Gershon Iskowitz (1921-1988) was an abstract painter based in Toronto for much of his artistic career. Born in Kielce, Poland, he survived internment in Nazi concentration camps and lost his entire family in the Holocaust. Iskowitz studied art in Munich at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in 1947, soon transferring to private studies with Oskar Kokoschka. He moved to Toronto in 1949. His work developed from wartime imagery to a focus on landscapes (particularly inspired by practice in the Parry Sound area), eventually arriving at his mature abstract expressionist style in 1967. Iskowitz began exhibiting with Gallery Moos in 1964, a relationship which continued throughout his career. He taught at the New School (Toronto) from 1967-1970, and his informal mentoring of artists in Toronto is often noted. Iskowitz, along with Walter Redinger, represented Canada at the Venice Biennale in 1972. The artist established the Gershon Iskowitz Foundation 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.
John Jackson (1947 - ) is an environmental activist in Ontario, Canada. Jackson received his BA from the University of Waterloo in 1969. He is a researcher, project director, advisor, chair and coordinator of numerous environmental agencies. Jackson served as President of the Ontario Toxic Waste Research Coalition, a citizens' and agricultural group which succeeded in halting the Ontario Waste Management Corporation's plans to build a hazardous waste plant in West Lincoln in the Niagara Peninsula. In recognition of his leadership, John Jackson was presented a scroll by the Member of Provincial Parliament for the Riding of Lincoln.
Charles William Jefferys (1869-1951) was a prolific Canadian artist, illustrator and author. He was a talented landscape painter whose work was widely exhibited and collected, but is best known for his illustrations of Canada’s past. He was born in Rochester, Kent. In 1875 the Jefferys family emigrated to Philadelphia, then in 1878 they moved to Hamilton before settling in Toronto around 1880. Jefferys began formal training as an artist in 1884 when he started attending evening classes at the Ontario School of Art. The following year, Jefferys began a five-year apprenticeship at the Toronto Lithographic Company, where he was also hired out to work occasionally as an illustrator for The Globe. He worked as an artist for The Globe, as well as for a number of other Canadian newspapers until the fall of 1892 when he was taken on as an artist-reporter for The New York Herald. Jefferys lived in New York and New Jersey until 1899, returning to Canada permanently in 1901, eventually settling in York Mills. Jefferys illustrated a large number of books and articles providing illustrations for The Makers of Canada (1903-1911), Chronicles of Canada (1914-1916), was co-founder of the satirical periodical The Moon (1902-1904), and wrote and illustrated Canada’s Past in Pictures (1934) and The Picture Gallery of Canadian History (1942, 1945, 1950). He also gave frequent lectures and published numerous articles on art, architecture, and Canadian history. From 1912 to 1939 Jefferys was instructor of freehand drawing at the Department of Architecture at the University of Toronto. He also was a lecturer and part-time instructor at the Ontario College of Art. Jefferys worked for Canadian War Records in 1918, recording the activities Polish Army in Exile at Niagara and Toronto and the Siberian Army in Exile in at Camp Petawawa, Ontario. Jefferys was active in many organizations, including the Ontario Society of Artists, Royal Canadian Academy, Art Students’ League, and the Arts and Letters Club. He exhibited his art widely throughout his life, in Canada and abroad, and his work appears in major institutions across Canada. Robert Stacey (1949- ) is the grandson of C.W. Jefferys. He is an art historian, author, editor, picture editor and curator based out of Toronto. Has written numerous books and articles on C.W. Jefferys and many other aspects relating to Canadian art and graphic design, with titles including The Hand Holding the Brush: Self Portraits by Canadian Artists, Canadian Bookplates, Massanog: the art of Bon Echo, and Sir Daniel Wilson (1816-1892): ambidextrous polymath.
Eugene Kash (1912-2004) was a Canadian violinist, conductor and teacher. He was married to contralto Maureen Forrester from 1957 to 1974.
