Gladys Lilian King was born in Exeter, Devon to Joseph and Mary King. In 1911 King emigrated to Canada to work as a secretary but returned to England in 1915 to do war work. She became a member of the Women Police Service during the war and worked in factories and hostels before becoming employed at the "Beaver Hut", a refuge for Commonwealth soldiers. King worked at the Beaver Hut from September 30, 1918 to August 21, 1919. When the Beaver Hut closed at the end of the war King took up police work in Reading. In 1940 she gave up police work to become the full time female probation officer, a position she held until her retirement in 1949. King died in Reading on June 4, 1970.

James Horace King was born on January 18, 1873, in Chipman (Queens Co., New Brunswick) to George Gerald and Esther King (nee Briggs). He attended McGill University and earned a medical degree in 1895. He practiced in New Brunswick until 1898, when he moved to the Kootenays (British Columbia). In 1907, he married Nellie Mae Sadler (1876-1949). And, in 1951, King married Flora May Johnson (1881-1967).
In 1903, James Horace King was elected as a member of the Liberal party in British Columbia and served in the Legislative Assembly for Cranbrook riding. In 1916 he won a provincial seat, becoming a representative of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. In 1922, King joined the federal government with Prime Minister Hon. William Lyon Mackenzie King as the Minister of Public Works (1922-1926), later becoming acting Minister of Labour (1925-1926), Minister of Soldiers’ Civil Re-establishment (1926-1928), Minister of Health (1926-1928), and Minister of Pensions and National Health (1928-1930). In 1942, King became Minister without Portfolio (1942-1945) and Senator until his death on July 14, 1955.

"William Lyon Mackenzie King had a long political career. He was leader of the Liberal Party for 29 eventful years through the buoyant expansion of the 1920s, the depression of the 1930s, the shock of World War II, and then the post-war reconstruction, and for 21 of these years he was Canada’s prime minister. His decisions during this time contributed significantly to the shaping of Canada and to its development as an influential middle power in world affairs. During his lifetime his achievements were sometimes obscured by a style notable for its compromises. After his death his political career was sometimes overshadowed by the revelation of his unsuspected personal idiosyncrasies."

Max Beube (prop.)

The Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation was established in 1984 by a group of citizens in Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario, led by Walter Bean. It had originally been established as a trust by The Waterloo Trust (now Canada Trust) in August, 1930. "On May 1, 1984 the Ontario Legislature passed an act incorporating the K-W Community Foundation to take over the assets and assume the responsibilities of the original foundation bearing the same name."(KWCF document, May 1, 1985). The Foundation is administered by a board of directors who are responsible for overseeing its policies and practices. Donations to the Foundation are invested, with the income from the funds distributed in the form of grants to community organizations serving a wide range of needs, including cultural, educational, health and community services.

The Kitchener Waterloo Sales and Ad Club was begun in 1933 with charter members including John Motz and J.G. Hagey. The club provided social and professional development opportunities for men engaged in the sales and advertising professions. Women were admitted into the club in the 1970's. In 2006, the Kitchener Waterloo Sales and Ad Club (then called iCON Sales & Marketing Club) decided to go on permanent hiatus.

The Kitchener-Waterloo Council of Friendship was formed as a separate group in 1943. Its beginnings were in the International Club of the Kitchener-Waterloo YWCA headed by Mrs. W.P. Clement. Its membership was made up of Canadians, other national groups, community groups, service clubs, and women's organizations. Minnie Maines was part of the Executive Committee.
The Council offered language classes, a scholarship fund, special events, and other activities.

The Kitchener-Waterloo Record began with the publication of the Daily News of Berlin on February 9, 1878 and was the first daily paper in the area. It was published by Peter Moyer. Over the years it had several names and publishers: in January of 1897 it was purchased by the German Printing and Publishing Company and was amalgamated with that company's Berlin Daily Record to become the Berlin News Record, and later still the News Record, all published by William (Ben) V. Uttley. In 1918 the publishers of the German-language paper the Berliner Journal, William D. Euler (later Senator for North Waterloo) and William J. Motz, purchased the News Record and changed the name to the Kitchener Daily Record. On July 17, 1922 the Record absorbed the other daily, the Daily Telegraph. With that event, the original three daily papers (the News Record, the Berlin Daily Record, and the Daily Telegraph) became one.

The Berliner Journal began in December 29, 1859 by Frederick Rittinger and John Motz, and was located on Queen Street south, Kitchener. Motz remained editor until his death in 1899, at which time his son William acquired his father's interest. When Rittinger died in 1915 his share was acquired by William D. Euler. The weekly Journal ended on May 10, 1924. The Record’s first staff photographer was Harry Huehnergard, who worked for the paper for 49 years before retiring in 1986 as Manager of the Photographic Department.

