothers John and Norman became prominent lawyers in Galt, Mr Hancock was drawn to commerce. In 1901 he went to work for George Turnbull who had purchased a small box factory on Main St. In 1905 the two men became partners in the fledgling Galt Paper Box Co. This business became quite successful and expanded into Brantford in 1907 and into Woodstock in 1919. Upon Mr Turnbull's death Mr Hancock took over complete control of the company which he led until his own death. Mr Hancock pursued a number of other business endeavors including a partnership with John Eatough in organizing and developing the Dominion Tack and Nail Co. He also served at one time or another as president of the Scroggins Shoe Co. of Narrow Fabrics, of the Galt Chemical Products Ltd., and of Dominion Plywoods of Southampton. He also acted as a director of the original Wragge Shoe Co., of Scott Shoe Co., of the Galt Wood Heel Co., and of the City Garage. Mr Hancock was a member of Galt Town Council in 1910 and was instrumental in reaching an agreement with the Hydro Electric Power Commission, now Ontario Hydro, to bring electricity generated at Niagara Falls to power industries and residences in Galt. When the Public Utilities Commission of Galt was organized in 1919, Mr Hancock was one of the original members. He served on the commission for 30 years, serving as Chairman for many of those years. In addition, Mr Hancock was an officer in the Galt Amateur Athletic Association and was a strong supporter of the building of the Galt Arena in 1921. He served as treasurer of the Galt Arena Co., and was a director of both Galt's Waterloo Golf and Country Club and the Galt Club. In his later years, Mr Hancock turned his attention to the breeding and raising of Jersey cattle on his Roslyn Park farm. Mr Hancock died on 28 Oct 1948 and is buried in the mausoleum in Mount View Cemetery.

Katherine Hebblethwaite was born in Toronto, the granddaughter of Galt industrialist James Warnock. Katherine completed a librarianship course at the University of Toronto and travelled to England where she met her future husband Norman, the chief librarian in Finchley in northern London. The couple returned to Canada and Galt Ontario in 1956 when Norman was became chief librarian and Katherine who was working alongside her husband began to collect and organize local history material. It has been said that if she hadn't realized the importance of the material, it wouldn't be around today. The documents collected by Katherine became part of what is now the Cambridge Archives Library Fonds. She indexed the old Dumfries Reformer and Galt newspapers, indexed obituaries with the help of volunteers and began a chronology that was the predecessor of retired City Archives Jim Quantrell's book, Time Frames. She catalogued local history books and old photographers. When the three libraries amalgamated in 1973, Katherine integrated historical materials from the community libraries, and with the help of volunteers established a Local History Room in the former Galt Library. Other institutions were the beneficiary of Katherine's library skills. She established archives at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital and at Babcock Wilcox Canada, and wrote a history of that company entitled "Babcock & Wilcox: a history, 1844-1977." In the centennial year of 1967 she was granted funds to republish a local history entitled "Reminiscences of the early history of Galt and the settlement of North Dumfries" by James Young originally published in 1880. Katherine Hebblethwaite was a member of the original Cambridge Museum an Archives Committee and the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee of city council.

George Heggie was born in Dundas Scotland on 24 Mar 1908, one of five children born to George Heggie Sr. and Jessie Anderson. Mr Heggie arrived in Galt with his family on 5 July 1910 and, as he grew, took an active interest in all sports and particularly in baseball, which was a favourite sport of his father.
As an adolescent and young adult, Mr Heggie was an athlete of considerable repute. He was an all-star shortstop helping the Galt Rangers Baseball Club claim the Ontario Intermediate Baseball Championship in 1929 and assisting the Galt Terriers Baseball Club in winning its second straight Ontario Baseball Association Senior Championship in 1931. In 1930 he served as the assistant manager for the Galt Robin Hoods Baseball Club as that team became the Ontario Baseball Association Junior Champions.
Mr Heggie's interests in sports led him to work with youth at the YMCA where he was a program director and coach in several sports including volleyball and basketball until the spring of 1942 when he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd (R) Battalion Highland Light Infantry of Canada. He joined the war services of the YMCA in September 1942 and in November 1943 he was sent to France where he was wounded in a bombing incident. He was evacuated to England for recovery.
Following the war he returned to Galt and resumed his activities in the Galt sports scene. He was named program director of the Galt Boys Club in 1949 assisting about 120 boys in that organization. He also returned to his role, first taken in 1931, as the starter for the Galt Elementary School Ice Skating races which he had helped to organize. He was to be associated with the races as the starter for 57 years finally retiring from the post in 1988. He was honoured by the School Board in February 1989 in recognition of his long time volunteer service. Mr Heggie was named Chairman of the 1951 Galt Parks Board and was deeply involved in the Galt Minor Baseball Association serving as President from 1960 to 1962. In this position he was instrumental in the introduction of Little League Baseball to Galt in 1962 and was involved with the construction of the Little League ball park in Waterworks Park by the Civic Service Club of Galt.
Mr Heggie was also awarded a Celebration '88 medal as part of the 1988 Winter Olympic celebrations and the Ken Graham Trophy by the Galt Curling Club in recognition of his outstanding sportsmanship and his contributions to curling in the city. The ultimate recognition of Mr Heggie's contributions to sport in Cambridge came in 1982 when he was awarded the Benita and Don Rope Trophy as the Sports Contributor of the Year at the annual Cambridge Sports Banquet. Mr Heggie was also one of the founding members of the Tri-County Masters Curling League and the Cambridge Seniors Woodworking Club which was organized in 1983.
Mr Heggie remained active in community life until shortly before his death on 9 Nov 1990. He is buried in Trinity Anglican Cemetery.

Twyla Elizabeth (Tees) Hendry was born in Winnipeg in 1928 and came to Galt in 1954. She began her public life when she was elected president of the Eventide Home Ladies Auxiliary, a Salvation Army organization. For more than thirty years she played the role of Mrs. Santa Claus for the residents of the Eventide Home. Mrs. Hendry was first elected to the Galt Board of Education in 1964 and served as chairperson of the finance and salary committees of the Galt board and as vice-chairperson of the board in 1966 prior to her ascension to the Chairperson's position in 1967. She served on the Waterloo County Board of Education from 1969 to 1974 and again from 1981 to 1991 serving as the Chairperson of the Waterloo County Board of Education in 1984. She declined to stand for a second term after she was appointed a member of the provincial Planning and Implementation Commission which was looking at expanding full educational funding to separate school boards. While there was no legal conflict between her membership on the Commission and her position as chairperson of the Board, she felt that there was a perceived conflict of interest and did not want to compromise the position of the local public and separate boards. Mrs. Hendry also served as director of the Canadian School Trustees Association as well as the chairperson of the Ontario School Trustees Council and as president of the Ontario Public School Trustees Association. As a member of the Canadian School Trustees' Association, Mrs. Hendry served on the committee of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and worked as an advisor in elementary and secondary curriculum committees. On behalf of the Ontario School Trustees' Association she travelled throughout the province as a mediator in disagreements and served with instructional teams at educational seminars. She was recognized for her outstanding contributions to public education in 1991 when she was awarded the prestigious Harry Paikin Award of Merit by the Ontario Public School Boards Association. Mrs. Hendry served as a director of the Ontario Housing Corporation from 1973 to 1980 and toured the province as a member of a task force looking at housing needs in the province. She was also a president of the Cambridge YMCA Board of Directors and was a staunch supporter of the Cambridge Memorial Hospital and a member of its Board of Directors. Mrs. Hendry is credited with spearheading the local defense of the Cambridge Memorial Hospital in 1988 when it came under attack from the provincial government for deficit financing. As the public outcry rose in defense of the hospital and its administration, the provincial government was forced to moderate its position and the autonomy of the hospital, its director and its board were maintained. On the business front Mrs. Hendry owned and operated a small craft business called Home Comforts that specialized in home goods such as comforters, quilted placemats, afghans and aprons. In recognition of her contributions to the community and her dedication to Waterloo Region's education system the K-W Oktoberfest Women's Committee named Mrs. Hendry 1989 Woman of the Year. She was named Kitchener-Waterloo Political Woman of the Year in 1990. She also served as chairperson of the Pension Appeals Tribunals and was president of the Cambridge Big Sisters, as a member of the Cambridge Fall Fair and as a director for the United Way. Mrs. Hendry died on August 11, 1997 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Jacob Hespeler was born in Ehningen Germany in 1811, the eldest son of John George Hespeler and Anna Barbara Wick. His mother's grandfather was Count Andrassy, an Hungarian nobleman. The evidence suggests that he was twice married, first to Eliza "Lissie" Knoth (c.1835) and sometime later to Elise Diehl. He had nine children, seven of whom survived to adulthood.
Little is known of Mr Hespeler's early years others than that he was educated in Nancy, France and emigrated to Canada with all but one of his nine brothers and sisters. Mr Hespeler spent a number of years working in the fur trade first in association with John Jacob Astor and then with the Hudson Bay Co.
In about 1835 he decided to settle down and moved to the German community of Preston. There he opened a store with a man named Yoeste (Yost). It appears that Mr Yoeste had some difficulty with the authorities in the United States and before long Mr Hespeler was the sole owner of the business.
This single store was not sufficient to satisfy Mr Hespeler's boundless energies and he soon turned his sights on some land upon which he could build a grist mill, a mill that would run in opposition to one already operated by Preston's leading family, the Erbs. Mr Hespeler located a suitable site along the Grand River near its confluence with the Speed River. The evidence suggests that Mr Hespeler neglected to purchase water rights when he obtained the mill site and after beginning to dig the race needed to bring in the water that would power the mill was forced to abandon the site. He then turned to a site on King Street where he proceeded to erect a grist mill, a stone store and a distillery. Mr Hespeler became a fairly prominent businessman in Preston and served as the Captain of the Preston Hook and Ladder Co. when it was organized in 1844.
It was at about this time that Mr Hespeler decided to broaden his business activities. Beginning on 6 Feb 1845 he purchased a total of 145 acres fronting on the Speed River in the settlement of New Hope. Mr Hespeler replaced the existing dam on his new property with a much bigger one in keeping with his ambitious plans for the site. He began with the building of a grist mill in 1847 followed shortly thereafter by a sawmill and a cooperage. These were followed by a gas house, a distillery and, in 1861, a stone woollen mill. He also built a stone housing block known as the "Riverside Terraces" which was built to house unmarried men working in his factories. He was also a major benefactor of both the Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches in the village, assisting in the construction of each.
Although Mr Hespeler was increasingly involved with his growing business concerns in New Hope, he continued to maintain close ties to Preston. He continued operating his store, mill and distillery in Preston and in 1850 started a factory that was among the first in Canada to use the new "German" or "quick" method of vinegar production. Traditionally vinegar was made by a two stage process of natural fermentation which required several months to produce a complete vinegar. The new "German" process produced vinegar in a much shorter period. Mr Hespeler's vinegar was sent to the Great Exhibition at Hyde Park in London in 1851 and met with such acceptance that he began exporting his vinegar to the English market the following year.
Mr Hespeler's activities extended beyond his business concerns. He was Preston's second postmaster serving in the position from 1851 to 1859. He served on Preston's council both in 1852, when he was elected as the newly incorporated village's first Reeve, and from 1854 to 1858, the last three years of which he was once again named Reeve. In 1852 he also served as Preston's representative on the first Waterloo County provisional council.
Following his service on Preston's Council, Mr Hespeler was elected to serve as the first reeve of the newly incorporated and newly named Village of Hespeler, holding the office from 1859 to 1862. The incorporation of the settlement of New Hope as the village of Hespeler was due in no small part to the efforts of Jacob Hespeler and was, in part, based on the coming of the Great Western Railway to New Hope on its route from Galt to Guelph. The presence of the railway construction crews in the vicinity of New Hope encouraged Mr Hespeler to call for a census of the settlement in 1857 hoping to find enough "residents" to qualify for incorporation under the terms of the Ontario Municipal Act of 1849. Incorporation was essential to Mr Hespeler's plans for the settlement which could then separate from the county and elect its own Council with jurisdiction over all aspects of roads and bridges and a variety of other issues, the most important being the location of industries and the ability to make provision for fire protection and public health. The census was duly taken and on 31 Jly 1858 the government of her majesty Queen Victoria proclaimed that the settlement of New Hope would become the incorporated Village of Hespeler effective 1 Jan 1859. In 1861, Mr Hespeler ran as a Conservative candidate for the Legislative Assembly but was defeated by the Liberal James Cowan. He was never again a candidate for parliament but he maintained an involvement in later campaigns by providing advice and assistance. It was said that few people in the riding had as much influence with the electorate as Mr Hespeler.
At about the same time Mr Hespeler sold his businesses in Preston and, in 1861, built a large stone woollen mill close to his other factories on the Speed River in Hespeler. This mill was severely damaged by fire in 1869 and shortly thereafter Mr Hespeler moved to California. He lived there for a number of years and then returned to Hespeler where he died on 22 Mar 1881. He is buried in New Hope Cemetery.

Percy Richard Hilborn was born in Berlin (Kitchener), Ontario on June 14, 1886, the son of Henry Cornell Hilborn and Mary Cox a music teacher from Port Rowan. He was educated at McGill University, graduating in 1909 with a degree in Mining and Metallurgy. He spent the next ten years working in engineering and design for Clare Bros. Ltd., a Preston furnace manufacture company in which his father had an interest. In 1914, in partnership with Reg Sears, Mr. Hilborn purchased Salyerds Manufacturing Co., makers of hockey sticks and all types of brushes. The following year he sold his interest in the company to Irving Bernhardt and, in 1919, used the proceeds to purchase the Preston Furniture Company from Frank Moss. The Preston Furniture Co. subsequently purchased the Baird Furniture Factory and Sawmill in Plattsville where, in 1931, Mr. Hilborn established the Canada Sand Papers Company. In 1928, Preston Furniture took over control of the Canadian Office and School Furniture Co. but maintained the separate identities of the two companies. In 1945, Mr. Hilborn acquired the Canadian Brass Company Limited from the Dobbie Family as well as a forty per cent interest in the Hahn Brass Company of New Hamburg. In 1953, the Schmidt Furniture Co., was acquired and became the Preston Seating Division of the Canadian Office and School Furniture Co. As well as a highly successful businessman, Mr. Hilborn was active in other areas. He was a charter member of the Waterloo County Health Association in 1920, serving as Vice-President in 1928 and as President from 1958 to 1967. He was a charter member of the Preston Rotary Club in 1926 and remained a member until his death in 1972. He was an original member of the Preston Planning Board when it was organized in 1949. He served with the Planning Board until his death in 1972, acting as Chairman in 1969 and 1970. Mr. Hilborn was also one of the charter members of the University of Waterloo Board of Governors when it was organized in the mid-1950's. He continued his connection with the University until the time of his death. Mr. Hilborn was active in fundraising for the construction of the Stratford Festival Theatre and supplied the original seating, taking bonds as payment. In 1967 Mr. Hilborn donated, to the government of Ontario, park properties bordering on Highway 24 and Dunbar Road and located in the Town of Preston and the City of Galt. Mr. Hilborn was a director of Waterloo Trust from 1927 until 1968 serving as its vice-president from 1955 to its merger to form Canada Trust in 1968. Following the merger he served as a director for Canada Trust until his retirement in 1972. Mr. Hilborn was also deeply involved in the Scouting movement and served as vice-president of the District Council from 1939 to 1945. In addition, he was a life member of the Waterloo Historical Society. Mr. Hilborn died on October 18, 1972 and is buried in Preston Cemetery.

Destined to become one our community's most dominant sportsmen, Norman Lawrence "Normie" Himes was born in Galt on 16 Apr 1900.
Although small in stature Normie Himes demonstrated an athletic ability in a wide variety of sports including some dominated by much larger men. He proved a gifted amateur on the baseball diamond and on the curling rink. He demonstrated a solid ability in basketball and rugby, was an able competitor in swimming and track and field. He excelled professionally as a hockey player and finally as a golfer. It was on the hockey rink, however, that Mr Himes was to make his most significant mark.
In the mid-1920's the New York Americans of the National Hockey League persuaded him to leave the Galt Terriers Hockey Club to pursue a career in the professional ranks. In the first game of his rookie season in 1926, Mr Himes served notice that he was a force to be reckoned with when he scored both goals in a 2-1 New York victory over the Ottawa Senators. By season's end he ranked second in team scoring, his lowest standing in his first eight years with the Americans. He was to lead the New York Americans in scoring for seven consecutive years. His abilities were recognized by his peers when he was invited to play in the first NHL All-Star game, a benefit game played in Toronto in 1933 for injured Maple Leaf player Ace Bailey.
Mr Himes was described by his contempories as "unquestionably the backbone and sparkplug of the New York Americans", "the Galt terror", the "Little Giant", "the greatest playmaker in the league" and "one of Canada's natural athletes." It was perhaps his misfortune to play on what was, at best, a mediocre team. Had his supporting cast been stronger, he would undoubtedly received the recognition he deserved. One commentator suggested that Mr Himes "should be judged the MVP in the league if the Americans weren't so far down in the standings." In a total of 399 professional games between 1926 and 1935, an average of about 40 games a season, Mr Himes scored 106 goals and 113 assists for 219 points, an average of about 30 points a season. This may not appear to be much by today's standards but came at a time when 50 points could place a player in the top five in league scoring.
In 1936, Mr Himes was sent to coach the Americans' farm team in New Haven. After a three year stint there, Mr Himes returned to Galt to coach first the Guelph Biltmores and then the Galt Red Wings, both of the Ontario Junior "A" League.
After leaving the professional hockey ranks, Normie Himes turned to curling to fill the winter months. He soon mastered the game and became a leading skip in the area playing several times on Galt Curling Club teams that competed for the National Curling Championship.
While curling filled the winter months, golf, which he had taken up in a serious way while pursuing his hockey career, became the sport of choice for the summer months. Mr Himes was employed for some time as the assistant golf professional at the Galt Golf and Country Club and later became the head professional first at Southampton and later at the Westmount Country Club in Kitchener. He capped a 24 year golf professional career by winning the Millar Trophy, the prize presented to the golf champion of Ontario.
While Mr Himes made a name for himself in the professional hockey ranks, he was an outstanding baseball player playing shortstop for the Galt Terriers team that won the Ontario baseball championship in 1922. Mr Himes is said to have adopted the trademark baseball cap that he wore throughout his hockey career to remember his hitting of the home run that helped Galt win the championship. Others suggest that he wore the cap to hide and keep warm a balding head. Whatever the reason his continuing love for baseball did not go unnoticed and in 1929 New York Giants' owner John McGraw invited Mr Himes to attend the Giants training camp in Florida. Mr Himes declined the offer both because training camp started before the hockey season ended and because the Americans owners frowned upon their players being involved in other sports.
After a lifetime dedicated to sport it perhaps fitting that Mr Himes died on 14 Sep 1958 following a friendly game of golf at the Waterloo Golf and Country, now the Galt Country Club.

Norman Otto Hipel was born on a farm in Waterloo Township near Breslau on 21 Mar 1890, the son of Henry Hipel and Louisa Pelz. He received his early formal education at the Riverbank School and at the Breslau Public School. To assist his family financially, he left school at the age of fourteen to work as a store clerk in a Kitchener dry goods store. Two years later, in 1906, he returned home to learn carpentry from his father while supplementing his practical work with a correspondence school course. In 1911 he became a building contractor and, for a while, operated the Breslau lumber yard. He moved to Preston in 1913 and in about 1920 started N. O. Hipel Ltd, with ten employees, five horses and a portable sawmill. The company specialized in buildings that required large floor areas that were free of obstructions. In 1928 his company developed patents on barn and skating rink construction and built a large number of arenas including the Hespeler Memorial Arena erected in 1947.
Mr Hipel's political career began in Preston with his election to Preston town council in 1921. In 1922 he was elected the town's reeve. In 1923 and 1924 he served as Preston's mayor and was the deputy reeve in 1925. In 1930 he stood as the Liberal candidate and was elected to represent Waterloo South in the Ontario Legislature. He was re-elected in 1934, defeating former incumbent Karl Homuth. He was successful in holding his seat in the elections of 1937 and 1938 and served his constituents until 1943. He served as Speaker of the House from early in 1935 to 1938 and was chosen to represent Ontario at the Coronation of King George VI in 1937. In 1938 Mr Hipel was appointed Minister of Labour for Ontario in the cabinet of Mitchell Hepburn and in 1941 and 1942 served as Ontario Minister of Lands and Forests. As Minister of Labour, Mr Hipel introduced the Farm Service Force which organized school children to help in the harvesting of crops during World War II. In 1939 he arranged for the opening of the Aircraft Mechanics Training School in Galt where thousands of men were trained in radio operation and aircraft maintenance for the war effort. In cooperation with the federal government he also organized the War Emergency Training Program which provided schooling in all types of manufacturing required in the production of war materials. As Minister of Lands and Forests, Mr Hipel arranged the setting aside of forest lands and the building of a school at Dorset for the training of forest rangers. He also authorized the first large scale conservation project, known as the Ganaraska watershed area. In 1942 and 1943 he served as Provincial Secretary and was elected President of the Ontario Liberal Association in 1947. Mr Hipel ran in the 1948 provincial election but was defeated, finishing third, behind Theodore Isley of the C.C.F. and the Conservative candidate Gordon Chaplin. He ran for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party in 1950 but was defeated by Walter Thompson.
Mr Hipel was a member of the Preston Board of Trade, was a member of the Ontario Club and was a president and director of the South Waterloo Agricultural Society. He was also a director, representing Preston, on the Waterloo County Health Association which operated the Freeport Sanitorium. At the time of his death, Mr Hipel was also the Preston representative on the South Waterloo Memorial Hospital, now the Cambridge Memorial Hospital. Mr Hipel died on 16 Feb 1953 and is buried in the Preston Cemetery.

Otto Homuth was born in Preston on December 7, 1859 the son of John Homuth and Wilhelmina Levan. He has been described as "one of Preston's finest and most loved citizens who had through his untiring work and unselfish methods, set an enviable record". Upon completion of his elementary schooling he went to work for the textile manufacturer Geo. Pattinson & Co., where he worked for thirty-seven and one half years. During most of that time he was the superintendent of the raw materials department. He left Pattinson's in 1911 to form the Otto Homuth Wool Stock Co. that specialized in the manufacture of wool stocks. He was later joined by two of his sons, Harold and Karl Homuth to create the firm of Otto Homuth and Sons Ltd. In addition to his business pursuits, Mr. Homuth was one of the original members of the Preston Board of Trade. He also served on the Preston School Board for seventeen years, beginning in 1902, and held the offices of both chairman and secretary-treasurer. He was also a charter member of the Preston lodge of the Canadian Order of Foresters and served as treasurer of that organization. Mr. Homuth served on the Preston village council from 1895 to 1897 and was reeve of the village in 1898 and 1899. He was, thus, reeve on September 30, 1899 when Preston was incorporated as a town and thereby became the first mayor of Preston although the distinction of being the first elected mayor of Preston goes to George Clare. In 1912 he succeeded M. H. Mullin as mayor of Preston and served in that capacity until 1914. Mr. Homuth was an active member of the parks board for many years and was the board chairman at the time of his death. Mr. Homuth died on August 11, 1928 and is buried in Preston Cemetery.

Once referred to as "Mr. Canada" and often referred to as "Mr. Preston", Karl Kenneth Homuth was a native of Preston and the son of Otto Homuth and Charlotte McDowell. Mr. Homuth received his education at the Preston Central Public School, at the Galt Collegiate Institute and at the Galt Business College. In 1910 he joined the textile-manufacturing firm of George Pattinson and Co., and in 1911 was appointed superintendent of all raw material departments. Toward the close of 1917, Mr. Homuth severed his connection with the Pattinson company to move to the Otto Homuth Wool Stock Co., which had been established by his father in 1911. He took over complete control of the company in 1928 upon the death of his father. Mr. Homuth had a long career in public service beginning in 1917 when, at the age of twenty-two, he was elected to Preston town council, the youngest Preston man to claim a seat at the council table. From there he moved to the Ontario legislature in 1919 representing Labour and the United Farmers of Ontario and defeating Zachariah Hall to win the riding of Waterloo South. He won re-election in 1923, 1926 and 1929 and represented the riding in the Provincial Assembly until 1930 when he resigned in an unsuccessful attempt to win election to the federal parliament. In 1927 he moved from Labour to the Progressive Conservative camp and carried the Conservative banner in all elections thereafter. He was a candidate for the provincial legislature but was defeated by Liberal candidate Norman O. Hipel. In the federal by-election in 1938, Mr. Homuth won election to the federal parliament and won re-election in 1940, 1945 and 1949. He served as chairman of the Progressive Conservative party of Ontario Election Committee that had been set up in 1950 to direct the organization of the upcoming Ontario election. Mr. Homuth was a firm believer in political clubs for young people and he was instrumental in establishing one of the finest Progressive Conservative clubs in the country and urged other senior organizers to include young people in their executives thereby earning a tremendous respect among young people. His election slogan "The Door is Always Open" reflected his readiness to see and listen to anyone regardless of race, religion or political affiliation. Mr. Homuth was one of the best known and most respected members of parliament in Ottawa and was described as the friend of elevator operators and millionaires. A gifted public speaker Mr. Homuth was equally effective in impromptu debate or reading a prepared statement. As a result he was in constant demand as a speaker throughout the country and gave generously of his time. Mr. Homuth died while in office on March 19, 1951 and is buried in Preston Cemetery. He was one of five federal members of parliament representing Waterloo South to die while in office. The others were George Clare (1915), Alexander M. Edwards (1938), William Anderson (1961) and Gordon Chaplin (1964). The Karl Homuth Arena is named in his honour.