Robert John Keir was born in Port Colborne, Ontario, on April 15th, 1931. While Keir's British grandfather was a professional journalist, Keir himself never recieved formal training in journalism; instead, he developed and honed his journalistic skills through years of on-the-job experience. Keir began his journalism career at an early age as a paperboy for the Globe & Mail. As an adult, Keir began writing for The Evening Tribute of Welland, Ontario, from 1950-1952. It was also during this time that Keir was given the opportunity to work as a “stringer”, writing additional local stories for large media outlets The Toronto Star and the Buffalo Courier-Express. In 1954, Keir became an out-island feature writer for The Nassau Guardian of Nassau, Bahamas, under a six-month contract. When his contract expired that same year, Keir relocated to Sudbury, Ontario. Once in Sudbury, Keir continued to pursue his journalistic interests, covering local affairs for The Sudbury Star from 1954 until 1956. From 1956 to 1957, Keir reported City Hall proceedings for CKSO Radio and Television and from 1957 to 1959, reported these proceedings for The Sudbury Star.
In 1955, Keir was appointed Northern Ontario Correspondent for The Globe and Mail and retained this freelance position for more than ten years. In 1959, Keir founded the Northern Information Service Company Limited in Sudbury, Ontario. As General Manager, Keir played a participatory role in handling freelance news coverage, public relations, advertising, and photography until he ended the company in 1970. In addition, Keir was one of the founders of The Sudbury Sun in 1962, serving as publisher and editor.
By the early 1960’s, Bob Keir had become an active supporter of local interests. This resulted in a shift in career interests, which saw Keir serve as Public Relations consultant for the City of Sudbury from 1960-1961. Keir served one term as Alderman (1964-1965), and despite not continuing as an elected member of city council, Keir stayed on as a volunteer, serving on various community committees (such as the Sudbury Planning Board and the Parking Authority of Sudbury). Keir moved to Toronto in 1970 to work as Senior Communications Manager for the Ministries of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy at Queen’s Park, but returned to Sudbury in 1982 to serve as Executive and Communications Officer for Regional Chairman Tom Davies until Keir’s retirement in 1995.
After retiring, Keir continued to publicly voice his concerns over local issues. As one of seven members of the Greater Sudbury Municipal Watch since discussion of Sudbury’s amalgamation began in the late 1990’s, Keir monitors key issues at City Hall. Other local initiatives Keir has been involved in include the Sudbury Community Foundation (as a founding director) and the Sudbury Regional Restructuring Association (as a founder and secretary). In 1992, Keir was awarded the Canada 125 Commemorative Medal for his volunteer efforts and the Ontario 15 Years Voluntarism Award. Additionally, Keir provides regular published insights in letters to the editor for The Sudbury Star.
Michael Kelly was born in Sudbury Ontario in 1953 and attended Laurentian University from 1973 to 1978. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History and then matriculated to the University of Toronto (1979-1985) for his Master of Arts in History. During this time, he was asked to write a chapter in an upcoming local Sudbury history book to help celebrate the one hundred anniversary of the founding of Sudbury. The book was divided up into decades and Michael Kelly was assigned 1900-1910. This chapter was later completed by Ashley Thompson and the book was published ten years after its intended publication date in 1993 entitled Sudbury Rail Town to Regional Capital.
Other books Kelly worked on while a student at Laurentian include Inventory and Guide to Historic Building in Sudbury, 1978.
From 1979 to 1985, Kelly traded commercial paper and foreign exchange securities as part of a corporate cash management team with INCO Limited. From 1985 to 1986 he was a regional economic development officer in Northern Ontario and from 1986-1989 he operated as a training consultant for various companies. From 1990 to the present, Kelly has worked as a professor at Cambrian College specializing in Human Relations, Ethics and Project Management.
Anna Belle Wing Kindlund (later Mrs. Alois Trnka), 1876-1922, was an artist born in Buffalo, New York. She studied with W. Hitchcock in Buffalo, and G. Bridgman in New York. She was a member of the Buffalo Society of Artists and the New York Society of Craftsmen, and is listed in Who Was Who in American Art as a painter and miniaturist.