In 1948 the Kitchener Daily Record was re-named the Kitchener-Waterloo Record, which name it retained until 1994, when it became simply The Record. In 1928 the paper moved from its home at 49 King Street west to a new building at 30 Queen Street north where it was to stay for 44 years until moving in May 1973 to 225 Fairway Road. When William J. Motz died in 1946 his son John E. Motz took over as publisher. The by-then Senator Euler sold his interest to Southam Press in 1953. John E. Motz died in 1975 and the Motz Family continued to own a controlling interest in the paper until 1990, when it was sold to Southam. In 1998, The Record was sold to Sun Media Corporation, and then in March 1999, to Torstar Corporation. In January 2005, the paper moved its offices to Market Square on King Street east in Kitchener's downtown core, and on March 11, 2008, the name was changed to the Waterloo Region Record.

The Kitchener-Waterloo Young Men's Christian Association was founded in 1895 in Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario by a group of citizens "eager to promote the spiritual welfare of young men and boys of the city." The first officers were all prominent community members: President E.P. Clement, Vice-President Louis J. Breithaupt, Recording Secretary T.M. Turnbull, and Treasurer E.D. Lang. First known as the Berlin Young Men's Christian Association, the Association was active until 1906 when financial difficulties and limited facilities made it necessary to cease local operations. It was reconstituted in 1919 when a fund-raising campaign resulted in the building of the structure at the corner of Queen and Weber Streets in Kitchener. This building remained its headquarters until the Association moved to its present locations on Carwood Ave. in Kitchener.

Wilfred (Ed) Knorr was born July 16, 1908 and died January 14, 1969. Ca. 1955 he was secretary-treasurer of the Woelfle Shoe Co. in Kitchener, Ontario.

Teruko ‘Terry’ Kobayashi was an art historian who wrote about Canadian folk arts. Born in British Columbia, she received her BA from the University of Toronto in 1966, and also attended the Ontario College of Education. She co-authored two books on folk art and furniture, published a number of articles in the 1970s and 1980s, and received the Dr. J.S.B. Robinson Travelling Fellowship Award in 1987, and an Ontario Educational Research Grant in 1974. She also served as head of the art department at Eastwood Collegiate Institute, and was a fine artist herself who was active in the local arts community. She was a member of the K-W (Kitchener-Waterloo) Society of Artists, and many of her publications were focused on art and artists in Ontario and the Kitchener-Waterloo area, where she lived. She was also an accomplished musician and a long-standing member of the K-W Philharmonic Choir.

Paul Koch is an engineer, community volunteer and an alumnus of the University of Waterloo, where he was among the first engineering graduates at the school, and community volunteer. He studied Chemical Engineering and received a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) in 1963 and a Master of Applied Science (MASc) in 1964. Koch spent most of his professional career working for IBM and retired in 1992.

During his time as a student, Koch was an active member of campus life. He served as the first B Term Engineering President of the Engineering Society (1958-1959), Students’ Council Co-President (1961-62), the co-chairman of the Jackets Committee in 1962, and a member of the Senate (1964-66). Later in his career, he served as a member of the University of Waterloo Board of Governors (1989-1995), UW National Alumni Council (1987-1993), including a term as president (1989-1991), and the Dean's advisory council for the Faculty of Engineering (1994-1998) and the Faculty of Environment (2006-2012).

Outside of Waterloo, Koch has played a similarly active role in community life in southwestern and eastern Ontario. He served in various board and administrative roles as a member of the Burlington Family YMCA (1965-72); the Greater Hamilton YMCA (1967-72); the National Council of YMCAs of Canada (1968-73); the Sarnia YM/YWCA (1972-76); and the North York Family YM/YWCA (1976-1980). In Ottawa, he held various roles with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, the Riverside Hospital of Ottawa Foundation, Ottawa-Carleton Economic Development Corporation, and the City of Ottawa Environmental Advisory Committee. He has also worked with Sarnia Rotary Club (1972-1976), the Software Human Resource Council (1992-1995), the Major Industrial Accidents Council of Canada, Enviro Centre, and rare Charitable Research Reserve.

Koch has been recognized several times for his long-standing commitment to campus and community service. He received the Province of Ontario Volunteer Service Award in 1992, the University of Waterloo Faculty of Engineering Alumni Achievement Medal in 1998, the City of Ottawa Certificate of Appreciation in 2005, and the University of Waterloo 50th Anniversary Alumni Award in 2007.