Jo was born March 27, 1925 in the village of Nidderdale and raised in the town of Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. Her parents were both teachers so she didn’t think she’d ever be a teacher, but she eventually changed her mind about her career direction. During WW II she attended university and in 1946, she graduated from the University of Manchester with a Bachelor of Arts in geography and history and went on to obtain her teaching certificate in 1947. She was one of 100 young persons who received a Fulbright Travel scholarship which took her to the United States for a year where she met President Truman. She taught for one year at a high school in Wisconsin. Back in the UK, Jo taught for 7 years, mostly in Doncaster, where she met her husband Michael. 

In June 1956 work for Michael brought them to Canada and they made their home in Galt. Jo taught for a brief time and then, while raising their three girls, Jo turned to volunteer work in Cambridge which would continue uninterrupted for over six decades, from the late 50’s into the 2000’s. Through her efforts the lives of Cambridge’s most vulnerable families, girls, women and their children have been made healthier, happier and safer. 

In the summer of 1956 Jo was asked to join the Cambridge chapter of the Federation of University Women’s Club (CFUW). She continues to be a member to the present day. The CFUW was established just two years before Jo joined. Its mandate is the pursuit of knowledge and education and improvement in the status of women and human rights and active participation in public affairs. Every year the CFUW provides educational grants to young Cambridge women to help them pursue higher education. Jo has done everything from selling tickets to raising funds for grants to moderating all candidate meetings to being on the executive, including the position of President. In the 1960’s Jo was one of several CFUW members who responded to a request from the Grandview School for Girls (now closed) to help young women sentenced there develop life skills. She is to receive the CFUW’s rare Sage Award on May 30, 2019 in recognition of her extraordinary contributions. 

In 1968 Jo founded the 10th Galt Girl Guide Company at St. John’s Church. Membership grew from a handful of girls to over 50 in the 5  years Jo led the company. Jo was always a keen athlete. As a youth she competed for Manchester in field hockey and as a sprinter. She played intra urban tennis at the Victoria Tennis Club well into her 70’s. Maintaining good health has always been important to Jo. 

Jo was a member of the District Health Council of Waterloo Region as Cambridge’s representative. During her six year term she was its Chair from 1986-1988. It was a very influential position that, at that time, not many Cambridge women had held.  Louise Leonard, past Executive Director Waterloo Region District Health Council 1984 to 1994 describes Jo’s contributions in her letter supporting Jo’s nomination to the Cambridge Hall of Fame. She says Jo was chair of the council at a particularly challenging time. Louise says “The Minister of Health was in the process of appointing a supervisor to oversee Cambridge Memorial Hospital. Jo was tireless in her interventions with the Ministry and local and provincial politicians to ensure that the role of Cambridge Memorial Hospital in providing care to residents of Cambridge be protected and advanced. The current development of Cambridge Memorial Hospital is due in part to the efforts of Jo Horner. “ 

Jo was also Chair of the council’s Mental Health Committee and as an adjunct of this served on the Advisory Board of the London Psychiatric Hospital which served Waterloo Region. She also was a member of the Community Advisory Committee of the Waterloo Region Alcohol and Drug Assistance program. She was an active member of the Memorial Hospital Corporation from 1980 to 1986. From 1995-1996 she served as a member of the hospital’s Strategic Planning Committee.  This work preceded the establishment of the LHINs or Local Health Integration Networks.  We can all do something to improve the community’s health, and as Jo has been heard to say, “health is everybody’s business.”  She also was a member of the Cambridge Memorial Hospitals Mental Health Advisor Committee from 2004-2006. 

Jo was a board member of the YWCA for eight years from 1969-1977.  In May 1997 Jo was recognized by the YWCA and received its “Women of Distinction” award for her volunteerism. In his nomination of Jo Horner, the late Stuart Summerhayes said, “Jo represents the best in volunteer commitment, a sincere desire to be of service to others, coupled with a genuine conviction that she is doing nothing out of the ordinary. Among a multitude of unsung but dedicated volunteers in the Cambridge area, she stands out as one who combines leadership with hands on involvement in a special way.” 

in 1977 Jo took courses in marriage and faith counselling that led her to an internship with the Interfaith Pastoral Counselling Centre. She counselled women who were referred from the Rotary Family Centre. In that capacity she also developed and delivered training for volunteers. 

Jo worked part-time with the Interfaith Pastoral Counselling Centre from 1980 through 1995. In the fall of 1980 Jo voluntarily organized a support group for women who had been abused or were in an abusive relationship. She ran the weekly support group for over 22 years. By doing so she helped countless women make positive choices and changes. in 1981 the Rotary Family Centre’s name was changed to the Cambridge Family Crisis Shelter. Jo was a board member of the Cambridge shelter from 1980 to 1992 serving as President from 1982-1984. Her tenure was during a time of great change for the shelter culminating in finding a site and building a new shelter that would better meet residents needs along with satisfying updated building codes and health and safety standards. 

Over the years Jo collected newspaper clippings and other document’s about the shelter’s historical importance. For the shelter’s 25th anniversary, she was the inspiration and driving force behind the writing, editing and publishing, along with Janet McPherson and Ev Widarski, of the “The Key to Freedom” - the 25 year history of the Family Crisis Shelter. The Cambridge shelter was given the name Haven House in 1998. In 2001 Haven House amalgamated with Anselma House, Kitchener’s shelter and the amalgamated corporation became Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region (WCSWR).  The Cambridge shelter continues to this day as Haven House. Jo has kept her connection with WCSWR into 2019. In the WCSWR  over 40 year history, Jo is only one of four persons to ever to be given an honorary lifetime membership. She continues to attend and vote at the annual general meetings, usually asking probing questions about finances or policy. Jo has made a significant contribution to the health and well being of the most vulnerable women and children in our community.

 Jo has, over 6 decades, through her volunteerism,  contributed to improving the health, safety and security of countless Cambridge residents, families, girls, women and their children. Through her determination,  always exhibiting the greatest respect for all she engaged, she helped change our lives for the better. She serves as an example the ability one individual has to improve our community. She always says she didn’t do any of this alone, and she didn’t, but she brought people along the path to achieve change. No one could have said it any better than Stu Summerhayes when he said “Among a multitude of unsung but dedicated volunteers in the Cambridge area, she stands out as one who combines leadership with hands on involvement in a special way.”

Dr. Rowena Hume was born in Galt in 1877 the youngest of 12 children and was a graduate of Galt Collegiate Institute.
Following graduation she studied medicine at the Ontario Medical College for Women, received her medical degree from Trinity University in 1899 and opened a general practice in Toronto in 1900. Beginning in 1902 she lectured in Pathology and Bacteriology and was assistant in Anatomy at the Ontario Medical College for Women until 1906.
Dr. Hume was a founding member of the original Women's College Hospital and served as the hospital's first president when it opened in 1911. She also served as Chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Women's College Hospital for 20 years. In addition she was active in Alcoholics Anonymous, the Salvation Army Light Centre and the Fred Victor Mission.
In what is perhaps her most significant achievement Dr. Hume pioneered Planned Parenthood in this country and founded the first birth control clinic in Canada in Hamilton on March 3, 1932. She was the first doctor in attendance at the clinic.
Dr. Hume died at the age of 88 on October 2, 1966 at her home in Toronto leaving a legacy of leadership and social responsibility. At the time of her death she was Canada's oldest female doctor. Hume Lane in Cabbage Town in Toronto is named in her honour.

IMAX FOUNDERS
Graeme Ferguson William Shaw Robert Kerr Roman Kroitor

(Inducted 2003)

The idea for the Imax movie system began with the meeting of innovative minds and new film making technologies at Expo '67 in Montreal. It was there that local film-maker Graeme Ferguson was showing his new film "Polar Life" at the Men and the Polar Regions Pavilion. "Polar Life" was unlike any previous motion picture in that the film itself moved from screen to screen as the audience and the theatre itself revolved. The maximum screen width available at any one time was 70 feet that gave the audience a breath-taking feel of the expanse of the Arctic regions. Over in the National Film Board Pavilion "Labyrinth" a film produced by Mr. Ferguson's brother-in-law Roman Kroitor was drawing considerable attention for its imaginative use of multi-screen presentation techniques. The men shared an interest in innovations in filmmaking and were impressed by the split screen and multi-screen techniques that were introduced at Expo '67. They decided to develop their own technical innovations in the use of multi-screen techniques and set up Multi-screen Corporation in September 1967 in partnership with old friends Bill Shaw and Bob Kerr. Mr. Kerr was to take care of the business side of the operation while Mr. Shaw, an engineer with a degree from the University of Toronto, was to take on the technical side. Together the partners developed the IMAX movie system that puts the viewer right into the picture. Surrounded by sound and motion viewers have a feeling of involvement in the action on the screen unlike any other film experience. The 70mm film used by the IMAX system is ten times the size of conventional 35mm movie film. It is so large that a special projector had to be developed that would allow the film to run horizontally instead of vertically. It was Bill Shaw who solved the engineering problems involved in developing the new projector. At the same time the new company developed a six-story high spherical screen that would bring the viewers right into the action on the screen. While the technical work was progressing Mr. Ferguson was working on the company's first film "North of Superior". The first showing of this remarkable new film experience took place in 1970 at the Fuji Pavilion at the Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan. The film was projected on a screen that was 57 feet high and 83 feet wide and was one of the main attractions at the World's Fair. The success of this project led to the building of the first permanent IMAX theatre, the Cinesphere at Ontario Place in Toronto in 1971. In 1985 the company received a scientific and engineering award for achievement from the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences following the release of "The Dream is Alive", a film shot in space during the flights of several space shuttles. The film is said to feature some of the most haunting images from space ever filmed. In 1997 the company was presented with an Oscar for technological development of IMAX. Bill Shaw accepted the award on behalf of the company. The idea of IMAX grew slowly in the early years partly because of the considerable costs in building an IMAX theatre. In the early 1970's it was estimated that building a complete theatre from scratch would cost about $1 million. The company's first major boost after building the Cinesphere at Ontario Place came in 1976 when the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., which attracts between 8-10 million visitors a year built an IMAX theatre. After that the business developed more rapidly. By the late 1990's there were 150 IMAX theatres in 22 countries. Included in this number were 27 3-D theatres. The IMAX 3-D system was introduced in New York in 1994 when Sony Corporation opened the Sony 3-D Theatre. The screen in this theatre was eight stories high and ten stories wide. The projector worked in conjunction with electronic headsets to create the illusion of depth for the viewer. The first Canadian IMAX 3-D theatre opened in Toronto early in 1999. IMAX now offers a film library with 125 titles most of which explore natural wonders of the world including both the minute inner space of the atom and the vastness of outer space. The company went public in 1994 when it was purchased by WGIM Acquisition Corporation, headed by New York venture capitalists Richard Gelfond and Brad Wechsler, for a reported $100 million. It was at about this time that Mr. Kerr retired from the company although he maintained a small equity stake. Bill Shaw, who died in September 2002, remained with the company as a part time consultant while Mr. Ferguson and Mr. Kroitor continued to produce films for the company. Mr. Ferguson was the recipient of the 1990 Royal Canadian Academy of Arts medal for his contribution to film and for the impact that the IMAX system has had in Canada and around the world. Mr. Kerr and Mr. Shaw were both presented with honorary degrees by the University of Waterloo in 1998.

Mr. Jaffray was born in Stirling, Scotland in 1800, was a graduate of the University of Glasgow and learned the printing business while in the employ of Oliver and Boyd in Edinburgh.  He also worked for the Shrewsbury Chronicle for twenty-two years and started the Shrewsbury News.  In 1844 Mr. Jaffray immigrated to the Goderich area with the intention of becoming a gentleman farmer.  On his way west he passed through Galt and noted that the Dumfries Courier was looking for a printer.  He continued on his journey but it soon became apparent that pioneer farming in Canada was neither to his expectations nor his liking and he soon began to contemplate alternatives.  He considered an offer to join George Brown's fledgling Toronto Globe but decided instead to throw in his lot with Ben Hearle and the Dumfries Courier. After working for two years for the "shiftless" Mr. Hearle, Mr. Jaffray and his sons finally had enough of the publisher's shortcomings and announced their intentions to leave within a month.  Faced with the loss of the cream of his staff, Mr. Hearle persuaded the Jaffray's to stay on for an additional three weeks while he sought qualified replacements.  When it became apparent that none were forthcoming and that the demise of the Courier was inevitable, Mr. Hearle offered to sell his antiquated equipment to Mr. Jaffray.  Although contemplating the formation of his own newspaper, Mr. Jaffray declined the offer, opting instead for newer, though more expensive, equipment.  Having now severed his ties with the Courier,  Mr. Jaffray, in partnership with James Ainslie, launched the Galt Reporter with the first issue appearing on Friday, November 13, 1846.  Mr. Ainslie and Mr. Jaffray had a falling out over the conservative political content that was finding its way into the paper and Mr. Ainslie left the partnership in 1849 to start a rival weekly, the Dumfries Reformer.  With the departure of Mr. Ainslie the Reporter came under the sole control of Mr. Jaffray and his sons William, Richard, Henry and George, and became more politically conservative in tone.  Mr. Jaffray died on November 15, 1864 and is buried in Trinity Anglican Cemetery.  Jaffray St. is named for him and perpetuates the memory of various family members.

Roy Johnston was born in Galt on 7 Aug 1928 and was a purchasing agent for the Hydro Electric Commission of Cambridge and North Dumfries for 30 years. His real passion, however, was minor hockey in Galt. For over 30 years he dedicated himself to minor hockey in the city serving as a hockey coach, manager, convenor and on the executive on the Galt Minor Hockey Association including a term as President. His dedication to minor hockey earned him the title of "Mr Hockey".
He was also the founder and the guiding light behind the "Galt Minor Hockey School" which he started in 1967 to teach young hockey players, aged 6 to 9 the fundamentals of the game including how to skate properly. The program, still in operation, uses both on-ice and in class sessions to teach the game. It has been so successful that it has been studied by hockey educators throughout Canada.
Mr Johnston was presented with the Benita and Don Rope Trophy in 1982 as the Sports Contributor of the year at the 7th Annual Cambridge Sports Banquet in recognition of his long term contributions to minor sport in Cambridge.
Mr Johnston died on 21 Dec 1989.

Matt as he was called throughout his life, was born in Cheltenham, Ontario, on 8 June 1876 to David Kirkwood and Sarah Jane Wilkinson. His father, a miller, operated his own mill in Cheltenham until his death in 1891, just before his 30^th birthday. Two years later with his mother, and his two sisters, Matt had settled in Preston a thriving centre on the Speed River in Waterloo County, some forty miles south west of Cheltenham.

Soon, at 18, Matt was in his first year of railway employment with the Galt & Preston Street Railway (G&P) which had begun operation on 26 July 1894. Hired as the electrician and mechanic in the powerhouse, Matt was paid a salary of 60 cents per day.

 His early tasks were outfitting the powerhouse being set up in a former stone stable building near Lowther St in mid-town Preston and supervising the acquisition of equipment for the electrical rail operation. This train would carry passengers and freight a distance of 4.5 miles, every half hour between the Grand Trunk Railway's depot in the southern area of Galt, off Concession Street, to the end of the line in Preston.

 In 1895 the railway expanded to Hespeler and the name was changed to the Galt, Preston & Hespeler Street Railway (GP&H).

 After eight years with the company, Matt was promoted to the position of Powerhouse Superintendent on 2 September 1902. From 1900 he also supplied electrical construction advice to the Preston & Berlin Street Railway Company Limited (P&B) that was then under construction.

 In 1903 he ordered the first electric freight motor from Baldwin Westinghouse, which was built and delivered in May 1904. In 1905 he directed the building of the rail freight line around the town of Preston, past the future location of the Preston Car and Coach Company (PC&C).

 In 1907 he was promoted to the position of General Superintendent of railway operations. With this appointment Matt first had to direct and prepare specifications for four new passenger cars to be ordered from the Ottawa Car Company to replace cars burned in the 1906 fire. That fire also destroyed many older cars as well as the Repair Shop buildings in Preston. Matt also supervised the construction of the new replacement Preston Car Barn Repair Shop.

 In that same year Matt continued in 1907 to plan and expand the freight rail operations. He directed the construction of a new freight entrance to the CPR freight yards in Galt moving from the Coronation Boulevard mainline at Hunter's Corners, (Delta Park today) changing the freight operation from the previous entrance off Water and Samuelson Streets.

 In 1912 he directed the construction of an industrial spur to reach the large foundry of Babcock & Wilcox (South Works Mall today, to be the site of the future Gas Works development) on the west side of the Grand River, along Grand Ave.

 During 1908 the CPR leased and provided financial backing to the GP&H and the P&B that were then operated under the corporate name of the Berlin, Waterloo, Wellesley & Lake Huron Railway Company (BWW&LHR). Matt maintained his position as General Superintendent of both railway operations during the railway corporate reorganization.

 In 1914 the then GP&H and P&B that were owned by the BWW&LHR, but leased for 99 years to the CPR, were gathered and renamed under the simple name of the Grand River Railway (GRR).

 In October 1914 the CPR took over the affairs of the Lake Erie & Northern Railway (LE&N). Matt was directed by GRR General Manager, Martin N Todd, in February 1915, to design and supervise the installation of the electrical system needed to operate the entire LE&N 51 miles from Galt to Port Dover.

 One of the most remarkable innovations recommended by Matt for this construction, was the type of wire to be used in the construction of the catenary overhead. He chose the use of 7/16 aluminum cable with a steel strand core that became as the 'messenger' wire. The contact wire, 3/0-grooved copper, hung below, was attached to the 'messenger' by hangers. This type of construction replaced earlier single wire applications when the GRR lines were upgraded during the period of 1919-1921.

 In September 1917 the General Manager, Martin N Todd died suddenly. Matt was then promoted from Superintendent to the position of General Manager, of both the GRR & LE&N on the 26th of that month.

 From 1915 to 1918 Matt spent time researching and developing design information for upgrading the existing wooden car rolling stock to steel passenger cars that would be built by the Preston Car & Coach. By 4 December 1921 both the GRR & LE&N would have this new rolling stock and be able to operated under one electrical power system as one railway.

 In 1921 the Sutherland Commission, on Hydro-electric Railways described the evidence Matt provided as the most valuable it had received. In August the following year, an article authored by Matt appeared in the Electric Traction, a publication from Chicago. In it he outlined how an astute management system in Ontario had enabled an electric railway operation to offer unexcelled service with modernized cars and generating equipment.

 Under the direction of the then presiding Sir Edward Beatty, in 1923, the CPR sent Matt to western Canada. Recognizing his expertise, they requested him to submit a comprehensive report and recommendation on the possible electrification of the Mountain Division of the CPR.

 In 1931 Matt formed the plan for the joint administration of both the GRR and the LE&N thereafter known officially as the CP Electric Lines (CPEL).

 On 14 April 1939, Matt published a historical outline, composed from the railway corporate files, of the initial beginning of the G&P, GP&H, the P&B, and the LE&N.

 Matt reached the CPR retirement age in 1941 but officially retired on the 29 June 1946 at the age of 69, after 52 years, having stayed on because of the wartime operation demands.

 He died in July 1951 from lung and liver cancer at the age of 75 and is buried in the Blair cemetery.

Otto Klotz was born in Kiel, Holstein Germany on 25 Nov 1817 and arrived in Preston in 1837. Almost immediately he began that involvement in community activities which has led some to call him "Waterloo Township's most public-spirited citizen of the 19th century."
In 1838 he was elected to Preston's first Board of School Trustees. This began a long connection with the educational system in Preston which was to last almost until his death in 1892. He served as the secretary-treasurer of the Board from 1839 to 1891 with the exception of the years 1859-1861. He was elected to the Waterloo Township School Commission in 1841 and was appointed superintendent of schools in 1852. As the school inspector, he was also a member of the County Board of Examiners of Teachers, a post he occupied for 17 years. In 1845 Preston's school became Ontario's first "Free" school when Mr Klotz convinced his fellow trustees that school costs should be covered by the municipality rather than by fees collected directly from the parents of the students. Free schools did not become the norm in Ontario until about 1870. In addition he prepared and published a grammar text book for the use of students of the German language in local schools.
In addition to this his work in education, he helped to establish and served as secretary of Preston's first Hook and Ladder Company when it was organized in 1844. He became the company's Chief Engineer when it was reorganized into the Preston Fire Brigade in 1850. He was appointed a notary public in 1846 and a Justice of the Peace in 1856. He served as the clerk of Preston's first village in 1852, was a founding member, in 1871, of the Preston Mechanics Institute, the forerunner of the library system, and was the President and long time director of the Waterloo County Agricultural Society.
In business, Mr Klotz operated a small brewery for several years shortly after his arrival in Preston. This enterprise was joined, in 1839, by the Klotz Hotel which he began in 1839 and operated for about 40 years. The hotel was later sold and renamed the Central Hotel, a business that continues to operate on King St. He also started a starch factory in 1862 but this business proved unsuccessful and was soon closed down.
Mr Klotz retired from most, although not all, of his public offices in 1882 and died on 6 Jly 1892. He is buried in Preston Cemetery.

Dr. Otto Julius Klotz was born in Preston on 31 Mar 1852 a son of Otto Klotz, himself described as "Waterloo County's most public spirited citizen of the 19th century" and a member of the Cambridge Hall of Fame. Otto Julius Klotz proved himself an able student and in April 1866 began studies at the Tassie School in Galt. Three years later he entered the University of Toronto where he studied mathematics, astronomy and general science. Upon graduating he enrolled at the University of Michigan whence he graduated in 1872 with a degree in civil engineering. He returned immediately to Canada and established a private practice as a surveyor and engineer. In 1877 he passed the examinations of the Dominion Topographic Survey and two years later was appointed as a contract surveyor for the federal government. In the early 1880's the feasibility of a Hudson Bay route from western Canada to Europe had come up and the government decided to undertake an extensive investigation of ice and weather conditions along Hudson Strait and in the Bay. Mr Klotz was placed at the head of the expedition that performed a survey of a 2000 mile section from the South Saskatchewan River to York Factory on the Bay. Following this task he performed surveys connected with the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway and with the determination of the boundary between Alaska and British Columbia. This latter survey involved extensive astronomical observations and he was the first man whom the Department of the Interior designated as Astronomer. In 1902 with the completion of the All Red Cable Route connecting Canada and Australia, Mr Klotz was entrusted with the oversight of a longitude campaign connecting the two countries. This task occupied him for two years and was completed with an accuracy that was widely noted and praised. He is credited with the accurate measurements of the heights of notable peaks in the Rockies and with the first astronomical girdle of the world on the completion of the all-red cable. In 1905 with the completion of the new Dominion Observatory in Ottawa, Mr Klotz was named the Assistant Dominion Astronomer. He was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society of England, President and Fellow of the Astronomical Society of Canada, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Honorary President of the Dominion Land Surveyors and President of the Ontario Surveyors' Association. He has been called the father of the Public Library in Ottawa and was the founder of the Ottawa University Club. He was also an honourary member of the Astronomical Association of Mexico and of the New Zealand Institute. In 1917 Mr Klotz became the Dominion Astronomer, a position he held until his death, in Ottawa, on 28 Dec 1923.

