James Wesley Graham was a Canadian computing pioneer who was known as the "father of computing" at the University of Waterloo and who was "chiefly responsible for the university's international reputation in software development." (Donn Downey, The Globe and Mail).

Born in Copper Cliff, Ontario on Jan. 17, 1932, he studied mathematics and physics at the University of Toronto from 1950-1955. He worked for IBM Canada until 1959 when he joined the University of Waterloo. At first he taught statistics in the the Dept. of Mathematics where a "Computing Centre" was established in 1960. When it became a separate department in 1962, he became the director. He pioneered the creation of software to support education, especially in the teaching of computer programming and in making computing accessible. In the 1960's he worked with the Ministry of Education to develop computer programming instruction courses for high school students. He received the Order of Canada in 1999 for his contributions to computer science. James Wesley Graham died in 1999.

The Waterloo Foundation for the Advancement of Computing (known as WATFAC) was incorporated in 1974 as a non-profit corporation. Its initial objective was "to acquire and administer funds to be used for the advancement of computing", through activities including lectures and seminars, scholarships and fellowships, publication of computer-related materials and supporting research and development in the field of computing. The income supporting these objectives was to come from memberships, donations, seminars and workshops, publishing activities, and royalties generated by research activities such as software development.