Kranz was born in Lehrbach, Hesse, the son of Charles Kranz, was educated in Darmstadt moving to the United States with his father in 1851. After four years, father and son moved to Berlin, Ontario (now Kitchener). His father opened a general store there and Kranz took over its operation in 1875 after his father's death. In 1865, he married Catherine Seip. Kranz served as town clerk (1859 to 1867), reeve (1869 to 1870) and mayor (1874 to 1878) for Berlin. He also was trustee and treasurer for Kitchener Collegiate and a justice of the peace. Kranz helped found the Economical Mutual Fire Insurance Company and served as its manager and president.

William Kriesel owned the first hardware store in New Dundee, Ontario. He bought the building for his stove and tinware store in 1871 from the estate of the original owner, John Millar, for $1,200. He operated the hardware store from 1871 to 1906, and then passed the business on to his son, Bert Kriesel, who operated it from 1906 to 1912. Several prominent New Dundee business owners' names appear in Kriesel's day books and ledgers, including furniture maker Andrew Poth, carriage maker J.M. Weber [ie. Webber], harness maker A.B. McRae, flour mill owner E.W.B. Snider [ie. Snyder], butcher Charles Hiller, woolen mill owner Charles Kaufman, and the Kolebrenner brother blacksmiths.

Mabel Krug was born in Bristol, Pennsylvania. She moved to Montreal as a child, where her father moved the family to start a business. She went on to study music at McGill University's Conservatory of Music, with plans for an opera career, changing course after marrying Henry Krug and moving to Kitchener.

Awarded K-W Jaycee's Citizen of the Year Award in 1963 in recognition of work with Cancer Society and area cultural groups. Krug was received the Order of Canada in 1973 in recognition of her contributions to the lives of Canadians at a local and regional level.

The Kitchener-Waterloo Academy of Medicine is a networking organization for physicians in Kitchener-Waterloo.

K-W Oktoberfest was started in 1969 by a small group of interested citizens and the four German clubs, under the auspices of the Visitors and Convention Bureau of the combined Kitchener-Waterloo Chambers of Commerce, with the object of promoting tourism in the area. It was incorporated with a provincial charter as K-W Oktoberfest Incorporated in 1971 on a no-share capital basis. Except for a small professional staff, Oktoberfest is run by volunteers. A Board of Directors, Advisory Council, and committees oversee all aspects of the festival, which is held annually in October. K-W Oktoberfest's function is to plan, co-ordinate and promote the festival. The Corporation's financial support is derived from the sale of souvenirs, accreditation fees, sponsorships and donations.
Originally a beer festival patterned after the famous Munich Oktoberfest, the festival shifted emphasis in the early 1970's to promoting Oktoberfest as a cultural heritage event. Originally five days long, the festival now spans nine days; it is the world's second-largest Bavarian festival and features Canada's only Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Miss Oktoberfest Beauty Pageant, among many other events.

Thomas Lacey, a trance and direct voice medium, was born in Glossop, Derbyshire England on November 4, 1895.

Thomas married Edith Emma Lomas on March 18, 1918 in Whitfield. Edith was born in Whitfield, Derbyshire England on September 28, 1895.

Thomas and Edith immigrated to Canada in March 1923 and April 1924 respectively. Thomas worked as a mechanical engineer at companies including Dominion Rubber and Sutherland and Schultz.

Records of Thomas conducting séances in the Kitchener-Waterloo region begin in 1924. Edith, although not a medium, was an active participant in the séances. Thomas and Edith moved to Hamilton in the 1950s before returning to Kitchener-Waterloo in the 1960's. The séances recorded in the 1960s were held in the home of Otto and Nelda Smith in Kitchener. Otto Smith, a local businessman, played the organ at St. Matthews Lutheran Church in Kitchener and his organ playing can be heard throughout the séances.

Thomas and the séance sitters believed his main control during the 1960s was a spirit named Amirah and they maintained that his younger brother Walter, who died at a young age, acted as his gate keeper. Thomas Lacey purportedly channeled the spirits of Thomas Edison, Emmanuel Swedenborg, and John Wesley, amongst others. Sitters at the séances were said to have experienced apports, materializations, and automatic writing. One séance recording also contains what is believed to be an example of Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP).

The séances fall into three general categorizations: Masters Night when philosophical discussions took place; Visiting Night when spirits of friends and family were welcomed; and Rescue Night when the sitters would help spirits who had not crossed over the veil to do so.

Thomas Lacey died on June 17, 1966 at age 70. Edith Lacey died in 1993 at age 97. Thomas and Edith Lacey were buried in Parkview Cemetery, Waterloo, Ontario.