Rev. Robert E. Knowles was born in Maxwell, Grey County on 30 Mar 1868, the son of Rev. Robert Knowles of Ballymena Ireland and his wife Frances Tyne. He was a student at the Galt Collegiate Institute and later attended the University of Manitoba and Queen's University in Kingston while preparing for the ministry. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1891 and immediately took a position at Stewarton near Ottawa. He held that position until 1898 when he accepted a call to be pastor at Knox's Presbyterian Church in Galt.
He came at a time when there was some dissension in the church but by his energetic personality and his passionate eloquence on the pulpit, Rev. Knowles was able to bring a measure of harmony to the congregation seldom equalled up to that time. Rev. Knowles was known as an eloquent speaker whose sermons have been described as "spellbinding". One of his admirers has suggested that he was a better and more convincing speaker than many of the great orators of his day. It is little wonder, then, that Knox's Church was full to capacity for many of Rev. Knowles sermons.
Rev. Knowles was a strong supporter of the temperance forces in Galt and his sermon on temperance, delivered on the eve of the vote on Galt's Local Option by-law in January 1910, was credited by many for the victory of the anti-alcohol forces. The by-law prohibited the sale "by retail of spirituous, fermented or other manufactured liquors in the Town of Galt." The by-law remained in force until 1927. His influence in the community was such that it was proposed that he run for mayor of Galt in 1904. He declined, however, to let his name stand.
As a direct result of the shock that occurred from his involvement in a train wreck in 1911, Rev. Knowles required a number of rest cures but they had little effect and, in 1915 unable to carry out his duties, he resigned both from Knox's Church and the ministry. He continued with a literary career that began in 1905 with the publication of his first novel, St. Cuthbert's, a book generally conceded to be based on Knox's Church and its congregation. In all Rev. Knowles produced six novels in addition to St. Cuthbert's. They were The Attic Guest, The Handicap, The Undertow, The Dawn Shanty, The Web of Time and The Singer of the Kootenay.
He was, for many years, a contributor to the Toronto Daily Star and was noted for his interviews with world personalities including scientists, authors, sportsmen, stage stars, politicians, labour leaders, and members of royalty and the peerage. One of his noted assignments was to cover the Scopes "Monkey Trial" in Tennessee where Mr Scopes, defended by the famous Clarence Darrow, was on trial for teaching the theory of evolution.
Mr Knowles was a member of the Authors' Club of London, England and served as the Chaplin of the Ontario Curling Association. He was also a member of First United Church from the time of the union of Methodist and Presbyterian Churches in 1925 until the time of his death on 15 Nov 1946 at the age of 79. He is buried in Mountview Cemetery.

Lewis Lorenzo Kribs was born on Dec. 1, 1829 on a farm in Eramosa Twsp., Wellington Co. He moved to Hespeler as a young man in 1846 and entered the carpentry trade. Engaged by Jacob Hespeler from 1846 to 1848, he worked on Hespeler’s building complexes. From 1853, in partnership with Ephraim Panabaker, their company built many homes in Hespeler. In 1860, he assisted in the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway bridge spanning the Speed River. He purchased the Joseph Oberholtzer Saw Mill and went into the sawmill business. Damming up Spring Creek to create a head-pond, he moved the mill machinery into what is today Forbes Park. There he produced sawn lumber, shingles and operated a planning mill. Having a ready supply of timber, he took on larger contracts. In 1862, his company built two bridges over the Speed River; at Avenue Rd. (now Guelph Ave.) and the covered bridge on Black Bridge Rd. His company developed a solid reputation as a skilled builder of public buildings and bridges. It is said that all major buildings in Hespeler were a product of Lewis Kribs’ master mind as a contractor. He was the main contractor for the R. Forbes Co. for major expansions to the “big textile mill” on Queen St. West. Knox Presbyterian Church & Turnbull Textiles in Galt, the Waterloo County House of Industry & Refuge in Waterloo are other examples of his company’s work. During this time, he also operated two large farms, consisting of 450 acres in total. In 1882, he purchased the Holm Flour Mill, two miles northeast of town, from Peter Holm, son of the mill founder Nels Holm. The business consisted of a saw mill, grist mill & flour mill. He enlarged the building, introduced the new roller system of milling and added steam power, where before there had only been water power. Lewis Kribs was also active in public life.  He was Hespeler’s first Town Clerk from 1859 to 1866, served as Village Tax Collector from 1859 to 1865, Reeve of Hespeler from 1881 to 1884, Reeve of Waterloo Township and Warden of Waterloo County. Lewis Kribs retired in 1899 turning his business interests over to his son William A. Kribs. He passed away on March 11, 1908 and is buried in New Hope Cemetery.

William Abram Kribs was born in Hespeler on 27 Feb 1859 the son of Lewis Kribs and Elizabeth Pannabaker. He took over the operation of the Holm flour mills, located two miles north of Hespeler, from his father in 1899 and managed them until 1907. Continuing his father's lumber and sawmill business, he built a new plant on Avenue Road in Hespeler, now Guelph Ave., in 1902. As a general contractor, Mr Kribs was responsible for the construction of the new Kress Hotel in Preston and the C. Turnbull & Co. Textile mill in Galt. His lumber business was continued until 1914 supplying material for local factories. During World War I Mr Kribs' company designed special machinery for the manufacture of shell boxes. In 1917 the lumber business was discontinued and machinery was installed for the manufacture of warehouse trucks and, a short time later, for the manufacture of "Simplicity" washing machines. The business was incorporated under the name W. A. Kribs Company Limited in 1919. Mr Kribs retired from the business in 1925. In addition to his business interests, Mr Kribs was a member of the Hespeler Public Library Board for eighteen years and served as the warden of Waterloo County in 1895. On 19 Mar 1898, he was elected to the Provincial Legislature representing Waterloo South. He won re-election on 29 May 1902 and remained in the House until 1905. He also served on Hespeler council in 1886 and 1887, as Hespeler's reeve from 1888 to 1896 and as Hespeler's mayor in 1914 and 1915. Mr Kribs also acted as sheriff of Waterloo County from 1926 to 1934. He died in Hespeler on 27 Oct 1943 and is buried in New Hope Cemetery. Kribs St. perpetuates the memory of both Mr Kribs and his father Lewis Kribs.

Gertrude Dietrich Lang was born in Galt, the daughter of Jerome C. Dietrich and Serena Palmer. Described as an energetic worker and often a leader of community undertakings, Mrs. Lang founded the Silver Star Society as a teenager in 1891 and served as the organization's secretary-treasurer for sixty-three years.
She was closely involved in the Girl Guides and served as District Commissioner in Galt for twenty-four years. In addition, she served as the South Waterloo Divisional Commissioner for the Guides and was a member of the Girl Guides' Ontario executive for twenty-one years. Mrs. Lang was awarded the Guide's Medal of Merit for her untiring work and competent leadership. In 1953 she was presented with the Bronze Beaver, the highest award available from the Girl Guide movement.
Mrs. Lang was very active in the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire at both the provincial and national levels, was also a patron of the Stratford Festival Foundation of Canada and was one of the founding members of the Shakespeare Club. She was also a member of the Red Cross Society, the Hospital Auxiliary, the Galt Family Service Bureau, the South Waterloo Humane Society and the Cancer Society. Mrs. Lang died on January 6, 1968 and is buried on Mount View Cemetery.

Louis Lacourse Lang was born in Kitchener in 1880 the son of C.H. Lang and Minnie Lacourse but lived in Galt for over sixty years. He was the president and director of the Lang Tanning Co., a company started by his grandfather, was a co-founder of the Freeport Sanitarium and was a member of the Galt Public Library Board from 1913 to 1942. He served as president of the Canadian Manufacturers' Association and was Chairman of the Board of Sunshine Office Equipment Ltd., of the Freeport Sanitarium, and of The Waterloo Trust and Savings Company.
He was the Honorary President of both the Ontario Division of the Canadian Cancer Society, and the Waterloo County Health Association and was a member of the Board of Governors of the Ontario Research Foundation. He was an honourary governor of the University of Western Ontario and a director of Canadian General Electric Co., Shurly-Dietrich Atkins Ltd., the Steel Co. of Canada, the Supertest Petroleum Corporation Ltd., the Canadian Pacific Electric Lines, the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Bank of Montreal and the Galt Brass Co. Ltd. At the time of his death he was the honourary chairman of the Mutual Life Assurance Company of Canada, having first become a member of the board in 1921. Mr. Lang became president of the company in 1943, chairman of the board in 1958 and honorary board chairman in 1965.
In addition to his business pursuits, Mr. Lang was a patron of the Boy Scouts Association of Canada and helped to establish Peacehaven Camp. In appreciation of his efforts on behalf of the Boy Scouts, Mr. Lang was awarded the Silver Wolf Badge, the highest honour bestowed by the Boy Scouts. He was the first in the Hamilton diocese to become a Knight Commander of St. Gregory, the highest honour bestowed on laymen by the Roman Catholic Church. Mr. Lang died on February 25, 1965 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Don Laurence was born on July 22, 1933 in Preston. He joined the prestigious Preston Scout House Band in 1944 and remained with the band for 9 years. In addition to playing with the band Mr. Laurence pursued his passion for sports and played on various local hockey and baseball teams including the Preston Juvenile Baseball club that won the All-Ontario championship in 1947. He married and moved to Hespeler in 1953 and began an involvement in the life of that community that saw him become one of Hespeler's most recognized and well-liked volunteers. Mr. Laurence put his earlier baseball experience to good use in Hespeler playing catcher for the Hespeler Tartans and Hespeler Simplicity of the Inter-County Fastball League. After playing for several years Mr. Laurence turned his attention to coaching with the Hespeler Minor Softball Association including several seasons with the Hespeler Beehives of the Inter-County Fastball League. In winter his focus changed to hockey and he became an active referee with the Hespeler Minor Hockey Association, the Ontario Minor Hockey Association and the Ontario Hockey Association. He served as the Ontario Minor Hockey Association referee-in-chief and supervisor of officials and spent six years as the Tri-County League Referee-in-chief and supervisor of Officials. He retired from officiating for the provincial associations in 1996. Mr. Laurence was active as a coach and executive member of the Hespeler Minor Hockey Association and was the co-founder of the Hespeler Minor Hockey Olympics, an annual Christmas hockey tournament that involves hundreds of young hockey players each year. In recognition of his many years of service to minor hockey in Hespeler Mr. Laurence has been named a Lifetime Member of the Hespeler Minor Hockey Association. In addition to his time spent as a referee Mr. Laurence spent 45 years as a coach in hockey as well as in softball. With his son he coached the Waterloo Midget "AA" Hockey club to a league championship in 1987 and then on to a victory in the Ontario Championships that same year. Mr. Laurence served as President of the Ted Wake Seniors' Centre from 1998 to 2001 and participates in many activities offered by the centre. He has served on many community committees over the years including one that worked with city officials during the transition of ice users in Hespeler from the Hespeler Memorial Arena to the new Hespeler Arena in 1989 and 1990. He sat on the "Remember When" committee that was formed to bid a fond farewell to the old arena prior to its demolition and was a member of the Hespeler Old Boys' Reunion committee in 1996. Mr. Laurence also participates in the local Santa Claus parade as either a clown or as Santa Claus. Mr. Laurence has received the Tri-County Honour Award in recognition of his involvement as a coach, referee and executive member and the Ontario Minor Hockey Association Honour Award for outstanding service to minor hockey in Ontario. He was named Cambridge Sports Contributor of the Year in 1995. Mr. Laurence passed away on February 5, 2009.

Born in Walkerton, Ontario in 1891, Elliot Law was a nephew of famed Preston photographer James Esson and the grandson of Preston's first photographer George Esson. His family moved to Preston when he was four years old and he received his elementary at Preston's Central Public School.
As a young man Mr Law learned the art and business of photography from James Esson, an internationally known photographer. In 1912 Mr Law moved to Toronto to work for a photographic supply company. It was there, in 1916, that he met and married Clarenda Kirkpatrick. He returned to Preston that same year to take over the management of the James Esson Studio. In 1920 Mr Law purchased the Galt photography studio of Robert Darragh and operated the business under the name of Law Photography for over forty years before turning it over to his son William Law.
During the Second World War, Mr Law was extremely busy photographing men and women of Canada's Armed Forces. After the war, weddings and children became a large part of his business. There are many families in Cambridge who have had family members from three and four generations photographed by Mr Law. Described by renowned Canadian photographer Yosef Karsh as one of the finest photographers in Canada, Elliot Law served as president of the Professional Photographers of America for three years and, in 1947, was the first Canadian to receive the degree of Master of Photography from that organization. He was subsequently made an Honorary Life Member of the Professional Photographers of America. Mr Law was chairman of the parade committee for the 1927 Galt Old Boys' Reunion and was a charter member of the Galt Kiwanis Club. He received his 50 year pin from the Kiwanis club in 1968. Mr Law's fine photographs of the people, places and events of Cambridge taken over a period of over sixty years provide the community with an outstanding historical resource. Mr Law died on 24 Dec 1985 and is buried in Preston Cemetery.

Helen was born Ethel Helen Leadbetter in Galt, Ontario on June 8, 1922 to First World War Veteran Sgt. Duncan Leadbetter and his wife, Mabel. In her 20's, Helen took a correspondence course as a wireless operator with the Radio College of Canada not realizing how it would alter her life or impact the Second World War. Helen applied for a mysterious job with the Women's Royal Naval Service (Wrens) as a Telegraphist Special Operator unsure of the required duties. Basic training was completed at Galt, Ontario (HMCS Conestoga). Helen was told never to divulge what would happen next. Helen and her fellow Wren recruits were whisked to the Guild of All Arts, an artists' retreat and Inn located on the Scarborough Bluffs used by the Federal Government as a Wren training centre. Tables were set up and the girls donned headphones to listen to their first chorus of Morse code. Recruits began as "Y" Operators. They had mere seconds to find, intercept and copy encrypted enemy transmissions from surfaced submarines. Helen soon progressed to "Z" Operator, analyzing and recognizing distinctive transmissions from specific ships in order to locate them in the future as well as identifying Morse code habits unique to particular enemy radio operators. They were known as "Silent Listeners." When construction work on Naval Radio Station Gloucester, also known as Number 1 Station outside of Ottawa, was completed, many of the Wrens were transferred, including Helen. For a short period, the Wrens moved to Signal School Ste. Hyacinthe, east of Montreal. Helen's next destination was the newly constructed Coverdale outside of Moncton New Brunswick. All the while, she honed her skills listening and tracking enemy transmissions. The transmissions or "traffic" intercepted were coded and undiscernible to the receiving operators. Helen did not know who would eventually receive her coded messages or what was done with the information. Out of eight candidates, Helen was chosen as one of the four "Z" Operators transferred overseas. The women would work in the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) at Scarborough, Yorkshire. Half buried, bomb-proof bunkers were the Operation Rooms for the women sending coded messages directly to Bletchley Park where the messages were decoded and acted upon. Helen and her Wren coworkers saved the lives of thousands of military men while providing safe passage for ally ships and submarines. They were able to track Hitler's U-boat wolf packs to ensure supplies were brought into Britain. They did not know that in a secret hideaway called Bletchley Park, decoders were receiving the encoded messages containing German intelligence vital to the upturn of the Allied war effort. Helen arrived home from her duties from the Second World War only to be asked back into the Ministry of National Defence as a civilian. After a holiday, she re-entered the Navy in 1955 as a Petty Officer, and was commissioned as an officer in 1958. She continued Navy life until her retirement November 5, 1970. After her years in the Navy, Helen lived in the home of her parents in Galt securing jobs with local manufactures including the Galt Brass Company and XYZ Paint Co. In 2015 British Prime Minister David Cameron honoured Helen with an signed certificate and a commemorative pin for her work. After 74 years of silence Helen could finally speak of her adventures.  Ethel Helen Leadbetter passed away on September 16, 2017 and is buried at Mountview Cemetery in Cambridge. 

James Paris Lee was born in Hawick, Scotland on August 9, 1831, the son of nine children of George Lee and Margaret Paris. The family emigrated to Galt in 1836 where George, a skilled watchmaker and jeweller, set up a business at the northwest corner of Water and Main. James received his elementary education at the Gouinlock school and later at the Dickie Settlement School just west of the town. It was said that George withdrew James from the Gouinlock school after James was clipped on the head with the sharp edge of a slate for a mistake he had made in arithmetic. The blow was said to have caused a gash in the boy's head and from then on James attended the more distant school. The family home was a roughcast frame building on Melville St. that was later demolished to make room for the Central Presbyterian Church Sunday School building. James Lee learned the trade of watch making and was interested in mechanisms but his great passion was firearms. It was a passion that nearly cost him his life when he was still quite young and that left him with a permanent limp when he accidentally shot himself in the heel. Another boyhood accident involving playing with gunpowder nearly blinded him and left him with blackened skin on his face and severely swollen eyes for some time. Mr. Lee left Galt when he was nineteen and in about 1852 married Caroline Chrysler with whom he had two children. She died in London, England in 1888. Mr. Lee moved to the United States just prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1860 and it was there that he developed the idea of the quick firing rifle. While experimenting with a forty-shot repeating rifle, Mr. Lee invented a method of turning the old and popular Springfield rifle into a breechloader, an adaptation soon adopted by the U.S. Cavalry. It was not until 1878 that the Lee magazine rifle, capable of firing 30 shots per minute was perfected. It was the first rifle from which the spent cartridge could be expelled as part of the loading action. The weapon was adopted first by the American Navy and then by China. In 1888, the British Army approved the Lee-Metford rifle for extensive field tests. The rifle combined Mr. Lee's quick firing design with a barrel rifling method developed by Col. Metford. When the rifling in the gun proved inadequate, the British Army went back to the old Enfield rifling method and approved the Lee-Enfield for general use for its forces throughout the world. Although Mr. Lee never benefited financially to any great degree from his inventions, he was remarkably prolific and is said to have produced more guns and gun parts than any other inventor up to that time. He is also credited by one source with the development of the first keyboard used on a rudimentary Remington typewriter. He also worked on a process to extract leather tanning solutions from hemlock bark and invented some heating and air conditioning equipment and a jock strap. Mr. Lee returned to Galt in 1899 where he lived until returning to the United States to live out his final days with his son. He died on February 24, 1904 in New Haven, Connecticut.

Hugh McCulloch was born in Sorn, Ayrshire, Scotland on 19 Sep 1826 and arrived in Canada on 24 Aug 1850. He settled first in Ayr before coming to Galt on 28 May 1851. In 1859, with his partner John Goldie, Mr McCulloch purchased the Dumfries Foundry from James Crombie and formed the firm of Goldie & McCulloch Co. Ltd. During its first years of operation, the company performed general foundry work but, as business increased, the firm went into the manufacture of boilers, engines, flour and sawmill machinery and woodworking machinery. In 1879 the company added the manufacture of safes and vaults to its operations. Mr McCulloch was named company president in 1901 and retired from active work in the business in 1906. However, he remained company president until his death in 1910. In 1923, the Babcock and Wilcox companies of Great Britain and the United States became majority shareholders in the local foundry, which then became Babcock-Wilcox & Goldie-McCulloch Co. Ltd and was more recently renamed Babcock & Wilcox.
Mr McCulloch was a member of the Galt Collegiate Institute Board for twenty-five years and was a member of Galt municipal council in 1873 and 1874, 1876 and 1877, 1879 to 1881 and 1888. He was an original member of the Galt, Preston and Hespeler Street Railway, later Grand River Railway, and became the railway's president for a short time on the death of Thomas Todd in 1899. Mr McCulloch was a director of the Gore Mutual Fire Insurance Co. from 1868 to 1874 and served as the company's vice president from 1902 to 1910. He was a director of the Millers and Manufacturers Insurance Company and was a partner, with David Spiers, in the operation of the Galt Gas Works and later in the Galt Electric Light Company. Mr McCulloch died on 3 Sep 1910 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Brad was born in Cambridge and has long been associated with folk music in Cambridge.  He was the Founder of the Mill Race Folk Festival held yearly in Mill Race Park in the Galt area of Cambridge from 1992 to 2018.  He spearheaded the creation of the Mill Race Folk Society to promote music locally and host an annual free festival in the community, open to all.  It was a huge success when in August more than 20,000 visited Cambridge to attend. At the time Folk Music was a rarity in Canada and the streets of Cambridge were filled with music and people.

He was also the involved in various volunteer committees and was the recipient of a Bernice Adams Memorial Award for Musical Arts in 1994. 

Despite the end of the Mill Race Festival Brad continues to play and promote Folk Music in Cambridge

William J. McFadyen was born in Galt on 22 Aug 1901, a son of Hugh McFadyen. For more than forty years Mr McFadyen was active as a pianist and organist, choir leader and band leader and was, for twenty-three years, the supervisor of music in Galt schools. In that capacity he is best remembered for the annual music concerts held in Dickson Park. Outstanding among these was the Coronation Day concert held in June 1953 in honour of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Some 1580 students took part in the concert which was organized and directed by Mr McFadyen. In his youth, Mr McFadyen played piano and was the orchestra conductor at Scott's Opera House as well as at the movie houses in Galt in the days of silent pictures. At the age of fourteen, Mr McFadyen played for a New Year's Eve Ball sponsored by the Getty and Scott Shoe Co., much to the chagrin of his strict Presbyterian parents. In October 1940 Mr McFadyen was appointed leader of the 2nd Battalion Highland Light Infantry of Canada Band. He held that position until January 1949 when the band was disbanded. Mr McFadyen then became musical director of the Galt Kiltie Band, a position he retained until 1956. He was also the organist and choir director at Wesley United Church for fourteen years and was the piano accompanist for the Galt Choral Society for a number of years.
Mr McFadyen retired in 1964 and was honoured by the Galt Board of Education for more than thirty years of service. He died on 27 Oct 1966 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Inducted 1997

Born in Galt on 7 Aug 1908, Nora McGrigor has been a consistent contributor to the general welfare and well being her community through her volunteer efforts for many local organizations. She has served as president of the YWCA, of the Silver Star Society, of the Central Church Women, and of the Cambridge Memorial Hospital Auxiliary with which she has been associated since 1958. She also served as the Regent of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada Chapter of the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire, as Chairman of the Family Service Bureau and as the District Director of the Hospital Auxiliary Association. Mrs McGrigor was a member of the District Health Council for six years, was the Chairman of the 1986 Hospital Financial Campaign and was the first female Chairman of the Board for the Cambridge Memorial Hospital.
In 1976, Mrs McGrigor was named Cambridge's Citizen of the Year in recognition of her contributions to the community and in 1977 was one of three citizens of Cambridge to receive the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal. Mrs McGrigor is an Honorary Life of the Cambridge Memorial Hospital Corporation and in 1988, at the Hospital's 100th Anniversary celebrations, she received recognition and a special award from the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

Inducted 2005

Duncan McIntosh was born in Edinburgh, Scotland but came to Galt as a child. He was educated in Galt and graduated from Queens University in Kingston in 1934. Mr. McIntosh was a keen sportsman, enjoying curling and golf and played with the Galt Junior baseball club when they won the Ontario Junior Baseball Championship in 1926. He was appointed as General Manager of the Gore Mutual Insurance Company in 1944 following the retirement of John N. MacKendrick and was appointed to the Gore's Board of Directors in 1951 at the same time assuming the position of managing director. He held this position until he became the company's first employee president in 1963. He served as the company's president from 1963 to 1974 when he retired. In the insurance industry Mr. McIntosh served as president of the Independent Insurance Conference, president of the Underwriters' Adjustment Bureau and as vice president of the All-Canada Insurance Federation. In his community Mr. McIntosh served as chairman of the board established to organize plans for the building of the South Waterloo Memorial Hospital, now the Cambridge Memorial Hospital. He was a trustee on the Galt Board of Education in the 1960's, chairman of the Galt Family Service Bureau, a member of the Galt Public Utilities Commission, a member of the Galt United Way Appeal and a member of the Board of Management of Knox's Presbyterian Church in Galt. Mr. McIntosh acted as the coordinator of programs for Galt, Preston and Hespeler for the area Centennial celebrations in 1967 and in 1961 he became the first person to be named Galt's Citizen of the Year by the Civic Service Club. Duncan McIntosh Centre in Churchill Park is named in his honour. Mr. McIntosh died on March 6, 1986 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Inducted 2004

Inducted 2014

Claudette Millar was born in Belleville, Ontario in 1935 as Claudette Marie Hall. She was raised in Kitchener where she received her public and high school education. Ms. Millar attended Millsap College in Jackson Mississippi and graduated in 1958 with a degree in Sociology.
Upon completion of her B.A. Claudette Millar worked in the travel industry, toured Spain for a year and returned to Canada and once again worked in the travel industry. Leaving to travel again, she made her home in Dublin Ireland for a time. Upon her return to Canada She married Clare Millar.
In 1969 at the age of 35 Ms. Millar was elected Mayor of the Town of Preston becoming Canada's youngest mayor. In her early days as Mayor of Preston Claudette Millar stated her goal was to create an atmosphere of openness in municipal government and to instil confidence in the community that things were being handled as openly as possible.
With the amalgamation of Galt, Preston and Hespeler in 1973 she was then elected the first Mayor of the newly formed City of Cambridge. The joining of these three individual communities was an uneasy alliance requiring outstanding leadership and forward thinking. This tremendous task was followed by a demand for Cambridge's first Mayor to deal with the dark days of the 1974 Grand River Flood.
With the election to the office of Mayor, Claudette Millar found herself a member of numerous boards and committees and as the mayor she was also then a member of the Region of Waterloo Council. Mayor Millar sat on the Hydro Election Commission of Cambridge and North Dumfries, Regional Planning, Director of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, 1986 Chairperson of the Advisory Committee on Municipal Insurance, Chair of the Preston Police Commission, member of the Grand River Conservation Authority, Rapid Transit Public Advisory Committee, Water Resources Protection Liaison Committee and Regional Transportation Master Place Steering Committee.
Claudette Millar served as mayor until 1988 and after her retirement as mayor of the city, Claudette Millar became a member of the Ontario Municipal Board and served that board until 1992. She also represented Cambridge at the Regional level having been elected Regional Councillor in 2003 and serving until 2014.
Claudette Millar passed away on February 10, 2016.

