Jim Heldmann is an alumnus of Wilfrid Laurier University having graduated with a BA in 1958 and an MA in 1990. As an undergraduate, Heldmann was a member of the editorial staff of the Cord as well as News Weekly where wrote the humor advice column “Miss Winks”. He was also a member of the Keystone editorial staff and the curling team.
Jacob 'Jack' Sebastian Heit was born on February 5, 1914 in Tramping Lake, Saskatchewan. He moved to Sudbury, Ontario, travelling by train at a cost of $6, and arrived on March 25, 1938. Heit took many odd jobs such as seasonal mail deliverer during the Christmas season in 1939 or work for Pioneer Construction in 1940. Other odd jobs included 'pick and shovel' work, farm work, house construction, cement drilling, and steel jobs. He worked for firms such as Red Brown Cement Products, Gustiana Company, and A.L. McGinn using his skills as a mechanic and blacksmith. He began his career at Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd in 1941 underground as a miner. He later became an Inspector for Mine Safety and First Aid. Heit was certified in basic Mine Rescue Training at the Sudbury Rescue Station in June 1948. By 1951, he received the Advanced Mine Rescue Training and in 1961 the Supervisory Advanced Mine Rescue Training. In May 1950, Heit was a member of the winning team of the inaugural First Aid Championship of Falconbridge Nickel Mines at a competition held in the Community Hall. Heit continued to compete in both local and Northern Ontario mine rescue competitions and won several times. Awards included the H.J. Fraser Trophy for defeating the top plant first aid team at Falconbridge.
Heit was also an avid volunteer with the Garson Volunteer Fire Department for 20 years (circa 1950 to February 1971). When Heit resigned from the fire department, he held the position of 'deputy fire chief.' He was also an amateur photographer and won 1st prize for the best photograph of the King and Queen's visit to Sudbury in 1939.
Jack Heit married Katherine 'Kay' Kraft (born March 4, 1918 in Allan, Saskatchewan) on February 5, 1940 at Christ the King Church in Sudbury, Ontario. They had five daughters, Diana (1941), Janet (1943), Marilyn (1947), Kathy (1948), and Susan (1954).
Heit retired from Falconbridge Ltd in 1976. He remained active in the community with bridge games, curling, and water skiing. For their 50th wedding anniversary, Jack and Kay Heit renewed their vows at the same church they were originally married.
Jack Heit passed away on November 5, 1999 at the age of 85 at Extendicare York in Sudbury, Ontario.
The Heit family first moved to the Garson, Ontario area shortly after Jacob "Jack" Heit (1914-1999) married Katherine "Kay" Kraft (1918-2009) on February 5, 1940 at Christ the King Church in Sudbury, Ontario. Prior to this time, both Jacob Heit and Katherine Kraft lived in Saskatchewan. The Heit's raised their family of five daughters, Diana, Janet, Marilyn, Kathy, and Susan in Garson, Ontario.
Robert Frederick Hagan, painter, printmaker and educator, was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1918. He was educated at Central Technical School (Toronto) and the Ontario College of Art. From 1941-1946, Hagan was employed as Resident Artist and Master at Pickering College in Newmarket, Ontario. In the spring of 1946, Hagan journeyed to New York for further studies. Later the same year, he began teaching at the Ontario College of Art. In 1955 he became Head of Printmaking, a position which he held until his retirement in 1983. Frederick Hagan has held memberships in the Canadian Society of Graphic Art (of which he was made an Honourary Member in 1965), the Canadian Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, the Ontario Society of Artists, and the Print and Drawing Council of Canada. His work is in the collections of numerous Canadian galleries. Frederick Hagan passed away on September 6, 2003 at the age of 85.
The Great Lakes Fishery Commission was established in 1955 by the Canadian/U.S. Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries. The commission coordinates fisheries research, controls the sea lamprey, and facilitates cooperative fishery management among the state, provincial, tribal, and federal management agencies.
George Grace was born January 15, 1917. He moved to Sudbury, Ontario from Toronto on December 15, 1939 and began work as a sports reporter for The Sudbury Star in 1942. After serving in World War II, Grace returned to reporting for The Sudbury Star. During the 1950's, Grace developed polio which left his right hand atrophied and forced him into a wheelchair for several years. With the help of his wife Isobel, his condition improved and he continued writing sports articles. Grace was eventually promoted to Executive Editor before retiring in 1980. Ten years later, Grace began a regular sports column entitled 'Looking Back' which ran for about a decade. His final article appeared in the paper December 31, 2000. George Grace passed away December 23, 2007 at the age of 90.
Len Gertler (1923-2005) was a planner, administrator, author, and university professor, whose areas of study included planning, and public policy. Gertler was born in Montreal, Quebec, and was educated at Queen's University, McGill University, and the University of Toronto. Throughout his career he held a wide variety of positions. Len Gertler served as Director of the Edmonton District Planning Commission, and also held the position of Deputy Commissioner of Planning for the City of Toronto. In 1966 he became a professor at the University of Waterloo, establishing a new program in Urban and Regional Planning. He was also involved in establishing the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Environmental Studies, and became the first Director of the School of Planning. Gertler was the coordinator and author of the Niagara Escarpment Study in 1968. His international work included assignments in Indonesia, Jamaica, India, Japan, and Uzbekistan. Gertler was a member and Vice-Chair of the Ontario Environmental Assessment Board, from 1990-2001. The Canadian Institute of Planners' Award for Planning Excellence in 2001 was named in honour of Len Gertler.
The Gershon Iskowitz Foundation was started by artist Gershon Iskowitz in 1985, with the mandate of awarding the Gershon Iskowitz Prize to a mature practising artist; since 2007 the Foundation has partnered with the Art Gallery of Ontario to administer the Gershon Iskowitz Prize at the AGO.