Michael Dudowich was born January 31st, 1927 in Garson, Ontario. As a young student, Dudowich began working on the weekends for Mr. W.E. Mason at the Sudbury Star in 1943. In high school, Dudowich was the Director of Photography for the Sudbury High yearbook the Wolfhound as well as Assistant Editor for the Catholic Youth Organization Bulletins affiliated with St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church. In the 1946 Sudbury High yearbook, grade twelve student Dudowich stated his future goal for later in life was to photograph actress Lana Turner.
In 1947, the Dudowich family moved from Garson to Riverside Drive, Sudbury, Ontario. After graduating with honours from Sudbury High School, Dudowich worked for a short time as a locomotive fireman and then proceeded to work full time for the newspaper. Eventually, he became the photographic supervisor for the Sudbury Star and held the position of 'Chief Photographer' for decades prior to his retirement in May, 1976.
Dudowich was an active member of the Commercial and Press Photographers' Association of Canada (CPPAC) for many years. He frequently attended the short course in photography held annually at the University of Western Ontario by the group and won multiple awards for his photographs including the CPPAC Award of Merit and several of the Canadian Press Picture-of-the-Month awards. He was chosen Best Photographer of Canada, and his work appeared in the publication "America." In 1972, Dudowich received awards from the Canadian Government and the Canadian Press for his work in the Russian/Canadian Hockey Series of that year.
Dudowich was a charter member of the Idylwylde Golf and Country Club, a member of the Ukrainian Congress of Canada, the Laurentian Museum and Arts Centre and St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church.
Michael Dudowich passed away on May 4th, 1998 at the age of 71.
Jim Dufour was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario in 1945. He moved to Sudbury for work at INCO in 1964 at the Copper Cliff Iron Ore Plant. After a year in Copper Cliff, Dufour was moved to Stobie Mine where he worked for the next 34 years. At Stobie, Dufour performed a variety of tasks over the years including working underground. For the last 15 years of his career, Dufour was responsible for scheduling and training miners at Stobie. He co-ordinated the instuctors for training new employees on the history of mining, terminology, current practices, and safety. After 35 years at INCO, Jim Dufour retired in 1999.
Robert (Bob) Elstone was an active member of the Burlington, Ontario community. His obituary reads: “… Bob was a man of vision and courage who wore many hats with a passion. Not only was he a WWII veteran (First Mate in the Merchant Navy), but an ambitious agriculturalist, naturalist, historian, entrepreneur, volunteer, world traveller, map enthusiast, master mariner, and master swimmer. He was the proud proprietor of Elstone Stationery for almost fifty years which was the hub of the community. His goal was to help and serve people. He was known as “Mr. Rotary” and during his years of service he has been involved in the formation of nine Rotary clubs including two in Egypt; as well as the past president of Burlington Central. Bob was the co-founder of the Burlington Rotary Fall Music Festival. He has been honoured twice with the Paul Harris fellowship, Rotary’s highest honour. He was instrumental, along with others, in establishing the Burlington YMCA., He received the first achievement award in 1976. For 36 years he had a teen program on Saturday nights at the YMCA and over one hundred teen weekend camps over the years. Bob was honoured as citizen of the year for Burlington in 1997. He was also the chairman of the Burlington Beautification Committee and Chairman of the Burlington Uniform Hours Association. He was an Honorary Life member of Hamilton-Burlington YMCA, Burlington Historical Society, Hamilton Naturalist Club and West Flamborough Heritage Society….”
The Evangelical Lutheran Seminary of Canada began in 1911. In 1924 Waterloo College was established, providing courses in post-secondary education. In 1960 Waterloo Lutheran University was formed, consisting of Waterloo University College and Waterloo Lutheran Seminary. In 1973 the name of the University was changed to Wilfrid Laurier University, with Waterloo Lutheran Seminary as a federated college.
Factory 77, initially known as Galerie Scollard, was a Toronto artist-run gallery focused on art education which operated between 1976 and 1982. Galerie Scollard was established in Toronto in 1976 as a non- profit charitable organization by Dushka Arezina, a Yugoslavian emigrée, artist, and art historian. It was coined a “centre for education in vision” and was located on Scollard Street in Toronto. The gallery was operated by a Board of Directors of which Harvey Cowan was the chairperson and Kenneth Lund the president. Dushka Arezina sat on the Board of Directors as treasurer and was also the gallery’s executive director. Galerie Scollard ceased opera tions under that name in 1978 and was re-established as Factory 77 in November 1978 upon moving into a former carpet factory at 77 Mowat Ave. in Toronto’s Parkdale area. Factory 77’s operations were overseen by Arezina and a Board of Directors chaired by Lund, a Toronto lawyer. It aimed to present a broad view of contemporary visual arts by exhibiting established artists together with emerging ones. In the years between 1978 and 1982, the gallery mounted more than 13 exhibitions per year, featuring prominent Canadian artists such as Mary and Christopher Pratt, Lynn Do noghue, and Ken Danby. The gallery also placed significant emphasis on exhibitions by Eastern European artists such as Jiri Ladocha. The gallery aimed to foster student participation through exhibits of student and youth work, and placed significant focus on art education and appreciation outreach programs in elementary and secondary schools in the Toronto area. Due to financial and administrative difficulties, Factory 77 ceased operations permanently in February 1982.
John Faichney is a Canadian dancer, television producer and software analyst born in Montreal in 1952. He graduated from Oberlin College where he developed an interest in choreography and dance improvisation. In May 1976 he performed at the Centre for Experimental Art & Communication (CEAC) in Toronto and was invited to join the Centre’s staff. Amongst other activities, he designed printed matter, maintained exchange programs with other artists’ groups, curated an exhibition of artists’ books and managed distribution of mailings and periodicals (including Strike, a quasi monthly newspaper.) An offshoot of the Kensington Art Association, CEAC moved in 1976 to 86 John Street and then to 15 Duncan Street, offering space for performance art, installations, videos and music. Key members of the group were Amerigo Marras, Suber Corley, Bruce Eves and Ron Gillespie (a.k.a Ron Giii); Marras in particular encouraged connections with European and American artists. The group became increasingly politicized and in 1978 its government funding was rescinded. An attempt at self sufficiency by starting a television production studio at 124 Lisgar Street was not sustainable and CEAC disbanded in 1980. John Faichney lives in Kitchener, Ontario, and remains involved with Contact Improvisation.
Maureen Forrester (1930-2010), born in Montreal, Quebec, was one of the world's leading contraltos. After making her professional debut in 1951, she toured the world performing with virtually every major choir until the 1990s. In 1965 she began giving master classes. She was chairman of the voice department at the Philadelphia Music Academy from 1966 to 1971 and later taught part-time at the University of Toronto and the University of Alberta. Forrester was chair of the Canada Council 1983 to 1988, chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University 1986-1990, and in 1986 she was honorary president of the International Year of Canadian Music. Maureen Forrester received many awards and recognitions including 30 honorary degrees. She was named a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1967, awarded a Canadian Music Council medal in 1983, received the Order of Ontario in 1990, and inducted into the Juno Hall of Fame. Wilfrid Laurier University named its recital hall in her honour and established a scholarship in her name.
The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA) was established in 1859 as the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario, making it one of Ontario and Canada’s oldest farm commodity organizations.
As the voice of Ontario’s fruit, vegetable and greenhouse farmers, the OFVGA is a nationally recognized not-for-profit association that advocates on behalf of Ontario fruit and vegetable farmers and the edible horticulture industry, and represents its members provincially, nationally, and internationally.