Inducted 2004

John Albert Moffat was born in Hamilton on August 25, 1907 and came to Galt in 1938. He enjoyed careers as a grocer, farmer, restaurateur, businessman and community worker. From 1941 to 1945 he dedicated a great deal of time to duties on the Wartime Prices and Trades Board. One of his responsibilities was the movement of refrigerated products, chiefly meat, from Western Canada to Great Britain. Mr. Moffat was an active executive member of the local organizations operating the Junior "A" Galt Rockets and the Blackhawks in the 1940's and was a director of the Galt Terriers Baseball club from 1949 to 1951 serving primarily in the financial area. Mr. Moffat served as a councillor on the Galt city council from 1955 to 1957 and during the 1950's Mr. Moffat built and donated to the city a wading pool in Lincoln Park. He was a director of the Gore Mutual Insurance Company from 1963 to 1977 and served, at different times, as president of both the Kiwanis Club of Galt and the Rotary Club of Galt. He was president of the Kiwanis Club in the early 1940's and as such became responsible for the wartime salvage drives that gathered newsprint and metal, particularly aluminum, for the war effort. He was board member of the Galt Public Utilities Commission from 1967 to 1976 and served as chairman of the commission in 1972. Mr. Moffat was the part owner of Moffat's for Foods Ltd. who saw his restaurant was a casual meeting place for political, social and student discussion. He was a member of the Board of Directors of both South Waterloo Memorial Hospital, now the Cambridge Memorial Hospital, and Freeport Hospital and was a president of the Galt Boy Scouts Association and of the local branch of the Canadian Cancer Society. Mr. Moffat has been described as a man of great sense of community and whose interests ranged through recreation, sports, youth, health care, the environment and the business of operating a city. Mr. Moffat died on June 22, 1977 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Inducted 2003

John Melvin "Mel" Moffatt was born in Brookdale, Manitoba in January 1895 but spent most of his life in Galt. He was a veteran of the First World War serving with the 48th Highlanders. Mr. Moffatt was the manager of the Galt Dairy from 1938 to 1965 and entered municipal politics in the 1940's. He was a councillor on the Galt city council in 1946 and 1947 and served as Galt's mayor in 1948 winning by the largest majority up to that time. He retained the mayor's chair in 1949 and 1950 even though he ran as the Liberal candidate in the 1949 federal election in an attempt oust Conservative incumbent Karl Homuth. He suffered one of his rare electoral defeats in that election. Mr. Moffatt was a president of the Galt Kiwanis Club and the Galt Branch 21, Royal Canadian Legion, a director of the Christian Children's Fund of Canada and chairman of the Galt and Suburban Planning Board. He was active in the St. John Ambulance, the Salvation Army, the Red Feather campaigns, the South Waterloo Memorial Hospital board, now the Cambridge Memorial Hospital, the Sunnyside Home for the Aged and the Waterloo Historical Society. He was also involved in the Boy Scouts organization for over 50 years. Mr. Moffatt was a founding member of the Ontario Pioneer Community Foundation, the organization that developed the Doon Pioneer Village, now Doon Heritage Crossroads. He was also instrumental in organizing the Waterloo County Hall of Fame. Mr. Moffatt was named Galt's Citizen of the Year for 1962 by the Galt Civic Service Club and in 1968 he was granted the Centennial Medal in recognition of his many years of service. He died on September 2, 1980 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Inducted 1997

Ab Morton is one of the best in a long line of long distance runners produced by track clubs in Galt and Preston. He was born in Galt on 15 Oct 1914, the son of Robert Morton and Jenny Mathews, and represented the Galt Track Club in races in Canada and the United States from 1934 to 1950. Mr Morton was a three time winner of the Kitchener Record 5 mile race and was the winner, in 1943, of the 19 mile Hamilton Around the Bay Race. He was a three time winner of the 16-mile Niagara-to-Buffalo Modified Marathon, twice breaking the course record. Mr Morton was a three time winner of the Berwick Pennsylvania Modified Marathon and competed in the famous Boston Marathon four times. His best finishes were in 1946 and 1947 when he completed the race in fifth position. He was the winner of the Quebec International Marathon in 1946 and was the winner of the Guelph Marathon in 1947, the same year in which Mr Morton won the Canadian Marathon Championship. As a result of winning the Canadian Marathon, Mr Morton was considered by many as a favourite to win a place on the 1948 Canadian Olympic Team in the Marathon event. In the Olympic Trials held in Hamilton in June 1948 Mr Morton finished fourth. Since only the first three finishers were selected, Mr Morton missed on his last chance to run in the Olympic Marathon. His final opportunity to compete at the 1948 Olympics came at the 10,000 metre Olympic Trials held in Montreal three weeks later. Mr Morton finished second in this race but only the first place finisher qualified for the Olympic team.
In earlier times when he was at his physical peak and might have qualified for the Olympic Games, the Games were not held because of the Second World War. In 1947, Mr Morton was recognized as one of Canada's top athletes when he was first runner up in the balloting for the Crowe Memorial Trophy which was presented to Canada's Outstanding Athlete. Mr Morton remains active with the Cambridge Harriers Track Club acting as a race starter. Mr. Morton passed away on September 17, 2011.

Inducted June 5, 2013

Val O'Donovan was born in County Cork, Ireland on St. Valentine's Day 1936. He graduated as an electrical engineer from Cambridge College of Technology in 1959. He married his wife, Sheila in 1960 and the couple along with their two sons immigrated to Canada in 1963. A third son and a daughter were born in Canada. Val first worked in the satellite division at RCA in Montreal before founding Com Dev 1974 along with two partners.
In 1979 the company moved to Cambridge. This company has become a world leader in satellite and wireless communications technology. Mr. O'Donovan served as CEO until 1998 when he retired but continued as Chairman of the Board until 2004.
Mr. O'Donovan was also widely recognized for his community involvement and philanthropic endeavors. He served as Chancellor of the University of Waterloo from 1997 - 2003 and was later named Chancellor Emeritus. He played a key role in the relocation of the university's school of Architecture to Cambridge in 2004. In 1998 he and his wife established a charitable foundation to create Lisaard House, which opened in 2000 in Cambridge, a residential hospice for terminally ill cancer patients. He has given considerable financial aid to the University of Waterloo and rare Charitable Reserve located in Blair Ontario. Mr. & Mrs. O'Donovan were also founding members of the reserve.
Val O'Donovan received honours in recognition of his many achievements. These included the McNaughton Gold Medal from the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers in 1992, A Doctor of Engineering degree from the University of Waterloo in 1995, the John H Chapman Award from the Canadian Space Agency in 2001, the Queen's Jubilee Medal in 2002 and the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honour, 2003. Mr. O'Donovan was elected to the Waterloo County Hall of Fame in 2005.
Dr Michael Valentine O'Donovan passed away in Bermuda on February 5, 2005 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

 Inducted 2019


Sheila O'Donovan was born in Pakistan in 1937.  She came, with her husband Val and family, to Cambridge in 1979 to help start Com Dev, a successful tech company. Sheila was encouraged by Dr. Charmaine Jones to look into a Hospice for Cambridge. Sheila was motivated by the loss of her sister to cancer. As a result of Sheila’s and Val’s support, diligence and generosity Lisaard House opened in July 2000. Followed by Innisfree Hospice in 2015. Sheila was also a benefactor to many institutions and charities, large and small, in Waterloo Region. She preferred to remain low key and stay in the background.

Sheila O'Donovan passed away on April 27, 2019.

Inducted 2007

Born in Hespeler on November 12, 1896 Harold Anthony "Doc" Oaks attended public school in Hespeler and Preston before receiving his secondary school education at Galt Collegiate Institute. He joined the Canadian Signal Corps in 1915 and transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. He was soon flying Bristol fighters with No. 2 Squadron and later the 48th Squadron in France where he achieved the rank of Captain. He is credited with eleven enemy aircraft destroyed and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for gallantry under fire.
Following the war he returned to Canada and attended the University of Toronto where he earned a degree in mining engineering, graduating in 1922. He then worked for the Geological Survey of Canada before joining the newly formed Ontario Provincial Air Service (OPAS) in 1924. It was here that Mr. Oaks was able to indulge in his two favourite occupations: flying and prospecting.
In 1925 he left the OPAS and, with his partner Tommy Thompson, staked a gold claim at Red Lake. They soon realized that the real money in prospecting was in transportation and they soon sold their claim and used the funds to start Patricia Airways and Exploration to fly supplies, a few passengers and the mail to remote mining sites in the north of Ontario. The business was a success and soon a larger aircraft was needed. He persuaded wealthy industrialist James A. Richardson to back his business venture and a second air transport business, Western Canada Airways, was formed with Mr. Oaks acting as general manager. Under his management the new company pioneered air routes in Northern Ontario and Manitoba, opening up new mining locations as well as servicing remote communities. Before his time bush pilots did not fly in the north in winter. Mr. Oaks pioneered winter flights in the north and designed and manufactured portable "nose hangers". The hangers consisted of frame structures about twelve feet square covered with canvas and mounted on skis. The aircraft was drawn into the enclosed area and curtains were fastened to the bow of the aircraft. A stove in the middle of the enclosure kept the engine warm enough while on the ground to enable it to start again. Without these portable enclosures winter flights in the north would not have been possible.
In 1927 Mr. Oaks was the first recipient of the Trans Canada Trophy, also known as the McKee Trophy, in recognition of his pioneering work in establishing and maintaining efficient flying services in northern Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
In 1928 Mr. Oaks formed a new company, Northern Aerial Minerals Exploration Company (NAME) expressly to put his theories of prospecting for mining sites from the air. Operations were carried out in northwest Ontario, northern Manitoba, Alberta, the North West Territories, Hudson Bay and Ungava. Flying in these areas was particularly difficult because of the lack of accurate maps and by the proximity of the north magnetic pole that made it necessary to develop new navigation techniques. Mr. Oak's company enjoyed considerable success in establishing a number of new mining locations but Mr. Oaks left the company in 1931 to start yet another company, Oaks Airways Ltd. This company was based in Sioux Lookout and offered a general passenger and freight service in the Patricia mining district in Ontario and into the God's Lake area of Manitoba. Unfortunately this business venture was not a great commercial success but continued mining explorations until it surrendered its charter in 1944. Mr. Oaks then worked for Central Aircraft of London Ontario before returning to mining and exploration in 1952. Beginning in 1953 he also served as a consultant to James A. Richardson and Company in Toronto.
Mr. Oaks is described as a man of courage and integrity, often tested but never questioned. Through the introduction of the use of aircraft to fly men and equipment to distant mining areas he helped two great industries, aviation and mining to thrive by working together. Mr. Oaks died on July 21, 1968 at the age of 71 and was named to Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 1973. He was also made a Companion of the Order of Flight (City of Edmonton).

Inducted 2003

David Norman Panabaker was born on a farm in Waterloo Township on February 4, 1874 the son of David Panabaker and Leah Wanner. He received his elementary schooling at the Hespeler Public School and at the age of sixteen went to work as an office boy at the R. Forbes Co. Ltd. He moved up through the ranks from office boy to pay clerk to invoice clerk to ledger keeper until eventually becoming the company's general manager. In his forty years in the textile industry in Hespeler Mr. Panabaker served on the Executive Board of the Canadian Woollen and Knit Goods Manufacturers' Association and was the association's vice-president and, finally, president. He also worked with the Canadian National Research Council in an advisory capacity up to the time of his death. Mr. Panabaker retired from the R. Forbes Co. Ltd. in 1929 and opened a conveyancing and insurance business. He was commissioned a Notary Public for the County of Waterloo in 1930, the same year that he joined with his son James D. Panabaker in organizing the Panabaker Fuel Co. Mr. Panabaker served on the Hespeler municipal council as a councillor from 1912 to 1915, as reeve from 1916 to 1920 and as mayor of Hespeler from 1921 to 1924. He acted as warden of Waterloo County from 1916 to 1920. Mr. Panabaker also served as president of the Waterloo County Canadian Club and was as president of the Waterloo County Children's Aid Society for many years. He served as choirmaster at his church for twenty years and he was a member of the church board of management. Mr. Panabaker was keenly interested in local history and served the Waterloo Historical Society as vice president for Hespeler and, from 1927 to 1937, as president. Mr. Panabaker was the author of a number of local history articles published in the Waterloo Historical Society's annual journal. Of particular importance among these was a history of the town of Hespeler originally published in 1922. Mr. Panabaker was president of the Waterloo County Pioneers' Memorial Association when it was formed on July 13, 1923 and was instrumental in the building of the Waterloo County Pioneer Memorial Tower near Doon that was dedicated on August 28, 1926. He died on August 3, 1939 from injuries suffered from a fall from the Pioneer Tower's observation deck. He is buried in New Hope Cemetery.

Inducted 2014

Marilyn Parkinson-Crump was born in Galt in 1947. She attended the one roomed "Stone School" in North Dumfries for grades 1 through 8. She attended Glen View Park Secondary School, Hamilton Teachers' College and the University of Waterloo graduating with a B.A. in 2002.
Ms Parkinson-Crump was a classroom teacher with the Galt Board of Education from 1967-1971 and then with the Waterloo District School Board until retirement in 2005. From 1977-1980 she also taught academic upgrading at Conestoga College.
Her professional activities included workshop leader, President of the Women's Teachers of Waterloo (1994-1995), Co-president of the Elementary Teachers of Waterloo District (1994-1995), Chair of the collective bargaining committee for Waterloo District Elementary Teachers Federation 1997-2005 and Co-founder of Early Years Association Waterloo Region District School Board.
Marilyn Parkinson-Crump has been a tireless volunteer within our community lending a hand with the Trinity Community Table beginning in 2005. She was president from 2005 and 2009 and presently she is the Volunteer Co-ordinator. She is also involved with many of the groups at Trinity Anglican Church including the choir, Sunday school teacher, Past President of the Anglican Church Women, Safe Church Co-ordinator and a member of the profit catering committee
Ms Parkinson-Crump has also been a volunteer at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital. She was an emergency room and critical care volunteer from 2005-2008, presently she is the President of the Volunteer Association and Gift Shop Volunteer and buyer.
Marilyn Parkinson-Crump is also a member of the management committee for the Cambridge Tennis Club, Chairperson of the Cambridge Arts Guild board and the Cambridge Branch of Canadian Save the Children Fund.
Ms Parkinson-Crump has been widely recognized professionally, receiving the Mary Johnson Award for contributions to the Federation. The Brock Foster Award for contributions to the Federation and the Community, William Townshend Award for teaching excellence and the President's Award and Elementary Teachers Federation Award for Leadership.
The Anglican Church of Canada, Diocese of Huron awarded Ms Parkinson-Crump, for service at Trinity Anglican Church the Bishop's Award of Distinction.
The Cambridge YWCA awarded Ms Parkinson- Crump the Women of Distinction Award in 2012 for Voluntary, Community and Humanitarian Services.
In 2013 local Member of Parliament Gary Goodyear awarded Ms Parkinson-Crump the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal for her contributions to education and her community.

Inducted 1995

George Pattinson was born in Haltwhistle in Northumberland, England on 17 July 1854 and there attended school at Hexham. In 1870, when he was 16, Mr Pattinson arrived in Canada and found employment in a woollen mill in Plattsville. The following year he moved to Preston and entered the woollen mill of James Crombie and Company, a mill he was to be associated with for over 60 years.
In 1876, the Robinson and Howell Co. of Galt took over the operations of the mill. Mr Robinson, one of the owners, is said to have taken a particular interest in Mr Pattinson and helped him to learn every aspect of the woollen business. Upon Mr Robinson's death in 1881, the mill devolved to his daughter, the wife of a Dr Ferguson, a Toronto physician. In the re-organization that followed sometime later, Mr Pattinson became a partner with Mrs Ferguson in the Ferguson-Pattinson Co. and took over the direct management of the company. This might not have been Mr Pattinson's first experience as a partner in the company. Some inconclusive evidence exists suggesting that Mr Pattinson may have been a minor partner with Robinson and Howell. Whatever the case, the business eventually came under Mr Pattinson's full ownership on 1 Sep 1898 when the company became known as Geo. Pattinson & Co. The company was incorporated, on 1 Sep 1920, as the George Pattinson Co. Ltd.
Mr Pattinson's interests, however, were not confined to the woollen business. From 1905 to 1914 he served as the representative from South Waterloo in the Ontario Legislature. During this time he was associated with Sir Adam Beck and was held largely responsible for bringing Niagara-produced hydro electric power to Preston. In addition to his work with the Hydro Electric Commission, Mr Pattinson, while in provincial parliament, took a prominent part in the introduction of the Workmen's Compensation Act, served on the Prison Reform Commission and represented the government as a director of the Lake Superior Corporation.
Mr Pattinson was also involved in local municipal politics serving on Preston council from 1880 to 1882 and again in 1889 when he was named Reeve to replace Dr Nelson Mulloy who had, in turn, earlier replaced George M. Roos. Mr Pattinson was also a member of the Preston School Board for many years.
During the First World War, Mr Pattinson was President of the Preston Patriotic Association and a member of The Soldier's Insurance Commission of Waterloo County. In addition he served as Chairman of the Canadian Wool Commission which handled all the wool imported into Canada from Britain during the war.
Following the war, Mr Pattinson served as Vice-Chairman of the Preston Soldier's Aid Commission and was director of the Mutual Life Assurance Co. of Canada located in Waterloo and of the Economical Mutual Fire Insurance Co. of Kitchener.
Mr Pattinson died on 10 May 1931 at the age of 77 after an illness of several years. He is buried in Preston Cemetery.

Inducted 2002

Joseph Henry Radford was born on a farm near Perth, Ontario on February 12, 1856. He completed high school in Perth and then taught school in Bathurst Township to earn enough money to attend medical school at the University of Toronto. He arrived in Galt in 1880 and began a practice as the eighth doctor practicing medicine in the community. In 1881 he contracted typhoid fever after attending twenty-five cases of the disease. It was his only serious illness as a doctor. In 1882 he entered into a partnership with Dr. W. H. Vardon but it was dissolved after five months when Dr. Radford left for Winnipeg, ostensibly to look into practice opportunities. He soon returned to Galt and in 1884 performed the first appendectomy in Waterloo County. The feat was particularly remarkable since he had only read about the procedure and had never seen one performed. In 1916 Dr. Radford was appointed Galt's Medical Officer of Health and retired from his practice in 1925 to devote all his time to this post. In his forty years of medical practice it was estimated that Dr. Radford delivered four thousand babies. In 1933, Dr. Radford was successful in persuading the Galt city council to pass a by-law prohibiting the sale of unpasteurized milk in the city. To compensate local dairies that had to purchase expensive new equipment to pasteurize the milk, it was announced that all milk sold in Galt had to be pasteurized in the local dairies. He retired as Medical Officer of Health on December 31, 1935 after twenty years on the job. In addition, Dr. Radford was the company doctor for the Canadian Pacific Railway for forty years and for the Canadian National Railway for twenty-five years. He was the chairman of the Galt Public School Board in 1891, became the first president of the Galt Anti-tuberculosis League when it was established on December 2, 1908 and served as vice-president of the Galt Horse Show in 1907. Dr. Radford served on the Galt town council as a councillor in 1890, 1891, 1893 and 1901, as reeve in 1894 and as Galt's mayor from 1895 to 1899. His longest term of elective service was on the Galt Waterworks Commission where he served for sixteen years, two as secretary and the remainder as chairman. Dr. Radford was also the first chairman of the Galt Public Library Board when it was organized in February 1900. Dr. Radford died on November 8, 1936 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery. It is thought that Radford Ave. is named for him.

Inducted 1996

Scotty Rankine was born in Scotland on 6 Jan 1909. Destined to become one of Canada's best long distance runners, he came to this country in 1926 and to Preston in 1929. He began his running career with the Baraca Class at Preston Baptist Church under Rev. James "Cap" MacLuckie, his first coach. During his racing career Mr Rankine entered up to 350 races and won 250 of them. A strong competitor, he always raced to win but, at the same time, retained the respect and admiration of his competitors. He raced in all long distance events ranging from two to 26 miles but it was in distances up to 20 miles that he was one of the best in the world.
In 1932, he represented Canada in the 5,000 metre race at the Olympics Games held at Los Angeles, finishing in 10th place. In the 1934 British Empire Games, now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, he placed second in the six mile race and fourth in the three mile event. In the 1938 British Empire Games, held in Sydney Australia, he once again placed second in the six mile event while improving to a third place finish in the three mile race. He also competed in the 10000 metre event at the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin Germany but was forced to withdraw at the 7000 metre mark due to a severe muscle pull.
Although the 26-mile marathon was not his favourite distance, he finished in the top seven in the Boston marathon three times. He won the shorter Hamilton Run Around the Bay seven times between 1936 and 1946 and won the U.S. National 15000 metre race in 1935 and 1936 and the 10000 metre championship in 1937. He won the Berwick, Pennsylvania, "Run for the Diamonds" 12 mile race 5 times and held the Canadian record for the 10000 metre event setting a mark of 32:30.6. He was named Canada's Athlete of the Year in 1935 and won the Norton H. Grove Trophy in 1937 as Canada's top amateur athlete.
Mr Rankine died on 10 Jan 1995 at his retirement home in Wasaga Beach.

Inducted 1997

Allan Edward Reuter was born in Preston on 9 Aug 1914, the oldest of six children and son of Stanley Reuter, a skilled wood pattern maker, and his wife Helen McGinnis. He attended both Central Public School in Preston and Galt Collegiate. Family finances did not allow him to complete his high school education and at the age of sixteen Mr Reuter left school to take a job as an office boy at Preston's Savage Shoe Co. He rose to become an office manager just before joining the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1943. Following his discharge in 1945 he commenced his own practice as a public accountant and developed an expertise as a trustee in bankruptcy. In 1959 Mr Reuter was elected to Preston council but resigned his seat on 19 Jun 1961 in protest over the process of the selection of the Reeve. He returned to council the following year serving as Preston's Mayor for a two year term. Just before the completion of his term as Mayor, Mr Reuter was elected to represent Waterloo South in the Provincial Legislature. Mr Reuter retained his seat in the Provincial House in the elections of 1967 and 1971. While in the House he served on a number of committees including public accounts, natural resources and government commissions as well as acting as chairman of the Private Bills Committee, the largest standing committee of the legislature. In February 1968, Premier John Robarts appointed Mr. Reuter to the post of Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House which included the responsibilities of the Deputy Speaker of the House.
In 1971 he answered a call from the Premier to become the 28th Speaker of the Ontario Legislature replacing retiring Speaker Fred Cass. His handling of the Speaker's role drew praise from government and opposition leaders alike for the complete impartiality of his rulings. He resigned as Speaker in October 1974 due to ill health and did not seek re-election in the 1975 election.
Mr Reuter was an honourary member of the Preston-Hespeler Rotary Club and was a life member of the Preston Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. He also pursued an interest in music, playing a number of instruments including the guitar, clarinet, saxophone, and ukulele. He played clarinet for a number of years in the Preston Concert Band, now the Cambridge Concert Band, and played guitar in a dance band. He died on 31 Dec 1982 and is buried in Preston's Parklawn Cemetery.

Inducted 1997

William Thomas "Billy" Reynolds was born in Kent England on 29 Mar 1905, the son of William T. Reynolds and Emily Davis. The family came to Canada in 1912 and lived in Brandon Manitoba and Niagara Falls Ontario before coming to Galt in about 1921. It was not long before he developed a talent for long distance running and ran in races ranging from 5 miles to the marathon distance. His favourite distance was the 15 mile event and for many years he was the premier runner in Canada at this distance. In 1930 he was described as "Canada's best 15-miler" and set the Canadian record for this distance with a time of 1 hour 24 minutes and 47 seconds. He also held the Canadian record for the 10 mile distance at 53 minutes 2.4 seconds which he set on 23 Jun 1931. He also was the Canadian champion and record holder in the 10,000 metre distance setting a mark of 32 minutes 58.6 seconds in 1930. Mr Reynolds was a member of the 1928 Canadian Olympic Team selected to compete in the 10,000 metres race and as a spare in the marathon. He trained so well that the team leaders decided to drop one of the original five marathoners and replace him with Mr Reynolds. The marathon race officials were not notified in time and Mr Reynolds was not allowed to run. Because he had earlier bypassed the 10,000 metre race to run in the marathon Mr Reynolds was forced to return to Galt without having run in the Olympics. He had better luck as a member of the 1930 British Empire Games team when he finished sixth in the 10,000 metre race.
Mr Reynolds was a founding member of the Galt Legion Track Club and between 1927 and 1935 competed in many major track events in Canada and the United States including the Boston Marathon on two occasions finishing eleventh and thirteenth. Mr Reynolds died on 12 Jan 1964 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Inducted 1996

When the Preston Rivulettes Hockey Team was organized in 1930 partially in answer to a dare, no one could have dreamed how successful the team would become. Legend has it that the Rivulettes hockey team originated in an incident that took place in the old Lowther St. Arena in 1930. Some members of the Preston Rivulettes girls softball team were deep in a discussion concerning plans for their immediate future. One of the group suggested the formation of a women's hockey team. When an onlooker scoffed at the idea and challenged them to follow through, the team was born. At the first practice nine players were signed to the club. They were Hilda and Nellie Ranscombe, Marm and Helen Schmuck, Marg Gabbitass, Myrtle Parr, Toddy Webb, Pat Marriott and Helen Sault. The team entered a league composed of teams from Toronto, Kitchener, Stratford, London, Hamilton, Guelph and Port Dover. The Rivulettes quickly rose to the top of the league, easily outclassing their opposition. As the years went by and the team's reputation grew other players added their talents to the roster. They included Violet Hall, Sheila Lahey, Gladys Hawkins, Norma Hipel, Ruth Dargel, Elvis Williams, Fay Hilborn, Winnie Makcrow and Eleanor Fairgrieves, Midge Robertson and Marie Bielstein.
The success of the Preston Rivulettes was, and remains, unparalleled in the annuals of Canadian sports history. The team played an estimated 350 games between 1930 and 1940, tying three and losing only two. In that 10 year span the Rivulettes were ten times the winners of the Bobby Rosenfeld Trophy that was presented each year to the Champions of Ontario. They were also six-time winners of the Eastern Canadian championship and the Elmer Doust Cup that went with it. They won the trophy each time they competed for it. The team's crowning achievement was capturing the Lady Bessborough Trophy as Canadian Champions no less than six times.
By the end of the 1930's the team's reputation for excellence had spread well beyond Canada's borders and in 1939 the Rivulettes were invited to demonstrate their skills in Europe. Unfortunately the outbreak of World War II forced the cancellation of the tour. The war had an even greater effect on the team the following year when it was forced to fold when it could no longer honour its travel commitments because of government imposed gasoline rationing. Although the team was now gone, it was not forgotten and in 1963 the Preston Rivulettes Hockey Team was inducted into the Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame.

Inducted 2019

Born in 1980, Sheri is well known for her advocacy training and public speaking, promoted equal opportunities for people living with a disability. In 2007 Sheri moved to Cambridge and continues to call it home with her husband and son. Sheri has been the face of accessibility and inclusion in the Cambridge community since.

Sheri has been an active member of the Cambridge Accessibility Advisory Committee since 2008 and in 2014 she took on the position of Chair. She has continued as Chair, working on a number of projects to improve accessibility within our City and ensuring compliance with legislation. 

Sheri is influential in promoting a barrier free community. Driven by her experiences, Sheri has worked hard to bring the Stop Gap Ramp Project to Cambridge. Since the start of this initiative in 2016, the Stop Gap project has funded and built 50 ramps for businesses in the City of Cambridge.

In advocacy, training or just starting the conversation with a member of the community, Sheri is determined to bring change to Cambridge.  Her commitment to our community has helped make Cambridge a great place to live and work.

Sheri-Lyn Roberts was elected to Cambridge City Council on October 24, 2022 representing Ward 5.

Inducted 2014

Cambridge and its surroundings have been richly endowed with an extraordinary treasure of 19th Century buildings. History has been good to the city architecturally - though public perception has been slow to recognize the community's unique assets.
In the late 1960s, none had publically called into question the right of private interest groups to unilaterally destroy elements of the community's common heritage. Pat Rosebrugh however started to turn the tide. In 1968, incredulous at the intent of the Waterloo Regional School Board to demolish one of the oldest public buildings in Ontario, she was impelled into action. Taking out a small ad in the local newspaper, the Galt Reporter, she invited fellow citizens to band together to save Central Public School, the majestic stone structure which had stood guard at the top of Main Street hill since 1859. Over 500 irate citizens wrote to the PO Box she had rented for the purpose, an astonishingly high response rate for a community the size of Galt.
A lengthy struggle ensued. Gathering around her 5 like-minded, newly minted activists, Pat launched a multi-faceted campaign against the out of touch, seemingly indifferent school board. Though operating on a shoestring they managed to attract media attention, and bring experts from across the province at their own expense to speak about the importance of protecting old Galt's unique buildings. Pat even bearded then - Education Minister Bill Davis in his corner office at Queen's Park, on the pretext of being a classmate of his late wife. Many months later, the campaign came to a sad close when the wrecking ball destroyed one of only 2 stone schools remaining in Galt. (The remaining Dickson School faces an uncertain future even today). The fight for Central School may have been lost, but the battle had really only begun. Thanks to Pat, public consciousness was being awakened. Never again would elements of the common heritage be stolen without a challenge.
Energized to increase public participation in the decision making process and forestall future similar losses, the small cadre of volunteers decided they needed to formalize their structure and mandate. In April 1972, over 100 committed citizens showed up at the historic McKenzie Ave home of the Honourable James Young, to become charter members of a new Galt Branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario.
In the subsequent years the role of Heritage Cambridge, as it became known, has reached into every area of civic life. The volume of activity undertaken by the little group under Pat's leadership, and that of her successors, was prodigious. An early challenge was responding to the City's demand that, under its own steam, Heritage Cambridge produce an inventory of buildings in Galt, Preston and Hespeler worthy of protection. Despite a timeline a four member volunteer committee thought impossible, they pulled out all the stops and with the assistance of a graduate student did exhaustive research, analysis, interviews and photography. The result was that in 1972 Heritage Cambridge produced the first ever inventory of 79 priority heritage buildings, and presented them to the City as a baseline for protection.
Cambridge's official willingness to receive this "interim" list of architectural treasures in no way however convinced political or commercial titans to protect these buildings or districts from demolition. A prominent business leader and friend stopped Pat on the street to excitedly share his insight, not uncommon at the time, that bulldozing the main street of Galt and replacing it with a "wonderful new shopping centre like they have in the US" was the best way to ensure Cambridge's future prosperity!
As battles loomed, it was clear to this small band of activists that fighting for specific buildings or streetscapes was not sufficient. Community education about the value of heritage had to be a central plank in their work. A small "Programme Committee" was formed to plan events for politicians, the public, and school children. Pat and fellow volunteers organized seminars for City Councillors on the economic value of preservation; a visit by merchants from Doylestown Pennsylvania to share their experience restoring main street store fronts across the USA; public film screenings and talks about the dividends reaped by other cities and countries in saving their patrimony [Oakville, Ottawa, Victoria, Dundas, and the UK]; illustrated library lectures on key local buildings; the publication of walking and driving tours on the architecture of Galt, Preston, Hespeler and North Dumfries, bus tours to see preservation successes near and far (Ayr, Paris, Elora, Savannah GA and New Orleans); workshops for homeowners and school children, and TV interviews. A monthly newsletter kept the growing membership aware of key issues, and a phone tree ensured all knew of key sessions at City Hall or other events where their input was requested -- for e.g. in the selection of buildings to be included on the inventory. The stage was clearly being set for a very populist, grass-roots driven and sustained, organization.
Advocacy has always been at the core of Heritage Cambridge's work. While many struggles are documented in the organization's ample archives, a few early ones bear mention. The group's efforts led in 1976 to the creation of the first Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee to advise the municipal government; a group that continues, albeit in another name, to this day.
Pat and her fellow citizens commitment to defend the scale and turreted skyline of the Galt core led to a protracted 1975 campaign for downtown height limits, and against the encroachment of a 17 story high-rise at the corner of Parkhill and Water Sts. Internationally-acclaimed stars of Canadian design, architects Barton Myers and Jack Diamond, addressed City Council to advocate an innovative low-rise approach to urban intensification, one more compatible with the city's heritage assets. When that proved fruitless, one of the country's leading lawyers in the field of urban planning offered to represent Heritage Cambridge pro-bono in appealing Council's decision to the Ontario Municipal Board. The end result was the developer's loss of interest in the project, a de facto victory for the uniqueness of downtown Galt.
Determined not to lose yet another stone school to the Regional School Board, Heritage Cambridge joined a group of Preston citizens and welcomed the collaboration of the City in the protracted fight to save Preston Public School. Its eventual rescue by Fairview Mennonite Home to convert it to apartments was the welcome conclusion to the hard -fought battle. Other victories followed: a purple-painted pool hall on Water St. was restored as handsome stone offices; a former bank building slated for demolition emerged as Cafe 13, a local popular restaurant. Sadly, other losses also marked that period as it does this, as valuable buildings fell to demolition permits, as well as neglect.
Advocacy coupled with fund raising presented an important model for Heritage Cambridge in its early years. Heritage home tours, publications, workshops, sales of specially commissioned prints of Cambridge landmarks, and Regional grants allowed the organization to make some significant saves. Sheave Tower, at 1876 the oldest hydropower generator in Canada, and remarkable 1858 McDougall Cottage, were at rescued, restored and maintained thanks to a growing body of committed supporters eager to join Heritage Cambridge in ensuring their preservation. To maintain the integrity of old neighbourhoods, Heritage Cambridge also commissioned and donated to the city a mould for the casting of replicas of original lamp standards, thus ensuring a supply in perpetuity.
Other major milestones for the organization Pat founded and continues to serve four decades later are numerous. Together they testify to the commitment of successive decades of public-spirited citizens working ceaseless hours without personal profit or gain, to better their community. Convinced of the economic, cultural and social dividends that accrue from defending Cambridge's heritage they are front line champions for the city's irreplaceable architectural treasury, and places of natural beauty.

Inducted 2001

Samuel Mayer "Max" Saltsman was born in Toronto on 9 May 1921. He was known throughout his life as "Max" and, in 1962, he had his name legally changed to Max. Mr Saltsman quit school at the age of 14 after completing one year of high school. He spent five years overseas as a mechanic with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. While in the armed forces Mr Saltsman took a number of Canadian Legion study courses, many of them correspondence courses. In the following years he upgraded his formal education by taking university extension courses. In 1947, Mr Saltsman arrived in Galt and started S.M. Saltsman & Co., Tailors and Dry Cleaners. The business prospered and Mr Saltsman became active in local politics. In 1958, he was elected to the Galt Public School Board where he served until 1961. Mr Saltsman followed his stint on the school board with his election to Galt city council where he served from 1962 to 1964. In 1963, Mr Saltsman was the New Democratic Party candidate to represent the riding of Waterloo South in the federal parliament. He lost that election to Gordon Chaplin of the Progressive Conservative Party but his campaign set the stage for another attempt in a by-election, necessitated by the death of Mr Chaplin, held in 1964. Mr Saltsman won this election and was re-elected on three subsequent occasions, holding the riding for the NDP until he retired from federal politics prior to the 1979 election. His decision not to run was determined, in part, by events that occurred at a trial in Toronto. Mr Saltsman's name came up at the trial of Obed Gardiner who was sentenced to prison for assaulting his wife who had worked for Mr Saltsman.
While in Ottawa, Mr Saltsman supported the Liberal government in its imposition of the War Measures Act in 1970 and favoured wage and price controls in 1975. He instituted the "Pink Max" awards as a "tongue-in-cheek" means of pointing out waste in the private sector. It was his answer to the "Blue Max" award, named for Auditor-General Max Henderson who provided many examples of the wasteful spending practices of the federal government. Mr Saltsman's most celebrated initiative was a plan to annex the Turks and Caicos Islands, British islands that were part of Bermuda. The stated goal was to keep Canadian tourist dollars in Canada. His private member's bill never reached the floor of the House of Commons. Despite what might be perceived as rather "off-beat" ideas, Mr Saltsman won the respect of his caucus colleagues and served his party as finance critic from 1968 to 1979. He was also a member of the joint House-Senate Committee on Rising Living Costs which issued a scathing denunciation of government inactivity on what was seen as price gouging and demanded a Prices Review Board.
In September 1971, Mr Saltsman was appointed a special lecturer in management science at the University of Waterloo, lecturing mainly on the relationships between business and government. Mr Saltsman was one of the founders of the Saltsman-Kerr Lecture Series in Canadian Studies at the University of Waterloo. He also lectured on political science at Wilfrid Laurier University. Mr Saltsman noted at the time of his appointment that he was "one of the few persons who did not attend either high school or university, or get a diploma, to be asked to lecture at university". In 1980-81, he acted as chairman of the Committee for an Independent Canada and, in 1983, was appointed by Ontario premier William G. Davis to serve on the Inflation Restraint Board. Mr Saltsman continued to serve on that Board until a few weeks before his death. In July 1985, Mr Saltsman announced that he intended to run as a candidate for a councillor-at-large seat on the Cambridge city council in the November 1985 election. On October 21, he announced that he was withdrawing from the election because he had been diagnosed with liver cancer. Max Saltsman died in Wellesley Hospital in Toronto on 28 Nov 1985 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Inducted 2001

Laurence Melville Savage was born in Frederickton, New Brunswick in 1900, the son of Rufus Savage, an executive of the Hartt Boot and Shoe Co. and Gertrude Shaw. Mr Savage moved with the family to Westmount, Quebec and then to Toronto where he attended Western High School of Commerce until 1917. For a short time he worked in the Canadian Pacific Railway office in Montreal but it wasn't long before he followed his father's footsteps into the shoe manufacturing industry. He clerked and travelled for several shoe companies before becoming sales manager for Hewetson Shoes in Brampton Ontario in 1923. In 1926 he became the footwear manager for Canadian Consolidated Felt, a subsidiary of Dominion Rubber in Kitchener. That same year his father purchased Parker-Steel Shoe Ltd. in Preston. A year later Mr Savage Sr. died and Laurence Savage took over his father's interests. He acquired Hurlbut Shoe Co. Ltd. of Preston in 1934 and added the Wragge Shoe Co. of Galt in 1937. The three companies were amalgamated that year to form The Savage Shoe Co. Ltd. In 1945 a plant was opened in Fergus and in 1949, the Charles Ahrens Co. of Kitchener was absorbed. Two years later the Lashbrook Shoe Co. was purchased, making Savage Shoe Co. one of Canada's largest shoe manufacturers. In 1954 Savage Shoe was acquired by the International Shoe Co. of the United States. Mr Savage remained as the chairman of the board and president of Savage Shoe as well as serving as a vice-president of International Shoe Co. until his retirement in 1965. He served as a president of the Shoe Manufacturers' Association of Canada and was vice-president and director of both the Canada Permanent Mortgage Corporation and the Canada Permanent Trust Company. Mr Savage was a director of the Andrea Equity Investment Fund, of the Toronto Dominion Bank, of the Union Gas Limited, of the Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company, of Dobbie Industries Ltd, of Canadian General Tower Co. Ltd, of the Casualty Company of Canada, of the E. L. Financial Corporation and of the Lake Erie and Northern Railway Company. Mr Savage died on 19 Dec 1969 at his home in Galt and is buried in Mount Royal Cemetery, Montreal. It is believed that Savage Drive is named for him.

Inducted 2005

Sarah "Sadie" Savage was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1886, the daughter of William and Isabella J. Savage. The family immigrated to Australia and she was educated at the Kangaroo Point Girls' Private School in Brisbane. After the death of a younger sister, followed by that of her mother in 1906, she moved to Newtonards, Northern Ireland with her father and remaining sisters. The family arrived in Preston sometime later. Miss Savage graduated from the Western Hospital School of Nursing in Toronto, completed post-graduate work in tuberculosis and public health at Fordham Hospital in New York City and was awarded a fellowship from the Bellevue Hospitals. Her first nursing assignment was at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, British Columbia after which she spent three years as a nursing superintendent at Vancouver General Hospital. In 1921, she returned to Preston where she became the nurse in charge of the local branch of the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON). A pioneer in the well-baby concept, Miss Savage and her sister Annie, who was also a member of the VON, ran weekly conferences for mothers and pre-school children. The well-baby clinics spread throughout North America and Miss Savage was awarded the Jubilee Medal by King George VI. During the thirty years that Miss Savage and her sister were VON nurses, they delivered approximately 2,000 babies in an era when births took place at home. Miss Savage retired from VON service in 1952 and did private duty nursing for a number of years. She was a life member of the British Columbia Nurses Association and a member of the Ontario Provincial Nursing Association, a member of St. John's Anglican Church and a member of the South Waterloo Progressive Conservative Association. She maintained a life long interest in medicine and in her seventies was still attending seminars and lectures on nursing techniques. She died at the age of 81 on September 5, 1968 and is buried in Preston Cemetery.

Inducted 2000

Described as "one of Galt's most outstanding men in point of public service and industrial development", Francis Stewart Scott was born in Galt on 23 Aug 1879. He was the grandson of James Scott and the son of Frank A. Scott, a local contractor and planning mill operator, and Mary Stewart. Mr Scott graduated from the Galt Collegiate Institute and started his industrial career in 1897 when he went to work for the Galt Knitting Co. He remained there until 1899 when he went into partnership with Edwin J. Getty in the shoe manufacturing business. In 1906 the firm of Getty & Scott Shoe Co. Ltd was incorporated and in 1912 Mr Scott became the sole proprietor when he acquired Mr Getty's interests in the company, which then became the Scott Shoe Co. The company produced "The Classic Shoe", a product recognized throughout Canada. At about this time, he acquired an interest in and became president of Scott-Chamberlain Ltd, later Scott-McHale Ltd, shoe manufacturers in London, Ontario.
In 1911, Mr Scott became one of the founders and a member of the first Board of Directors of Canadian Motors Ltd. That first year, the company produced a reliable car that compared favourably with its American competitors. Unfortunately the company did not have the home grown engineering expertise required to keep pace with improvements introduced by the American giants and, with orders drying up, the company was forced to close. Its assets were sold to the Galt Motor Co., a small local company that then began production of the gas/electric powered "Galt" car.
Mr Scott was a member of the Galt municipal council serving as a councillor in 1907 and 1908, as reeve from 1909 to 1911 and as mayor in 1912 and 1913. He was also a member of Waterloo County council from 1908 to 1911 and was Waterloo County reeve in 1910 and 1911. Mr Scott played an important part in the inauguration and development of the hydro-electric system in this area and in Ontario. During the early years of development of electrical power in the province, Mr Scott spoke in many places in Ontario at the request of Sir Adam Beck, the head of the Ontario Hydro Electric Commission. With George Hancock Jr, Mr Scott was among the most aggressive promoters of hydro in Galt when they were on municipal council together.
Mr Scott entered federal politics in 1915 when he was elected to replace George A. Clare, who had represented South Waterloo since 1900. Mr Scott was re-elected in 1917 as a supporter of the Union Government of Robert Borden and remained in the House of Commons until 1921, when he was defeated by William Elliott. Mr Scott retired from active politics until 1937 when he unsuccessfully contested the South Waterloo seat in the provincially election.
Mr Scott once served as president of the Galt Board of Trade in 1911 and served a term as president of the Canadian Shoe Manufacturers' Association. Mr Scott was also a member of the first Board of Directors of The Galt Club, a social club for Galt's merchants, businessmen and manufacturers. An avid horseman, Mr Scott also served as president of the Canadian Trotting Association. Mr Scott died on 13 Feb 1943 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Inducted 2003

Robert Scott was born in Galt on August 20, 1839, the son of James Scott, a local planning mill operator and contractor, and Elizabeth Scott. Mr. Scott was educated in Galt and, while he travelled extensively during his youth, he spent most of his life here with the exception of a few years in the United States. Mr. Scott was a member of the Seventh Company of the 1st Battalion of the Waterloo Militia in 1857 and went west during the great gold rush in British Columbia. He has the distinction of being the first mayor of Rossland, British Columbia. Upon his return to Galt, Mr. Scott's first business enterprise was a hardware and tinsmith business known as Trotter & Scott. After a few years he became interested in the hub and spoke manufacturing business first started by Thomas Todd and John Davidson in 1861 and later operated by Young and Smith. Mr. Scott purchased the business in 1873 and operated it for many years as R. Scott and Son Ltd., later the Victoria Wheel Works. The buildings were damaged by fire in 1882 but were rebuilt and enlarged. Mr. Scott continued to manage the business until 1906 when he sold it to his son-in-law George A. Dobbie. The business was located at the foot of Main St. for many years before moving to new facilities on Middleton St. in 1913. After severing his connection to the Victoria Wheel Works, Mr. Scott manufactured axles in a building on Ainslie St. S. for a number of years and was involved with a number of other industrial concerns in the community. Mr. Scott was a longtime member of Galt municipal council, sitting as a councillor from 1873 to 1878, as a deputy reeve in 1879 and 1880 and as mayor from 1885 to 1887. Mr. Scott also sat on Waterloo County council from 1876 to 1879 and again in 1892. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Gore Mutual Fire Insurance Co. from 1885 to 1923 and was president of the company from 1918 to 1920. Mr. Scott died on June 26, 1926 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Inducted 1997

The Preston Scout House Band was formed under the leadership of Wilf Blum on 5 Oct 1938 after permission was received from Scout Headquarters in Ottawa to form a band as part to the scouting program of 1st Preston troop. The band, which was to be based at 1st Preston but open to all Scouts in Preston District, started out with 10 bugles, two side drums and a bass drum which had been donated by a "group of citizens who are interested in Scout work." The band's first public performances began in 1940 and involved marching the WRENS of HMCS Conestoga to church service in Galt each Sunday. The band received early training in fancy drills by performing "Wavy Navy" in an anchor formation with the bugles forming the stem of the anchor and the drum section the hook of the anchor.
By 1940 the band had grown to 34 members consisting of 24 buglers, 4 side drums, a bass drum, a colour guard of 4 and a drum major. By 1947 the Preston Scout House Band had become known outside Ontario and was featured in the "Weekend Magazine" section of the Montreal Standard. By 1949 the band had become known as Preston's "Famous" Scout House band and by the mid-1950's the band was regularly playing before enthusiastic crowds which often numbered over 20,000 and occasionally over 60,000. As the band's fame spread, it annually received invitations to play at 400-500 events throughout Canada and the United States including the Calgary Stampede and the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena California. Many of these invitations, including the latter two had to be declined because of the costs involved. In addition, at the height of its success, the band received up to 2,500 fan letters a week.
In 1953, the band's uniforms were redesigned, changing for the traditional Scout uniform to the more famous red shirts and socks, black Aussie hat with feather and short black shorts. The new uniforms were not favourably received by the Scouting movement and so the band left the Scouts and went off on its own. The band was named Canadian Junior Drum Corps Champions in 1954, 1955 and 1957 and was Ontario Drum Corps Champions in 1957 to 1959. The Preston Scout House Band was noted as a great show band and as a great crowd pleaser. In many ways the show put on by the band was unique with music that included "Rhapsody in Blue" and "Love Me Tender" among many others. The band's wooden soldier routine in which the members marched stiff-leggedly as toy soldiers; the swaying march to 'High Lily'; the skipping to 'Orpheus' and the traditional 'Waltzing Matilda' never failed to arouse audiences.
By the early 1960's the band began to run into difficulties in competitions. The older B-flat bugles and the band's unconventional drill programs made it increasingly difficult to compete with newer drum corps which now marched at the American Drum cadence of 125 to 150 steps per minutes compared to the slower British army cadence of 96 steps per minute used by Scout House. Some members wanted the band to move to becoming solely a performance band while others wanted to change sufficiently to allow the band to remain competitive force. The issue was never truly resolved and in April 1967 the band folded. A number of attempts were made to revive the band, the most successful starting in May 1976 with 8 boys forming the nucleus of the band. This version of the band marched publicly for the first time in May 1977. Unfortunately, the magic of the earlier band could not be recaptured and the band finally folded for the last time in December 1983.

Inducted 1995

Absalom Shade was born in Wyoming County Pennsylvania in 1793, the youngest son of a large family. He was trained as a carpenter and later took up residence in Buffalo, New York. He was twice married, first to Catherine Kimball, a widow from Canandaigua, New York who had two children from a previous marriage and, following her death, to Isabella Davidson. Mr Shade had no family by either of these marriages. It was his skills as a carpenter that brought Mr Shade to the attention of the Hon. William Dickson. Mr Dickson required a competent builder to erect a sawmill and a grist mill in the new community he was planning in his lands along the Grand River. He offered the job to Mr Shade, whom he had met in connection with Mr Shade's failed bid to win the contract to build a court house and jail in Niagara-on-the-Lake. In 1816 both men travelled to the new lands and selected for the town site the place where Mill Creek flows into the Grand River. After examining the site and satisfying himself as to its potential Mr Shade reached an agreement with Mr Dickson to build the mills and to act as Mr Dickson's general agent in the township.
He departed for Buffalo, settled his affairs there and hired a crew, led by chief millwright Thomas Taylor of Balkirk Scotland. By the time the crew arrived with their materials, including the mill stones, Mr Shade had completed building the sawmill so that the lumber for the grist mill could be cut at the site. The grist mill, named Dumfries Mill, was completed and operational in 1819. These mills and Mr Shade's store and house were among the first buildings to rise in the new settlement which was first named Shade's Mills in his honour.
In 1819 Mr Shade completed a bridge over the Grand River near the building that served as both his home and a store. This was followed in 1820 by a distillery that Mr Shade built beside the Dumfries Mill. In 1824 he built what became known as the Red Store, a credit/barter store at which framers could trade produce for items they needed for themselves and their farms. The mark-up on goods at the Red Store has been estimated at 50 to 100 percent -- which points to a hefty profit. However since farmers purchased goods at the store with produce rather than cash, there was a greater possibility of spoilage and therefore of loss. The Red Store was built at the south east end of the bridge and had a staircase down to a pier at the riverbank. It was from this pier that Mr Shade, beginning in about 1829, loaded his fleet of barges -- known locally as the "Arks" -- with produce intended for markets on Lake Ontario. His plan was to float the barges down the Grand River and through the newly completed Welland Canal to markets on Lake Ontario. The plan was not a complete success and was abandoned in the early 1830's.
It has been said that Mr Shade was the embodiment of industry and this is readily evident in his involvement in nearly all aspects of the early development of Shade's Mills and Galt. In addition to his involvement in the building of the mills, bridge and store, mentioned earlier, Mr Shade was named Postmaster in 1825 and contracted with John Galt to build a part of a road from Galt to Guelph which was intended to open up the lands of the Canada Company. Part of the contract was to supply lumber, flour, pork and other provisions for the crews building the road. The contract proved extremely lucrative and provided the basis for much of Mr Shade's fortune.
In 1832 Mr Shade built a second store known as the White Store across the street from the Red Store. The White Store sold goods for cash at a somewhat lower price than the Red Store which continued to operate. Mr Shade's building projects were not confined solely to his business interests. He was a staunch supporter of the Anglican Church and in the 1830's, with others, petitioned the Anglican Society for the Propagation of the Gospel to send missionaries to Dumfries. When an Anglican Church was finally established in Galt with the arrival of Rev. Michael Boomer in 1840, Mr Shade contributed significantly to the building of the church and, in 1855, built at his own expense a "handsome school house adjoining the church." The church also found a prominent place in his will. In 1838 Mr Shade was asked by the Hon. William Dickson to purchase the Dumfries Mill, a mill that he had been managing for a number of years. Mr Shade, showing the astute business acumen for which he was known, agreed to the purchase only after Mr Dickson agreed that for a stipulated period of time, no lots would be sold in the village that might be used for mills, stores or other businesses of a competitive nature with Mr Shade's enterprises, thus ensuring him a mercantile monopoly in the settlement.
As Mr Shade's fortunes grew, he became associated with a Hamilton company in the formation of the Gore Bank in 1835. In 1852, again in company with his Hamilton associates, he became an incorporator and share holder in the Galt and Guelph Railway.
Mr Shade was always a strong Tory in politics and served for two terms, without any particular distinction, in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada. He was first elected in 1831 taking the place of James Crooks who had been elevated to the Legislative Council. Mr Shade was defeated in 1834 and elected again in the violent election of 1836. He held his seat until 1841 but declined to run in elections thereafter. During the 1837 Rebellion led by William Lyon Mackenzie, Mr Shade acted on the local commission of the peace to examine suspected rebels.
On the local political scene, Mr Shade held virtually every nominated and elected office over an approximately thirty year period ending in 1852. After local government was organized in Dumfries in 1819 Mr Shade served as Chairman of the township meetings as well as holding the offices of pound keeper and assessor. In 1828 he was named a magistrate for Gore District and represented Dumfries' interests at the Gore District quarter sessions. Mr Shade was named the first reeve of Dumfries Township Council at its inaugural meeting held on 21 Jan 1850 and, in 1852, was elected as the second reeve of the newly incorporated Village of Galt.
After 1852, Mr Shade retired from public life and devoted his time to managing his business affairs. He died on 15 Mar 1862 following a short illness and is buried in Trinity Church Cemetery.

Inducted 1997

Described in his Order of Canada citation as "one of the country's foremost leaders in increasing efficiency in food production" and "an extraordinary ambassador for Canada, whose numerous honours and awards have brought prestige to Canadian agriculture", Donald McQueen Shaver was born in Galt on 12 Aug 1920. His interest in poultry breeding began at the age of 12 when he received two chickens as a gift. Shortly thereafter he purchased another fifteen chicks which were to form the nucleus of a pen of layers which he bred and entered in a 350 day long Canadian National Egg Laying Test. His chickens led all the other entries and his success started him on a career that would ultimately earn him recognition as one of the world's leading poultry breeders. Within a year of his initial success, Mr Shaver had his own hatchery, Grand Valley Breeders, from which he sold chickens to buyers within a thirty mile radius of his Chalmers St. home. His long term aim was to produce a layer more prolific than any other and to this end he always obtained the best stock available from other breeders. His breeding work was interrupted in 1940 when he served with the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps in Africa and Europe. In 1944 fire destroyed his entire stock so that when he returned in 1946 he was forced to begin again, buying stock from other breeders. The next few years were lean ones as he developed his hatchery and he supported his breeding work by running a feed store in downtown Galt. Then, in 1954, there came a breakthrough when his Shaver Starcross 288 cross white leghorn layers won the first of many trophies for Mr Shaver and in the process established a record since unequalled by any other breeder by producing an average of 290 eggs per chicken per year.
This success was followed by Mr Shaver's entry into the export market with sales of chickens to customers in the United States, Chile, Holland and Germany. By the mid-1980's when Mr Shaver retired from active leadership, his company, Shaver Poultry Breeding Farms, was operating in 94 countries and his Shaver Starcross 288 layers were the most widely used layer in the world producing one third of the world's white eggs. Mr Shaver's company is also a pioneer in developing synthetic beef breeds. In the mid 1990's Shaver Beefblend is exporting semen, frozen embryos and live animals to four continents.
In his home community Mr Shaver ran unsuccessfully as a Liberal candidate in the 1962 federal election and has served as a Director of the Cambridge Memorial Hospital and of the Gore Mutual Insurance Company and sits on the Board of Governors of the University of Guelph. Mr Shaver was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1978 and was promoted to an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1990 in part in recognition of his breeding efforts but also for his continuing efforts to reduce world hunger. In connection with these efforts he served as volunteer chairman of the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network which broadcasts to 140 developing countries providing information on how to increase yields inexpensively. In 1989, he was appointed to serve on the federal government's trade advisory board on agriculture, food and beverages.
Mr Shaver has received two Honorary Doctor of Sciences Degrees, one from McGill University in 1983 and the other from the University of Guelph in 1995. He received a Centennial Award from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture in 1988 in recognition of a significant contribution to the Ontario Agrifood industry. Mr Shaver was inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1987 and into the American Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1989. He is also a member of both the American Poultry and World Poultry Halls of Fame.

Inducted 2003

William Andrew "Andy" Spalding was born in Ottawa on March 15, 1875 and came to Preston in 1890. He married Mary Magdalena Soeder in 1897 and then spent about four years in the United States. He returned to Preston and joined the Preston Fire Brigade in 1902 rising to become deputy chief. In 1907 he was named Chief of the Preston Fire Brigade as part of a general reorganization of the fire service. He succeeded George Gress as chief and, with the help of an assistant chief, was in charge of ten fire fighters divided into four branch men, four hydrant men and two linesmen. Mr. Spalding began the mechanization the Fire Brigade's equipment in 1916 when he purchased the department's first motorized vehicle, an English built Commer ladder truck. Later that same year Chief Spalding resigned from the department and enlisted in the Canadian Army. He returned from service in the First World War in 1919 to resume his post as Fire Chief, a post he was to retain until his death. In addition, he also filled the roles of building and plumbing inspector for the town of Preston and was engaged in the plumbing business first with Bernhardt & Spalding and then, following his return from service in World War I with his own business. Chief Spalding was president of the Dominion Association of Fire Chiefs in 1942 and was appointed, in 1945, a director on the International Board representing the Dominion Association of Fire Chiefs. Chief Spalding was an advisor to the Board of Overseas Fire Fighters in 1941 and 1942 and became an honourary member of the Northern Ontario and District of Cochrane Firemen's Association. He travelled throughout the country examining methods of fire prevention and fire fighting and became renowned for his knowledge and experience in fire fighting techniques. A great advocate of fire prevention, Chief Spalding developed programs that won recognition during the Dominion Fire Prevention Week including, in 1950, a second place standing for towns with a population under 10,000. During the Great Depression Chief Spalding organized and operated "soup kitchens" to provide food for numerous transients lodging overnight in Preston while they worked on welfare projects. Chief Spalding was an active member of the Preston Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and held a number of positions with that organization including the office of president. In that capacity he was an enthusiastic worker for veterans entitled to pensions. During the Second World War he was an active director of the Preston War Service Association and was active on many committees and particularly on welfare of veterans' families and the postwar rehabilitation and construction program. At the time of his death he was believed to be the oldest active fire chief in the country both in terms of years of active service and age. Chief Spalding died at the age of 75 on February 23, 1951 and is buried in St. Clement's Cemetery.

Inducted 1998

Frederick Arthur "Art" Sparks was born in Woodstock, Ontario on 14 Jun 1912. His father was a military man who died when Mr Sparks was twelve years old. As a boy Mr Sparks was active and interested in sports and was a member of the High School Cadet Corps. From there he moved to the Oxford Rifles Regiment. Mr Sparks moved to Galt in 1938 and went to work in the textile trade with Newlands & Co. At the same time he was transferred into the Highland Light Infantry of Canada with whom he would be connected for the remainder of his life. He was with the regiment when it mobilized at the beginning of the Second World War and went overseas with the 3rd Division. He and the regiment trained in England for three years before taking part in the Normandy landings on 6 Jun 1944. As a company commander, with the rank of Major, Mr Sparks was in charge of an assault craft during the landing. Following the landing, the Highland Light Infantry moved inland and on 8 Jul 1944 found themselves outside the town of Buron, a key stronghold in the German defences around Caen. By late afternoon about half of the five hundred men of the Highland Light Infantry involved in the attack were dead or wounded. Among the dead was Mr Sparks' brother. In the end, however, the crack German defenders were defeated in the first battle ever fought by the Highland Light Infantry of Canada as a unit.
In December 1944, Mr Sparks was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, commanding the North Nova Scotia Highlanders. Lt-Col. Sparks led his troops into Holland and then into Germany where he was wounded in the crossing of the Rhine River. He spent six weeks convalescing and then returned to active duty with his troops in Germany. It was during this time that Lt-Col. Sparks was mentioned in dispatches.
In December 1945, a few months after the end of the war, Lt-Col. Sparks brought the North Nova Scotia Highlanders home. He retired from the armed forces in January 1946 having been awarded the Distinguished Service Order by King George VI at Buckingham Palace.
Following his war service, Mr Sparks returned to Newlands & Co. where he worked as a production manager. In 1948 he was appointed Sales Manager of the worsted yard division and in 1950 he was made the general sales manager. In 1957 he became the company's General Manager and in 1959 was named the Vice-President of Newlands & Co. Ltd, Stauffer-Dobbie Ltd, the C. Turnbull Co. Ltd, York Mending Wool Co. and Maitland Yarns Ltd. He remained in this position until 1980 when he was named president of Newlands Textiles Ltd. Mr Sparks retired from his business responsibilities in 1984. In addition to his manufacturing concerns, Mr Sparks was a director of the Cambridge Memorial Hospital, the Galt Country Club, the Galt Curling Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Red Feather Campaign, the Galt Planning Board, the Heart Fund and the Red Cross Society. He is also a member of the Highland Fusiliers of Canada Regimental Council.

Inducted 1998

David Spiers is reported to have been born on January 12, 1830 on Knowehead Farm, Galston parish near Darvel, Ayrshire, Scotland the son of John Spiers and Elizabeth Brown. He came to Canada at an early age, settling first in Hamilton with his family before coming to Galt at the age of nineteen. He first worked in Galt at the store of William Elliott & Co. and later purchased Robert Wallace's grocery store. Like many of the businessmen of his day, Mr Spiers' business career was somewhat eclectic, encompassing a variety of interests in both the retail and manufacturing sectors. For a time he operated a tanning business in Hespeler with his half brother William Osbourne and was part owner of a paper collar factory that was destroyed by fire on 24 Dec 1875. In 1889, Mr Spiers, in partnership with Hugh McCulloch, purchased the electric and gas works in Galt. Mr Spiers acted as president of the Galt Gas Light Co. and the Electric Light Works until the municipality took over the production and distribution of electrical power. In 1913 he replaced the wooden dam, that had been built across the Grand River in Galt in 1842, with one made of concrete. He owned and operated an oatmeal mill located on the banks of the Grand River and had an interest in a number of manufacturing concerns including Galt Art Metal Co. Ltd, which he helped to organize in 1904. He served as the company's president from its inception until his death in 1917. Mr Spiers was one of the original promoters, and a member of the board of directors, of the Galt, Preston and Hespeler Railway, later the Grand River Railway. He was president of the Galt Hospital Board of Trustees for eighteen years and was a member of the Galt Collegiate Institute Board of Trustees for forty-three years, twenty-eight of them as chairman. Mr Spiers is given credit for spearheading the building of the new school building for the Galt Collegiate Institute in 1905. Until a police magistrate was appointed, he also served as the justice of the peace in Galt. Mr Spiers served on the Galt municipal council for eleven years, serving as a councillor in 1862 and 1863 and again from 1874 to 1879. He also served as mayor of Galt from 1880 to 1882. Mr Spiers retired from business activities in 1914 and died on 9 Jul 1917. He is buried in Mount View Cemetery. Spiers Crescent is named for him.

Harold Aaron Stager, Harry as he was known, was born in Hespeler on January 16, 1926 to Charles H.A. Stager and his wife the former Lily Baker.  Harry attended Hespeler Public School and Preston High School. 

Returning home in 1946 after serving as an air gunner in the Royal Canadian Air Force, Harry obtained his Funeral Director's License and joined the Stager Family Funeral and Furniture Business.  He was sole proprietor of the Stager Funeral Home until 1957 when the business was sold.

In 1961 Harry became a Registered Real Estate Salesman, obtained his Broker's License and FRI Degree.  He opened his own brokerage, Stager Real Estate in Cambridge in 1974 and Retired in 1994.  Harry served as president of the Cambridge Association of Realtors in 1974.

Harry always proudly, claimed Hespeler as his home town and gave back to his community in many different ways; the Real Estate Board, Service Clubs and Church Committees.  He was an active member of the Hespeler Business Improvement Association, and received the first Bert Bond Award for service to the community from the Chamber of Commerce.  Harry was the president of the Chamber in 1975.

Harry Stager was one of 14 community leaders, city staff and elected officials to visit Japan in the early 1980's to encourage Toyota Motor Manufacturing to build in Cambridge.    Toyota's announcement in December of 1985 of their plans to build in Cambridge would ultimately provide employment for thousands.

A man of faith, his church meant a great deal to Harry. He worked on many church committees and sang in the choirs for 40 years. Through a programme for unwed mothers initiated by his church, he along with his wife Gay opened their home in Hespeler to provide a safe family environment until the birth of their child.

In honor of Harry's service to his country during World War II, Stager Place is named in is memory.

Harry Stager was a man of integrity and compassion. His greatest loved and devotion was to his family.  Mr. Stager passed away on May 26, 2013.

Inducted 2001

Martin Stinton was born in Solihull, England in 1921. He joined the Royal Air Force as an Engineering apprentice in 1937 and served in the Royal Air Force until 1952. In 1957, he came to Canada where he worked on the development of the fuel system for the Iroquois Gasturbine Avro Arrow. When that project was cancelled he returned to England. In 1963, Mr Stinton returned to Canada and settled in Galt where he entered the field of industrial hydraulics and pneumatics. He later started his own company, Meldor Equipment Ltd, which was successful and later expanded with branches in London, Ontario and Stoney Creek. In 1968, Mr Stinton joined the Galt Little Theatre where he was involved as an actor, stage manager and producer. After the creation of the Cambridge Arts Theate he served as the President of Galt Little Theatre Inc. and in other executive functions including the Business Vice-Chair. He also served as business manager of the Cambridge Arts Theatre with responsibility for operation of the building, rentals and liaison with the City of Cambridge. In 1978 Mr. Stinton took on the task of leading a Galt Little Theatre committee charged with finding a permanent home for the nomadic amateur theatre company. It proved to be a formidable task. For five long years he was locked in a political struggle with city officials and council members who demonstrated a marked reluctance to spend public money on a cultural facility that some felt was unnecessary and would be underused. At the same time he served as the Chair of the Fundraising Committee which was attempting to raise private funds which would both reduce the level of public funding and demonstrate broad public support for the project. He finally prevailed against all obstacles and in 1983 the Cambridge Arts Theatre opened in the former First Delta Baptist Church on Water St. More recently Mr Stinton headed a theatre committee coordinating a refurbishing of the Cambridge Arts Theatre. Mr Stinton was a member of the City of Cambridge's Committee of Adjustment from 1985 to 1994. He was also a member of the city's Cultural Advisory Committee from 1993 to 1996, including participation in a Cultural Policy Task Force and service as Chairman of the Arts Facilities Needs and Funding Steering Committee.
In 1991 Mr Stinton was elected to serve as Chairman of the Community Advisory Panel, a group set up to act in the public interest concerning the chemical spill and cleanup at the Ciba Geigy site on Franklin Boulevard. Later in the process he served as the public representative on the Canadian Chemical Producers Verification Team and on the Additives Group during the re-verification of Ciba-Geigy. Mr Stinton has been a member of the Rotary Club since March 1972 and served as president of the service club in 1981 and 1982. He is a Paul Harris Fellow and is the recipient of an Outstanding and Dedicated Service Award from the Rotary Club. He has been heavily involved in numerous Rotary projects including the Tools for Development programme which functions in co-operation with CARE Canada. Along with three other Rotarians, Mr Stinton was a founding member of the Probus Club of Cambridge, the first of 80 such clubs now operating throughout Canada. Mr Stinton became involved with the Cambridge Memorial Hospital in 1988 with the "Save the Hospital" campaign and has since served on the Special Events Committee of the Hospital Foundation, on the Hospital Board and as Chair of the Hospital Auxiliary. He has been dedicated to updating and re-organizing the many volunteer services provided to the hospital, bringing them in line with the re-structured programmes provided by the hospital staff. Mr Stinton has also served as president of the United Kingdom Club, a volunteer with the Mill Race Folk Festival, a board member of Heritage Cambridge and a member of the Conestoga College Advisory Council (Fluid Power Campus). He was a member of the committee which established the terms of reference for the Bernice Adams Memorial Fund and was himself the recipient of the Bernice Adams Trustees Special Award for his contribution to the cultural life of the City of Cambridge.

Inducted 2004

William Edward "Bill" Struck was born in New Dundee, Ontario on March 20, 1925, the youngest of three sons of Edward Struck and Idella Mae Main. He arrived in Preston with his widowed mother in about 1930. He received his elementary education in Preston and worked in the textile trade before enlisting in the Highland Light Infantry of Canada (NPAM) at the age of 14 in 1937. He volunteered for overseas duty when the Highland Light Infantry of Canada was mobilized in June 1940. When the unit was sent overseas in July 1941 he wasn't quite eighteen years old and was sent home from Halifax. He transferred to the Perth County Regiment and got as far as the east coast a second time when he was once again sent home because he was too young. He enlisted with the Scots Fusiliers of Canada in Kitchener on March 23, 1942 before receiving a third discharge for being too young. Undaunted, Mr. Struck enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force shortly after his nineteenth birthday and in August 1942 went overseas as a sergeant air gunner. On a mission over France, Mr. Struck was wounded as an explosion forced him out of his rear gunner's seat in a Lancaster bomber. He descended behind German lines and was found, unconscious, by the French underground. He was rescued and hidden for two and one half months before he was able to escape and return to England. Mr. Struck credited this brush with death with his reverence for life and his compassion for his fellow citizens. Following the war, Mr. Struck worked in varying capacities for Royal Metal, later InterRoyal and later still Croydon Furniture Ltd. In the early 1980's he began work as an agent for the Dominion Life Assurance Co. Mr. Struck is best remembered, however, for his long service to his community as a member of Preston and Cambridge councils. Mr. Struck began his municipal career when he was elected to the Preston council in 1965 to serve for one year to complete the term of Paul Klassen who had vacated his seat in December 1964 to become Preston's reeve. Mr. Struck did not serve on council in 1966 but returned in 1967 and remained until Preston became part of Cambridge at the end of 1972. He was defeated in his bid to represent Ward 12 in the elections for the first Cambridge council held in November 1972. Mr. Struck returned to the municipal arena sooner than he might have expected when he stood as a candidate in the December 3, 1973 by-election called to fill Marc Sommerville's vacated Ward 7 seat. Unfortunately the attempt was unsuccessful as Mr. Struck lost to Ted Fairless in a three way battle. He returned in the next election and was successful in winning the Ward 10 seat. He held the seat from 1975 to 1985. From 1981 to 1985 Mr. Struck also sat as a Cambridge representative on the Waterloo Regional council. From 1973 to 1985 Cambridge's four representatives on Regional council were selected by members of the Cambridge council from among themselves. Beginning with the 1986 council, Cambridge councillors who were to sit on Regional council were directly elected by all the city voters. They did not represent individual city wards but sat on Cambridge council as "councillors-at-large". At the same time the number of wards in Cambridge were reduced from fourteen to six. Because of his experience on the Regional council, Mr. Struck decided to seek a councillor-at-large seat in the November 1985 election. He was defeated. He returned to Cambridge council as a councillor-at-large in 1989 and retained a seat on council, as a councillor-at-large, until 1997. In all, Mr. Struck represented Cambridge on the Waterloo Regional council for fourteen years, from 1981 to 1985 and from 1989 to 1997. He sat on the municipal council for twenty-seven years, one of the longest sitting members in our community's history. He consistently championed the cause of the "little guy" and was concerned that veterans, in particular, receive the recognition he felt they deserved. To this end, Mr. Struck was instrumental in convincing city council to name new streets after city veterans and to have the street signs marked with poppies. Among his many other contributions to his community Mr. Struck was a member of the District Health Council and served on the boards of the Children's and Family Services, the Associated Planning Group for Children, Unemployment Help Centres and the Cambridge Food Co-op. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Cambridge Memorial Hospital and served as a volunteer at the hospital to better understand the workings of the hospital. Mr. Struck died on November 17, 1997. Struck Court is named in his honour.

Inducted 1995

Lida Bell Pearson was born on 7 Jun 1895 in King Township near Newmarket Ontario, the only child of P.W. Pearson and Lida B. Davis, a member of one of the most prominent families in Newmarket. Mrs Pearson died of "child-bed fever" shortly after giving birth to her daughter and consequently Lida was raised by her aunts until age eleven when she returned to live with her father and his second wife. Lida was educated in the local Newmarket schools and graduated from Victoria College at the University of Toronto in 1918. While at university she was "head girl" and won her varsity letter in basketball and field hockey. She was also a member of the Debating Team, an experience that provided some sound training for her study of the law which she undertook in 1918 at Osgoode Hall in Toronto.
Although female law students were not a entirely new phenomenon, Clara Beth Martin had been admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1897, women law students were still not readily accepted and all the women sat in a row at the front and were studiously ignored by both classmates and lecturers.
Lida persevered, however, and was called to the bar in 1921. At that time female lawyers generally found employment either in law libraries or in government. Very few set up their own practices and fewer still were successful. But Lida was determined to be a success on her own terms and became the first female to set up a law practice in Cambridge when she established the law practice of Lida B. Pearson, BA. on 3 Nov 1921 in the Fischer Block in Preston.
Her practice developed very slowly but her reputation for effectiveness grew and so did her clientele. People admired her for her "outspoken honesty, her lively sense of humour and ability to get results".
In 1927 Lida married Gerald Sturdy, a draughtsman born in Preston but then working in Chicago. Lida sold her practice to Ruth Mildred (Ruby) Wigle but included in the arrangement an option to buy the practice back at the same price when and if Lida returned to Preston.
In 1930 the Sturdys returned to Preston. In Lida's absence, Ruby Wigle had done well in the practice and had been appointed the Town Solicitor in 1931. She was re-appointed in 1933 and in the same year sold the practice back to Lida and moved to Sault Ste Marie. Lida was pleased to return to her practice and was appointed as Town Solicitor in 1934 in Ruby Wigle's place.
Perhaps because of her position as Town Solicitor, she was never a candidate for Town Council but was the first woman candidate for the Preston School Board in 1935. She was unsuccessful in her first attempt but tried a second time and in 1936 succeeded in becoming a School Trustee. She served on the Board until 1945 being named Vice-Chairman of the Board in 1937 and Chairman the following year.
She became an early member of the Canadian Federation of University Women in Galt in 1954 and remained a member until 1965. At her church too, Lida took a leading role helping with its legal matters and, in 1960, becoming the first president of the United Church Women. A year later she was appointed one of the first female members of the session at St Paul's United Church and was the first woman to represent St Paul's at Presbytery.
The climax to Lida's professional career occurred in 1962 when she was appointed Queen's Counsel after 40 years of practising law. She continued to practise until 1967 when she retired and spent her final years with her children and grandchildren and travelling to various parts of the world with her husband. She died on 18 Feb 1987 in Preston and is buried in Preston's Parklawn Cemetery.

Inducted 2006

Jill Summerhayes moved to Cambridge with her husband Stuart in the fall of 1978 to take up the position of classified advertising manager at the Cambridge Daily Reporter. Ms. Summerhayes was the first female advertising manager in the paper's 150-year history and her appointment was met with some skepticism and not a little resistance. However her competence won over even the most adamant of her critics and she continued at her post until ill health forced her to resign in 1983. She was diagnosed with osteoarthritis, a disease that affected her in nearly all areas of her body.
Still young and unwilling to meekly accept a life restricted by her condition she turned her attention to finding means by which she could cope with and perhaps overcome the limitations imposed by arthritis. Realizing that she would need a cane to assist her mobility she looked at what was available and was more than a little displeased with the plain, utilitarian canes she found. They served their purpose but demonstrated no flair and provided nothing for their owners other than physical support. She began researching the history and availability of interesting and attractive canes. Over the next five or six years she became an acknowledged expert in this hitherto little explored field and conceived the idea of starting a cane business to served those, like herself who wanted attractive canes that they could feel good about. A trip to England in 1983 yielded a contract with Coopers of England who manufactured a wide range of canes and "Cane and Able" was born. Ms. Summerhayes operated the business from her home for 20 years and became a much sought after speaker not only on the history and lore of canes but also as an inspiration to many other disabled people with whom she shared her experiences of overcoming her disability. She soon became known all over the continent as "The Cane Lady" and was a frequent guest on radio and television shows with hosts that included Dini Petty on CTV and Peter Gzowski on CBC's Morningside. In 1987 her business was the subject of a feature article that was published in over 100 newspapers across Canada. As a result disabled people from across the country contacted her about opening "associate" businesses in their parts of the country. In 1993 Ms. Summerhayes was invited to the headquarters of Canada's largest cane distribution company to work with them in introducing a series of fabric-wrapped canes. The result was the launching of the "Jill Summerhayes Collection" a line of fabric-wrapped canes with Ms. Summerhayes'picture on the label.
In addition to her business pursuits Ms. Summerhayes has been long involved in the literary scene in Cambridge. Beginning in 1986 she wrote a series of twelve articles on canes for the Cambridge Reporter and two years later was asked to do a twelve week series of columns of a more general nature. The column expanded well beyond the original twelve articles and continued for thirteen years coming to an end only when the Cambridge Reporter ceased publication in September 2003. Sometime later the Cambridge Times enlisted her to serve as one of the paper's weekly columnists, a position she continues to hold.
In 1991 Ms. Summerhayes founded the Cambridge Writers' Collective to encourage aspiring local writers. She served as the Collective's first president for two years and remained a member of the Collective until 2001. Under her leadership the Collective sponsored an annual writing competition for local writers and published an anthology of the best works submitted for the competition. As a writer Ms. Summerhayes has won awards for her short stories from the Stephen Leacock International Short Storey Competition and the Canadian Authors' Association. In 1993 her autobiographical book describing both her battle with arthritis and the development of her business and called "Supporting Myself in Style, Confessions of the Cane Lady" was published.
In 1986 Ms. Summerhayes accepted the task of organizing the first ever Cambridge Heritage Banquet to assist in the raising of funds for the Community Heritage Fund. She organized the committee and researched and wrote the script for the event. The event was highly successful and set the stage for one of her most difficult challenges. In 1997 she was asked to lead a committee charged with developing an Arts Centre in the city. For the next three years she worked tirelessly to ensure the completion of the project, spearheading the fund raising efforts, liaising with city officials, working with the construction oversight committee and keeping the public informed. As chief fundraiser Ms. Summerhayes was responsible for raising nearly $500,000 from corporate donations and government grants, the largest sum ever raised by a voluntary organization for a city facility up to that time. The official opening of the Cambridge Arts Centre took place on May 5, 2001 and was a daylong celebration of music, dance, poetry, visual art and pottery. As a recognized leader in the Arts Community Ms. Summerhayes was invited, in 2002, to serve as the Arts and Culture representative on the fledgling Cambridge Community Foundation and the following year served as Cambridge's representative on the first Waterloo Regional Arts Foundation.
Over the years Ms. Summerhayes has received a variety of awards and honours including the Bernice Adams award for communications in 1987, and the Bernice Adams Trustees" Award for her general contribution to the arts in 1995. In 1994 Ms. Summerhayes became one of the first eight women recognized as "Women of Distinction" by the local YWCA in the inaugural presentation of the awards and in 1996 she became the first Honorary Chairperson of the Women of Distinction awards program. Ms. Summerhayes has served as a trainer of volunteer palliative care volunteers at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital and has served on several committees including the Cambridge Cultural Task Force and the Bernice Adams Awards committee. In 1992 she served as the Honorary Chairperson of the Cambridge United Way campaign and was the recipient of the Canada 125 Medal (1993) and the Queen's Golden Jubilee medal (2002) in recognition of her service to her community.

Inducted 2004

Marion Tait was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1911, the daughter of Robert Tait and Jenny West. When her father died in the influenza epidemic that swept through the country following the First World War, her mother brought the family back to Ontario to settle near Guelph. Soon after their arrival Marion's mother married a widower named George Rodgers and moved to Preston. An outstanding student, Ms. Tait's talents were first recognized by the principal of the Galt Collegiate Institute, Dr. T. H. Wholton, who encouraged her to undertake an intensive study of Greek and Latin following the completion of the school's commercial studies. She completed the five year matriculation in two years earning an unprecedented thirteen "firsts". She was subsequently awarded the first Carter Scholarship for proficiency in the Departmental Examinations. Following graduation in 1930, Ms. Tait moved on to Victoria College at the University of Toronto. She completed her undergraduate work in 1934 but stayed on to complete her master's degree in classical studies and to serve as a teaching fellow. Following her graduation from the University of Toronto in 1935 she enrolled at Bryn Mawr, a small liberal arts women's college near Philadelphia that is considered one of the top women's colleges in the United States. It was there that she received her PhD in 1939. From Bryn Mawr she moved on to Sweet Briar College in Virginia for the 1940-41 school year and then joined the faculty at Mt. Holyoke College in New England. She stayed there until 1948, the first four years as an instructor and then as an associate professor of Greek and Latin. In 1948, at the age of 37, Ms. Tait moved on to a new challenge becoming the youngest person ever appointed as dean and professor of classics at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, the pre-eminent women's college in America. She assumed the duel roles of dean of students and head of the Classics faculty. For many years she held the Sarah Gibson Blanding chair in liberal arts and sciences at Vassar and was a widely known scholar of Homer. An outstanding administrator, Ms. Tait chaired the Vassar Curriculum Committee and helped coordinate the Vassar Teacher Preparation program with the State Department of Education. In the summers, from 1943 on, she served as an educational consultant for the Youth Consultation Services in Newark, New Jersey. Ms. Tait served as a scholar/administrator at Vassar until 1965 when she returned to teaching as a professor of Greek. She retired from Vassar in 1976 and died at her home in Concord, Massachusetts on September 30, 1982.

Inducted 2006

William Tales was born in Leeds, England on April 5, 1893 and came to Canada in 1913. He settled first in New Hamburg with his family and came to Galt in 1919. In 1917 at the age of 24 Mr. Tales enlisted with the Highland Light Infantry and later served with the 18th Battalion and the 111th Overseas Battalion, commonly known as "Galt's Own". He was a veteran of the Canadian victory at Vimy Ridge and received the Military Medal for "conspicuous gallantry" at the battle of Passchendaele on November 10, 1917. In that action the stretcher-bearer of his platoon was killed leaving Mr. Tales to take over his duties. Mr. Tales was injured while rendering first aid but remained on duty. Later when his section commander was slain and the section disorganized Mr. Tales reorganized the men, re-adjusted their position and remained on duty, though wounded, until a new commander relieved him. His courage and devotion to duty were seen as providing a fine example for the rest of the men in his platoon. In addition to the Military Medal Mr. Tales received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Following the war, he came to Galt and established Tales' Shoe Repair a business he operated for forty-seven years. His slogan was "If your footwear ails, take it to William Tales". While setting up his business he found plenty of time to become deeply involved in the concerns of returning war veterans. At a time when there was no Department of Veterans' Affairs and no rehabilitation programs or any assistance for returning veterans Mr. Tales was instrumental in establishing three local organizations aimed at providing assistance to war veterans: The Great War Veterans' Association, the British Empire Service Club and the Royal Canadian Legion Galt Branch 121. Known to many, as "Mr. Legion" Mr. Tales was a charter member and served as the Galt branch's first secretary when it was organized on October 21, 1928. Over the years he served in every office in the organization, including that of president, and on virtually every committee at the branch level. Mr. Tales served as the legion area zone commander in 1935 and 1936 and helped to organize the first reunion of the 111th Battalion on November 10, 1934.
Beginning in 1928 Mr. Tales began to play Santa Claus for the children of veterans as part of the legion's Christmas tree committee. During the Second World War that job took on giant proportions as he and the legion committee played host to about 1,000 children of soldiers serving overseas. He continued to play Santa until he was well into his eighties. During World War II Mr. Tales served as the secretary of the Galt War Parcels Association that shipped over 13,000 parcels to area men and women overseas. One of the last shipments included 1,894 parcels weighing over a ton and requiring over $1,000 in postage. In January 1945 he was presented with the "Jewel of Merit" in recognition of excellent work in Legion activities.
Over the years Mr. Tales became the unofficial archivist and historian for the Galt branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and acquired many documents related to the history of the Galt branch that might otherwise have been lost. As a direct result of his archival activities, his knowledge of veterans' activities in the area and his interest in the history of the legion Mr. Tales produced, in 1978, of a short history of the Galt branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and of the organizations that preceded it.
Finally Mr. Tales was a life member of the sergeant's mess, Highland Fusiliers of Canada. Mr. Tales died on January 10, 1980 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Inducted 1995

William Tassie was born in Dublin Ireland in 1815 and emigrated to Canada with his family in 1834. He is said to be a graduate of the University of Toronto and taught in Oakville and Hamilton before being called to replace Michael Howe as headmaster of the Galt Grammar School in 1853. The school had been formed in 1852 as a "prep" school to prepare students for "exhibitions in Upper Canada College and for scholarships in Trinity College and the University". When Mr Tassie arrived, the school had 12 students and was housed on the upper floor of the old Township Hall. It was apparent that this facility would soon be inadequate and in 1854 a new stone building was erected on a site overlooking the Grand River on Water Street North (then Hunter Street). Mr Tassie drew around himself an excellent band of teachers and developed, for the school, a reputation for excellence. He modelled his school on the great British public schools of the day such as Eton, Rugby and Harrow and it was not long before the public mind held the Galt Grammar School to be the best preparatory school in the province and second in reputation, perhaps, only to Upper Canada College. By 1859, the original 12 students had grown to about 100 scholars on the way to an average annual enrolment of 220 boys. More than half those students came to Galt from other parts of Ontario, from Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and from the United States. Many graduates from Mr Tassie's school went on to hold prominent positions in education, religion and the law as well as in the legislatures of both Canada and the United States. Mr Tassie was a man of stern discipline who has been described as "absolutely upright and sincere". He was described as industrious, energetic and conscientious in the performance of his duties and he expected the same of his students. Known as "Old Bill" and "The Lion Tamer", Mr Tassie did not shy away from corporal punishment when he thought it was necessary. Some suggest that he thought it necessary far too often and in many cases the strap "was resorted to without justifiable cause". Yet while he was stern and aloof possessing in considerable abundance what has been described as "the grand air", Mr Tassie, nevertheless, gained the respect of his students and many felt that he was most revered for imparting to his students the qualities of "manliness, sincerity, truthfulness, perseverance, diligence and thoroughness" which contributed significantly to their later success. Others noticed Mr Tassie's success and in 1871 Queen's University in Kingston conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws in recognition of his "indefatigable exertions" and the well-earned reputation for excellence enjoyed by his school. The following year the Galt Grammar School headed the list of six schools in Ontario upon which were conferred the "name and privilege" of Collegiate Institutes. With this change came a number of obligations, both of which were destined to cause problems for Mr Tassie. The first was the requirement that the school, once the exclusive domain of male scholars, be now opened to girls. Mr Tassie did not favour higher education for girls and acceded to the requirement only reluctantly, opening a separate division for girls in the old Wesleyan Chapel. The second obligation was to have more far-reaching implications for Mr Tassie since they were directly related to his teaching methods. New teaching standards and methods established by the Board of Education and introduced throughout the Province exposed a major defect in the methods that Mr Tassie had thus far employed with great success. Mr Tassie's method had required his pupils in all classes to commit to memory the information in the texts and be able to repeat it verbatim. There was no place in this method for any discussion of the content and meaning of the material being studied. Annual examinations set by the Department of Education reflected the new teaching methods which Mr Tassie was unable or unwilling to implement and students at his school began to fail. Criticism of his methods became more common and according to one commentator "his reputation as a teacher soon vanished". Mr Tassie continued to resist the ever increasing pressure to change his teaching methods until finally he could resist no further, and in 1881, he resigned his position as headmaster and took a position as principal of the Peterborough Collegiate Institute. He died in Peterborough in 1886.

Inducted 2001

Andrew Winton Taylor was born at Woodside Farm on the East River Road, just south of Cambridge. He represented the fourth generation to be raised on the farm first settled by his ancestors in 1819. He received his education at Riverside Public School, Central Public School in Galt and the Galt Collegiate Institute. He graduated from the Ontario Agricultural College, in Guelph, in 1931. Mr Taylor was president of the Waterloo Historical Society in 1961 and 1962, was a member of the Society's publications committee from 1946 to 1962, and contributed numerous articles to the Society's annual journal. He served on the executive of the Ontario Historical Society first as first vice-president in 1960 and 1961 and then as president in 1962. He was also editor of the newsletter of the Ontario Historical Society's museum section and was chairman of the museum section from 1956 to 1958.
Mr Taylor was the assessor, tax collector and building inspector in North Dumfries Township from 1960 to 1965. He was president of both the Central Dumfries Farmers' Club, in 1940 and 1941, and of the Soil and Crop Improvement Association of Waterloo County. Mr Taylor was also secretary of the Waterloo County Federation of Agriculture for five years and secretary treasurer of the Central Dumfries Co-operators Association for thirty-three years. Mr Taylor served as chairman of the historical committee for the 1954 International Plowing Match and was the first Vice-President and a director of the Ontario Pioneer Community Foundation when it was organized on 8 Dec 1954. Mr Taylor later served as president of the Ontario Pioneer Community Foundation and played a prominent role in the creation and development of the Doon Pioneer Village now Doon Heritage Crossroads, serving as the facility's administrator until 1960.
Mr Taylor is probably best remembered for his three books, "Banners Unfurled", a history of First United Church in Galt, published in 1949, "Our Yesterdays", a history of North Dumfries Township, published in 1952 and "Our Todays and Yesterdays", a 1967 update of his North Dumfries history. Mr Taylor died on 16 Nov 1986 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Inducted 1998

Thomas Todd was born in Thurlstone, Ettrick, Scotland on 14 Oct 1831 and emigrated to Canada with his family when he was three. On the voyage from Scotland, cholera broke out aboard ship and Mr Todd's mother died. The family landed in Montreal and moved inland to settle at Aberfoyle, Ontario. Mr Todd remained on the farm until he was fifteen when he moved to Galt to apprentice with wagon maker James Kay. Upon completion of his apprenticeship he worked as a foreman in William Robinson's wagon and carriage works. After a short time on the job, Mr Todd entered into a partnership with Mr Robinson which lasted for three years until Mr Robinson retired. Mr Todd then established a new partnership with Walter Brydon and Alex Walker in a carriage making and blacksmith shop. In 1860, after about two years in this partnership, Mr Todd sold his interests to join with John Davidson in setting up the Steam Bending Hub and Spoke Factory, later the Victoria Wheel Works.
In 1886, along with John Scott, and his son, Martin Nichol Todd, Mr Todd purchased a six storey stone flour mill, located on Bruce St. in Galt. The mill had been built in 1878 by a Glasgow firm and, after the purchase, operated as the Todd Milling Co. The company did a large commission and export business in grain and hay in addition to operating two malt houses, one in Galt and the other in Port Hope. The Galt malt house was the former Peck Malt House on Kerr St. that Mr Todd and his son purchased from the Peck estate in 1888. Mr Todd also owned and operated the Preston Hops Yards.
In 1890, Mr Todd was the driving force behind the promotion of the Galt, Preston and Hespeler Street Railway and served as the company's president almost from the day of its inception until his death. In addition to his numerous business responsibilities, Mr Todd was the chairman of the management committee of Central Presbyterian Church and is credited with being a leading force in the building of the new Central Presbyterian Church along the banks of the Grand River. He was the Waterloo county representative on the Board of Directors of the Credit Valley Railway which later became part of the Canadian Pacific Railway system. He was president of the Galt Board of Trade, was a member of the Toronto Board of Trade and was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Galt Collegiate Institute. Mr Todd was an honourary director of the Economical Insurance Co. of Berlin (now Kitchener) as well as one of the charter members and president of the Imperial Hotel Company of Galt. Mr Todd died on 11 Jan 1899 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery. It is believed that Todd St. is named in honour of Mr Todd and his equally well known son, Martin N. Todd.

Inducted 2001

Tim Turow was born in Ukraine on 6 Sep 1908 and came to Preston in 1913 with his family. Mr Turow loved sports and over the years his name became synonymous with sports in Preston. He was one of the founders of the Preston Minor Baseball Association and coached the Preston Baseball Juniors to the Ontario finals in 1942 losing, in the end, to Windsor. Mr Turow was a coach for the Preston Riversides of the Inter-County Baseball Association and sat on the executive of the Inter-County Baseball Association in 1943. Mr Turow sat on the executive of the Ontario Baseball Association (OBA) from 1947 to 1954 acting as the association's president in 1953 and 1954. He was later granted an honourary life membership in the OBA, one of only three life memberships granted by that organization. In further recognition of his contributions to baseball in Ontario, the Ontario Baseball Association presented Mr Turow with the Volunteer of the Year Award in 1993. Mr Turow also served the Inter-County Baseball Association as an umpire and was president of the Umpires' Association in 1943. Mr Turow coached minor softball teams and played junior and senior hockey in Preston in the late 1920's and the early 1930's. He was captain of Galt junior football championship teams in 1928 and 1929 and played football for the Kitchener senior team in 1930-31. He also refereed junior football for several years. Mr Turow was an active bowler and was president of the Preston Major and Industrial bowling leagues. He was named the sports executive of the year in 1975 by the Waterloo Regional Sports Council and has been elected to the Waterloo County Hall of Fame. He was a member of the Preston Arena Commission from 1962 to 1972 and was the commission's chairman for two years. Mr Turow started his working life at the age of thirteen as an apprentice stove mounter at the Clare Bros. foundry. For fifteen years, he was the owner of the Ontario Sports sporting goods store in Preston. When Mr Turow retired in 1972 he was given a party at which he was presented with a trophy in recognition of his accomplishments. That trophy, now known as the Tim Turow Award, has been presented annually to the Cambridge Athlete of the Year. Mr Turow died on 19 Aug 1995 and is buried in Park Lawn Cemetery.

Inducted 2000

Ralph Walker was born in Grimsby, Ontario in 1939. Through his visionary leadership of the Huntington Society of Canada, Mr Walker has profoundly touched the lives of untold numbers of families. Mr Walker became aware of Huntington's disease in 1973 when he was a high school councillor. Huntington's disease is a hereditary neurological disorder which causes slow mental and physical deterioration. Little was known about Huntington's when Mr Walker first became involved and he has struggled for many decades to raise public awareness of this disease. In 1973, Mr Walker and his wife began a small local support group for families affected by Huntington's disease. This small group grew into the Huntington Society of Canada. In 1977, Mr Walker took a leave of absence from teaching to become the full time executive director of the Society. Two years later he resigned from teaching to devote all his energies to the work of the Society. Recognizing a need to educate health professionals across the country, Mr Walker initiated a health education program. In the ensuing years various booklets, videotapes and manuals have been produced for health professionals under Mr Walker's direction. From its inception as a local support group with annual revenues of $7,000, the Huntington Society has grown to include chapters in 50 communities across Canada with an overall budget, in 1997, of $1.8 million. The Society has nine professionally staffed Resource Centres and operates four summer holiday camps. In 1978, Mr Walker initiated the Canadian Neurological Coalition, a network of national health agencies working together for improved treatment and an eventual cure for neurological diseases. In 1981, Mr Walker spearheaded the establishment of the Canadian Brain Tissue Bank, one of only four in the world at the time. Its purpose is to provide essential autopsy brain tissue to aid scientists in their search for causes and cures of neurological diseases. The administration of the Canadian Brain Tissue Bank was transferred from the Huntington Society of Canada to the Canadian Neurological Coalition in 1986. Mr Walker was also a founding member and acted as chairman of the International Huntington Association. Starting with only four member countries in 1974, this association of lay organizations now includes 27 countries.
With the development of the pre-symptomatic predictive test for Huntington's disease, there was an acknowledged need for consistent testing and counselling across the country. Mr Walker initiated the writing of a set of predictive test guidelines for the International Huntington Association to be used around the world. He also recruited a Scientific Advisory Council, made up of distinguished scientists, to ensure the development of a top-quality research program aimed at finding a cure for Huntington's disease. Mr Walker was also a member of the MELSI (Medical, Ethical, Legal and Social Issues) Advisory Committee of the Canadian Genome Analysis and Technical Program. The Canadian Genome Program is a multidisciplinary effort to map and sequence genetic information stored in human chromosomes. The MELSI committee consists of 10 experts from different fields who study the medical, ethical, legal and social implications of genome research. Mr Walker is one of only two lay people on the committee. Mr Walker was named Cambridge's Citizen of the Year in 1987 and was honoured with a Canada Volunteer Award in 1988.

Inducted 2004

Katherine Hale was the pen name of Amelia Beers Warnock who was born on August 12, 1874, the daughter of James Warnock and his wife Katherine Hale Byard. Ms. Warnock was educated in Galt and at Glen Mawr, a private school in Toronto. Following graduation, she travelled to New York to study opera and while there wrote an article on Wagnerian opera that was published by the Toronto Mail and Empire. This article led to her being appointed as the literary editor of the paper, a position she held until 1912 when she married John Garvin, a noted Canadian critic and anthologist. Following her marriage Katherine Hale continued her literary career that began in earnest with the publication of "Gray Knitting and Other Poems" featuring "Gray Knitting", a poem first published in 1914 in the Toronto Globe. This book of poems was followed over the years by five more books of poems and seven prose works including "Canadian Cities of Romance" (1922), "Canadian Houses of Romance", "Legends of the St. Lawrence", which brought her an honourary membership in the Institut Historique et Heraldique de France, "This is Ontario" (1937), "Historic Houses of Canada" (1952), "Isabella Valancy Crawford" and "Toronto, Romance of a Great City" (1956). She served as president of both the Ontario Branch of the Canadian Authors' Society and the Toronto Heliconian Society, (a professional arts club), and was an honourary member of the Canadian Women's Press Club. She died on September 7, 1956 shortly after signing the release contract for her final work featuring the history of Toronto. She is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Inducted 2007

James Adam Warnock was born in Galt on November 2, 1926 the son of Edward G. Warnock and Bernice Till. He was also the great grandson of Adam Warnock who had founded the family run business known as the Galt Knitting Company. The company was founded in 1881 and adopted a running tiger as its trademark. Upon Adam Warnock's death in 1902 the company passed to his sons James Edward Warnock and Charles R. H. Warnock. James died young leaving the operations of the company to Charles who remained in charge until 1930. At that point James Edward's son Edward took over the leadership of the company and remained president until 1954. During the Second World War the company produced underwear for the armed forces and following the war produced 360,000 units of blended wool and cotton fleece underwear annually. By the early 1950's the fortunes of the Galt Knitting Company began to decline, as the company was unable to make the changes needed to manufacture its products more cheaply and efficiently. This coupled with a greatly reduced market for the company's primary products led to the company moving into voluntary receivership in 1954 and selling its assets to discharge its debts.
The business appeared entirely lost but Edward's son, James Adam Warnock, refused to accept defeat and decided to revive the business. Mr. Warnock had attended Ridley College and joined the family business directly out of high school. He rented one third of a floor of a four-storey building, hired six employees and salvaged three or four knitting machines from the liquidation of the Galt Knitting Company. As early as the following week three more machines were added to produce the company's main product line - men's cotton briefs and shirts.
At the time Mr. Warnock's company was not the only Canadian textile firm encountering financial difficulties and, looking to expand his own operation, he began buying up machinery at distress prices. This combination of used machinery and his insistence on maintaining low overhead expenses nursed Mr. Warnock's company back into the black. By 1969 the company was still small but now prosperous and was renamed Tiger Brand adopting the old company's logo as its corporate identity.
Once Mr. Warnock had finally turned the company around he shed the company's reliance on winter underwear and became a T-shirt manufacturer. There was a surging market for T-shirts and the company did well with the product. When offshore textile companies began to provide similar product at costs that were difficult to match Mr. Warnock diversified into fashion outwear, including woven goods and knits.
In an era of growing specialization Tiger Brand remained an integrated garment maker that produced its own textiles as well as manufacturing clothing from those textiles. It had its own branded fashion line, Non-Fiction, and contracts with retailers such as Nordstrom, L. L. Bean, Eddie Bauer, Cotton Ginny and The Gap. Starting virtually from nothing Mr. Warnock built a business that at its peak employed 1,450 people and generated about $80-million in annual sales.
In 1977 a new factory was opened in Pincher Creek, Alberta and in 1979 a warehouse for fashion products was opened in Oakland, California to serve the San Francisco Bay area. Locally the company was bursting at the seams and expanded into the former Riverside Silk factory on Queen's Square in the early 1980's and moved into the former Sheldon's Inc. factory on Grand Avenue. By the late 1980's Mr. Warnock decided it was time for him to slow down and he passed increasing responsibility for the company to his children and settled into semi-retirement at his recently acquired residence in Pincher Creek. Following a near fatal car crash in Egypt his remaining involvement with the company came to an end and he transferred his shares in the company to his three children active in the business.
Mr. Warnock was known to be "tough and demanding" with a "deep voice that bellowed across the factory". People who knew him contended that the bluster was only a ploy and that at heart The Tiger, as he was known, was really a pussycat.
As president of Tiger Brand Mr. Warnock had English as a second language courses taught at the company. He encouraged immigrant employees to become Canadian citizens and hosted Citizenship Courts in the factory. He opened and subsidized "Tigger House" an employee care centre and he took a strong interest in employees' welfare looking out for them in their time of need. Mr. Warnock saw a job as something to be treasured, something that gave a person dignity and respect and he was loath to turn an employee out without first giving him or her many chances to improve.
Mr. Warnock served on the Galt city council as a councillor from 1968 to 1972, was a member of the local Hydro Electric Commission from 1972 to 1974 and served on the Waterloo Wellington Airport Commission. He was active in the local Red Feather/United Way campaigns and headed the fund raising efforts for the Galt branch of the Canadian Red Cross. He is described as a generous supporter of Cambridge charities and local projects and is credited with financing and organizing the completion of the outdoor amphitheatre on the riverbank behind Galt Collegiate Institute in 1973.
Mr. Warnock died in St. Petersburg, Russia on September 21, 2006.

Inducted 1996

Born in 1827 in Nelson, a suburb of Glasgow Scotland, Adam Warnock emigrated to Canada with his family first to Beverly in 1833 and then, in 1835,to Galt. In 1850, Mr Warnock married Stephanie Hespeler, the sister of Jacob Hespeler, and with her had two sons, James Edward and Charles Rayfield Hunter Warnock. Mr Warnock was what has been described as a "man of prominence" for almost all of his adult life. From 1850 to 1857 he was a partner in a dry goods and grocery store known as Warnock and Fraser. Following this he formed a partnership with his brother James in the ownership of the Galt Edge Tool Company formerly H.H. Date's Galt Axe Factory. He served as a member of the 1st Battalion of Waterloo Militia receiving a commission as an Ensign in 1850 and a Lieutenant in 1856. Mr Warnock was a trustee of the Galt Collegiate Institute and one of the founders of the Galt Hospital Trust. He served as President of the Hospital Trust for three years and was a Vice-President of the Gore Mutual Insurance Company for the last 25 years of his life.
His interest in the woollen business began as a partner with James Crombie in mills they operated in Plattsville and Preston. The Preston mill later operated as the Geo. Pattinson Company, one of Preston's largest employers and one of the largest woollen producers in the country.
In 1881 Mr Warnock was part of an eight man group known as "The Syndicate" that formed the Galt Knitting Company. The former Robinson and Howell textile mill on Water Street was purchased and converted into a knitting mill. Mr Warnock became the president of the company and remained in that office for 20 years. He retired in 1901 due to ill health, leaving the day-to-day operations of the company to his sons James and Charles. He died in August 1902 and is buried in Mountview Cemetery.
The Galt Knitting Company manufactured a large variety of knitted underwear, eiderdowns shoe linings and knitted specialties and remains in business today. Known as Tiger Brand Knitting Company since 1954 the company manufactured a wide range of fashion sportswear until its closure in 2005.

Inducted 1999

George "Earl" Werstine was born in Galt on 14 Dec 1889, the son of Philip Werstine and Clara O'Neill. He was educated at St. Mary's Roman Catholic School on Rose St. and at the Galt Collegiate Institute. Mr Werstine, who was associated with the Galt Reporter for a over sixty years, first came into contact with the newspaper as a carrier at the age of eight. He went to work for the Reporter as a printer's apprentice 1905 at the age of sixteen. A year later he moved over to the news gathering side of the business and was assigned to cover Preston and Hespeler for the Reporter. To gather his new reports he travelled daily between the communities using the streetcars of the Galt, Preston and Hespeler Street Railway, later the Grand River Railway. In 1907 he became the news reporter for Galt with the responsibility for covering all local events both large and small. In 1910 he moved over to the rival Galt Reformer newspaper but returned to the Reporter in 1912 when the Reformer was absorbed by the Reporter. In 1924 he moved up to become the Reporter's editor and during the 1947 Old Boys' Reunion began writing his trademark "Around the Town" column. The column first appeared as a weekly feature and quickly won approval from the Reporter's readers. In 1950 the management of the Galt Reporter decided that he should devote all of his time to the column and from then until his formal retirement on 31 Dec 1968 his column appeared in all but a few issues of the Galt Reporter. Even following his retirement he continued to submit a column on an irregular basis. His dedication to his work and the column was demonstrated following a heart attack that put him in the hospital in 1954. He continued to write the column from his hospital bed and then from his home while he was convalescing. He did the same thing while recovering from an automobile accident in 1963. In about 1929, Mr Werstine became the Canadian Press representative for Galt and for nearly thirty-five years he ensured that interesting local news items were forwarded to the Canadian Press office in Toronto for distribution to newspapers across Canada and the United States. In 1954, Mr Werstine was presented with a silver bowl by the Canadian Press in recognition of twenty-five years of service to the organization. In addition to his newspaper work, Mr Werstine was a member of the Galt Parks Board and the Galt Horticultural Society for a number of years and was an honourary member of the Galt Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. He also sat on the Galt municipal council as a councillor from 1952 to 1955. From time to time he also served in various athletic organizations including as an executive for the Galt Junior "A" hockey teams that operated in Galt in the early 1950's. Mr Werstine died on 6 Feb 1971 and is buried in the Roman Catholic section of Mount View Cemetery.

Inducted 1997

Leonard Wheeler was born in Worcestershire England on 24 Apr 1899 the son of Enoch Wheeler. He first became involved in the Scouting Movement in 1910 in England when he joined the 1st King's Norton Troop. This was the start of a forty year association with the scouting movement which led to be known affectionately as "Mr Scouting" not only in the South Waterloo District of the Boy Scouts of Canada where he made most of his contributions to scouting but in many other parts of Canada and the United States as well. Mr Wheeler left England in May 1911 with his family and moved to Galt. He hoped to continue his scouting with a local scout troop but the small troop that had been organized and led for a short time by A. Marriott had disbanded shortly before Mr Wheeler arrived in the town. Lacking local scouting opportunities, he continued his involvement in scouting through correspondence with the 1st King's Norton troop in England. In 1912 he organized a small patrol of six boys in the Craigie Lee region of Galt. By the following year the troop had grown to two patrols and George A. Dobbie granted them the use of a small shed at the rear of his residence on Concession St. to hold their meetings. By 1914 the troop had grown to four patrols but had still had no proper scoutmaster. They were led instead by Mr Wheeler who was the senior patrol leader. In 1916 Mr Wheeler received his first warrant of appointment as assistant Scoutmaster.
In November 1916, Mr Wheeler enlisted in the Canadian Army and served overseas with the Canadian Army Medical Corps before being transferred to the Canadian Machine Gun Corps. During Mr Wheeler's absence the scout troop that he started dwindled to nothing and had to be revived upon his return in May 1919. The revived troop consisted of only four boys but grew rapidly from that small start under his dedicated leadership. To make sure that scouting in Galt was going in the proper direction, Scouter Wheeler took all the leadership courses offered by the movement including his "Gilwell". He rose through the ranks from Scoutmaster to become Assistant District Commissioner, in 1935, and finally to Executive Commissioner of the South Waterloo District Headquarters. He held that position until his death on 16 Jan 1950. Beginning in 1925, Scouter Wheeler conducted numerous training courses and District camps throughout his Scouting career and influenced the lives of thousands of boys and leaders with whom he came into contact.
It was Scouter Wheeler's dream for the local scouting association to own a district camp site dedicated to the whole scouting program of Cubs, Scouts and Rovers. That dream was realized in 1936 when the Peacehaven camp site, located near Drumbo Ontario, was purchased. Scouter Wheeler died on 16 Jan 1950 at Westminster Hospital in London Ontario and is buried in Mount View Cemetery.

Inducted 2001

Arthur Walter Adams White was born in East Zorra Township on 7 Oct 1907, the son of James W. White and Floria E. Adams. The Whites had come from England in 1903 and came to Galt, with their one year old son, in 1908. Mr White received his elementary education in Galt schools and his secondary education at the Galt Collegiate Institute and at St. Michael's College in Toronto. Mr White obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1938. He returned to Galt and established a law practice in February 1939. He first became involved in local politics in November 1940 when he was elected to a seat on the Galt city council. He served as a councillor from 1941 to 1950 and as mayor from 1951 to 1953 and again from 1958 to 1960. In 1954, Mr White was elected to represent Waterloo South in the Federal Parliament, thereby becoming the first Liberal to occupy the seat since James Livingstone left it in 1900. He served in Ottawa until he was defeated by William Anderson in the 1957 election. At various times, Mr White served on the Galt Parks Board, the Galt Public Utilities Commission, the Galt Public Library Board, the board of the South Waterloo Memorial Hospital, now the Cambridge Memorial Hospital, and on the Grand Valley Conservation Authority. In 1959, in the face of strong opposition, Mr White led the fight to purchase the Tutton farm, now known as Churchill Park. The park, one of Cambridge's largest, now contains numerous sports fields, recreation and picnic areas and the Duncan McIntosh Recreation Complex.
Mr White retired in 1960 but did not entirely leave public service. In 1966 he was appointed to the Galt and Suburban Roads Commission for a five year term. In 1967, Mr White was elected honorary provincial president of the Ontario Jaycees and in 1968 was one of twenty-nine Canadians to be honoured with a governorship in the Ontario Jaycees. In 1972, Mr White was named Galt's Citizen of the Year by the Galt Civic Service Club and later that same year was honoured by the creation of the Arthur White Sports Bursary Fund which was established to encourage the sporting endeavours he so loved. Mr White died on 9 July 1973 and is buried in Mount View Cemetery. Arthur White St. is named for him.

Inducted 1998

Recognized as a distinguished educator, Thomas Hilliard Wholton was born in Hamilton in 1897, the son of William Wholton and his wife. In 1916 Mr. Wholton was the assistant principal of King Edward School in Hamilton and at the age of nineteen enlisted in the armed forces serving as a sergeant in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps. He was stationed at No. 10 Canadian General Hospital and at the Kitchener Hospital in Brighton. He attended Queen's University in Kingston from 1919 to 1922 earning his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees. He majored in science, particularly botany and ecology. He was appointed to the staff of the Queen's University summer school and was selected as one of a party of botanists to proceed from the University of Chicago to spend six weeks in the Colorado Rockies. Mr Wholton came to Galt in 1923 to teach science at the Galt Collegiate Institute.
In 1926 he passed up opportunities to become either a professor in zoology at the University of Hawaii or the minister of education for the Yukon to accept the position of principal of Galt Collegiate Institute succeeding A.P. Gundry. During his thirty four years as principal Mr Wholton promoted library extension and, as a result, Galt was one of the first Ontario collegiates to have a full-time librarian. He also established a practice office for the school's commercial department, again, one of the first in the province. Demonstrating his love of the theatre, Mr Wholton was one of the founding members, in 1924, of the GCI Staff Players Club which grew into the Galt Little Theatre. He also served as president of the Western Ontario Drama League in 1942, received the Canadian Drama Award for Ontario that same year and acted as a governor of the Dominion Drama Festival.
He served on the Galt Family Service Bureau for eleven years and was the bureau's president from 1946 to 1951. He was vice president of the Eugenice Society of Canada in 1934 and, in 1938, was a pioneer in introducing driver training to Ontario secondary schools. Mr Wholton was a member of the Waterloo Historical Society and wrote a history of the Galt Collegiate Institute to mark the school's centennial in 1952. He was also one of the regents of Renison College, University of Waterloo. Mr Wholton was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion and an associate member of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada. He was honoured in May 1952 when he was granted an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from his alma mater, Queen's University. Mr Wholton retired from GCI in June 1959 and died on 23 May 1965. He is buried in Trinity Anglican Cemetery.

Inducted 1998

Katherine Langdon Wilks was born on 30 Aug 1854 in Shanklin, on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, the daughter of Matthew Wilks and Eliza Astor Langdon. She was also the great granddaughter of John Jacob Astor and thus had strong connections to the high society of New York state. She came to Canada in 1858 with her family when her father purchased a two hundred acre estate from William Ashton. The estate was known as Cruickston Park and was located on the road between Galt and Blair. Mr Wilks extended the property to 1400 acres and completed the Elizabethan manor house that had been started by Mr Ashton. When Mr Wilks died in 1899, Miss Wilks inherited the property and entered enthusiastically into the expansion of the racing stables which her father had started as a hobby. The breeding programme undertaken at the farm produced a notable breed of horses and a reputation for Miss Wilks as the leading woman horse breeder on the continent. In all, her horses won over fifty trophies, fifty medals and 1400 ribbons.
Although her life was marked by triumphs in the horse ring, Miss Wilks is best remembered locally by her generosity and prominence in local and national affairs. She was one of the three original founders of the Galt branch of the Canadian Red Cross when it was formed at Cruickston Park on 9 Sep 1914. Miss Wilks was named President of the organization and held the position for twenty-eight years. She retired from the post in 1943 at the age of 89 but continued to advise the group until her death in 1948. Under Miss Wilks' leadership the local Red Cross gathered and shipped clothing and supplies to soldiers during the First World War, donated an ambulance to the City of Galt in 1919 and provided assistance wherever it was required. In addition to her work with the Red Cross, Miss Wilks was widely known for her personal generosity. She donated an ambulance to the Galt Hospital in 1900, donated a soup kitchen to the armed forces, paid for the landscaping of Trinity Park in 1935 and had the chain and concrete fence installed. She paid for the heating system installed in the rectory of Trinity Anglican Church in 1937 and donated to Trinity Anglican Church the brass pulpit, a pair of seven-branched candle standards and the church's exceptional oak panelling, with the two-fold series of woodcarvings, one from the Old Testament, the other from the New Testament.
Miss Wilks died on 3 Sep 1948 leaving an estate valued at $675,000. The management of Cruickston Park was left to her nephew, Matthew Wilks Keefer. Miss Wilks is buried in Trinity Anglican Cemetery.

Inducted 2004

Ford Willson was born in Kitchener in 1889 and, in 1923, came to Preston where he purchased a coal and ice business that he operated until he retired in 1958. Willson Fuels operated from the family home on William Street were he imported and delivered coal to homes and businesses in southern Waterloo County. During the depression Willson Fuels routinely supplied coal at no charge to families in need. In the winter Mr. Willson harvested ice from the Blair dam and stored the ice in an old woollen mill on the site until the warm summer months when it would be sold to keep iceboxes cold. Mr. Willson was one of Preston's most active residents and was involved in many aspects of civic life. He was a life member of the South Waterloo Agricultural Society, a strong supporter of the Galt Fall Fair, a member of the Preston Masonic Lodge and a member of the Guelph Rose Croix. Mr. Willson served on the Preston municipal council for 19 years. He was Preston's deputy reeve in 1948, Preston's reeve from 1937 to 1939 in 1950 and in 1952, Preston's mayor in 1953 and 1954 and was the warden of Waterloo County in 1950. Over the years he held various other positions including Chair of both the Preston Police Commission and the Preston municipal Finance Committee. He died on February 2, 1970 and is buried in the Blair Cemetery.

Inducted 1995

The Honourable James Young was born in Galt on 24 May 1835, the son of John Young, innkeeper and first landlord of the King's Arms, later the Queen's Arms Hotel on Queen's Square. Mr Young was educated at Galt's public schools and through what his biographers have called "private tuition".
In Mr Young's day, journalism was seen as a stepping stone to public life. It is not surprising, then, that the first job for the politically ambitious young man was with the Galt Reporter, which he joined in 1849 at the age of fourteen.
Mr Young took his next step into public life when, in 1853 at the age of 18, he purchased the rival weekly the Dumfries Reformer, a newspaper he operated for 10 years. Mr Young enjoyed his first taste of public office when he was elected to the Galt Town Council and served as a councillor from 1858 to 1861, in 1863 and again in 1884. In 1860 he also served as Deputy Reeve of the town.
In 1863 Mr Young began his move into federal politics. He had become an effective speaker for the Reform cause in Upper Canada and had come to the attention of George Brown, leader of the Reform Party and publisher of the Toronto Globe. Mr Brown asked Mr Young to conduct a series of public meetings in support of the Reform candidate in the South Oxford by-election being contested that year. This was the beginning of a life in federal and provincial politics "marked by a firm adherence to the Liberal Party and to Reform principles generally".
It was also a life dominated by ideas and ideals that ranged from the theoretical to the eminently practical. He believed "with a passionate fervour" that Canada's destiny was that of a fully autonomous nation bound to England by "ties of affection and common origin but without any unwieldy political machinery". Just as he favoured autonomous nationhood for Canada, he opposed both commercial union with the United States and any form of Imperial Federation that might conflict with his view of a free and fully independent Canada.
Yet, while he strongly opposed commercial union with the United States, he was a firm advocate of closer trade relations with that country. In 1866, to fully explain his position, he wrote, "The Reciprocity Treaty, Its Advantages to the United States and Canada" an essay that was such a coherent statement in support of reciprocity that it was especially printed for circulation at a large and important Trade Convention held in Detroit that year.
After 1863, when Mr Young sold the Dumfries Reformer, he was absorbed with his new business at the Victoria Wheel Works. He still found time, however, to act as a regular contributor on commercial and statistical subjects to the Montreal Trade Review and to the Toronto Globe and other publications.
His obvious concern with Canada's position in the world and his advocacy of Liberal doctrine made him at logical candidate for a seat in the first parliament of the new Canadian Confederation. Mr Young won the 1867 election over Conservative James Cowan by 366 votes, reversing a tend that had seen Mr Cowan elected to the Legislature for Upper Canada in 1861 and 1864. Mr Young was re-elected by acclamation in 1872 and 1874 before finally being defeated by a small majority in the great Liberal defeat of 1878.
As a federal member of parliament, Mr Young took an active part in the conduct of business, particularly during the administration of Liberal Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie between 1874 and 1878. Mr Young served as Chairman of both the Committee of Public Works and the Committee of the Whole House in Supply. He was instrumental in the adoption of the legislation that established the federal Government Bureau of Statistics, the predecessor of the present Statistics Canada.
Mr Young's electoral defeat in 1878 by no means marked the end of his public life. Although he had been involved in politics for 25 years and had been in the federal parliament for 12 years, he was only 43 years of age and still had much to contribute. It was at this time that Mr Young wrote his history of early Galt, titled "Reminiscences of the Early History of Galt and the Settlement of Dumfries" and published in 1880. The book remains one of the major sources of information about the early development of our community.
Mr Young's interest in elected office remained although his focus changed somewhat when he was elected to the Ontario legislature as the member for Brant North in 1879. As in the federal parliament, Mr Young earned a reputation as an effective and influential speaker and it was on his motion that the provincial government agreed to establish the Ontario Statistical Bureau. In June 1883 Mr Young joined Oliver Mowat's cabinet as provincial treasurer. Ill health cut short his cabinet career and he was forced to resign in October of the same year. He retained his seat until the next election in 1886 when he decided not to accept his party's nomination as representative for Brant North.
Mr Young's decision not to seek re-election marked a shift in emphasis in his public life. He remained closely connected with the Liberal Party serving as president of the Reform Association and as Chairman of the large Liberal conventions held in Toronto in 1887 and 1895. He also remained a friend of the great Liberals of the age including Alexander Mackenzie, Oliver Mowat, Edward Blake and Wilfrid Laurier.
While no longer a member of parliament, Mr Young retained his belief in the power of the written and spoken word to persuade and influence. In 1887 he wrote the pamphlet "Our Commercial Future" and followed it with one of his most influential addresses, "Canadian Nationality: a Glance at the Present and Future", which was delivered to the National Club in Toronto and published during the winter of 1890-91. The speech was described at the time as a "vigorous and eloquent argument setting forth the progress and success of the Canadian Confederation, strongly opposing any form of annexation and advocating Canadian nationality as the ultimate destiny of the Dominion and the best antidote to Americanizing tendencies".
While maintaining a strong interest in national and provincial politics, Mr Young increased an involvement in more local matters that had never entirely lapsed. For 11 years beginning in 1881, Mr Young served as President of the Associated Mechanics' Institutes of Ontario. He was among the first presidents of the Sabbath School Association of Ontario and remained one of its vice-presidents until his death. For several years he was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of G.C.I. and President of the Galt Hospital Fund. He was also instrumental in promoting and erecting Galt's first hospital.
Mr Young was also closely associated with the Gore Fire Insurance Company, serving as a director beginning in 1868 and then as President from 1877 until his death. In addition, he served on numerous boards including the Boards of Confederation Life Assurance Co. and Canada Landed Credit Company
As if all this wasn't enough to keep him busy, Mr Young was also the author of a history of the Gore Fire Insurance Company published on the opening of the company's new offices at Ainslie and Main Street in 1895. In addition he wrote "Public Men and Public Life in Canada", a work originally published in 1902. Mr Young was working on the 2nd edition of the book when he died on 19 Jan 1913 in his 77th year.