Sir Louis Hippolyte LaFontaine was born near Boucherville, Chambly county, Lower Canada, on October 4, 1807, the third son of Antoine Menard dit Lafontaine, a farmer; and the grandson of Antoine Menard LaFontaine, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada from 1796 to 1804. He was educated at the College of Montreal, was called to the Bar of Lower Canada, and practiced law in Montreal. From 1830 to 1837 he was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada for Terrebonne; and he was a supporter of Louis Joseph Papineau. He opposed the appeal to arms by the Patriotes in 1837; but he deemed it wise to leave Canada, and on his return to Canada in 1838 was arrested. He was released, however, without trial; and when the union of 1841 was brought about, he became the leader of the French Canadian Reformers. He was defeated in the election of 1841 in Terrebonne, but found a seat, through the offices of Robert Baldwin, in the fourth riding of York, Upper Canada. He was able to sit continuously in the Assembly until 1851, first for the fourth riding of York, second for Terrebonne, and lastly for the City of Montreal. In 1848 he became the Prime Minister of the Province of Canada until 1851 when he resigned from the government and withdrew from public life. In 1853 he was appointed Chief Justice of Lower Canada and he occupied this position until his death on February 26, 1864. (taken from "The Macmillan Dictionary of Canadian Biography." 4th ed. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1978.)
The Labour-Progressive Party (LPP) was representative of the working classes in Canada. The Labour Party based its ideas on the Trade and Labour Congress which was formed in 1900. Sub-groups such as the National Federation of Labour Youth were organized to help different age groups of the working class. During the war with Korea, Monica Felton, a LLP supporter travelled to Korea to see first hand the war atrocities which had been committed against the people of Korea. When she returned to Canada she issued a booklet detailing her trip and what she saw. The LLP supported peace so that Canadians could acquire job security and raise their standard of living. The Party advocated a free and independent Canada from American domination. It was dedicated to peace and friendship with all the world where the democratic will of the people decided their destiny. It offered freedom from fear of unemployment in which the right to work was guaranteed. It wanted to offer a secure homeland for all from birth to ripe old age.
Norbert Erasmus Hyacinth Krommer was born in Latvia in 1930 and lived in Lindsay, Ontario. He had two brothers, Sven Krommer (of Austria) and Ivo Krommer. Krommer was a long-time collector of postcards and was a member of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada, the International Philatelic Society of Joint Stamp Issues Collector, and the Monarchist League of Canada. It appears that he may also have been a member of the Meter Stamp Society and the British North America Philatelic Society although this is not confirmed. Krommer died in Lindsay in 2013 at the age of 83.
Stafford Frederick Kirkpatrick was born December 12, 1809, the seventh son of Alexander Kirkpatrick, in Coolmine, County Dublin, Ireland. He later emigrated to Canada and settled in Peterborough, Upper Canada, where he was a Barrister at Law and later became a Judge. He was also a militia officer. In 1835, Kirkpatrick married Henrietta Fisher, daughter of Alexander Fisher, and together they had six children. He died in 1858.
William Lyon Mackenzie King, Prime Minister of Canada (1921-1925, 1926-1930, and 1935-1948), was born in Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario, on December 17, 1874, the son of John King and the grandson of William Lyon Mackenzie. He was educated at the University of Toronto (B.A., 1895; M.A., 1897) and did post-graduate work in sociology at Harvard University (M.A. 1898; Ph.D. 1909). In 1900 he was invited by Sir William Mulock to become Canada's first Deputy Minister of Labour; and in 1909 he was persuaded by Sir Wilfrid Laurier to enter politics, was elected to represent Waterloo in the Canadian House of Commons, and became Canada's first Minister of Labour not holding a separate portfolio. In 1919 he was chosen to succeed Laurier as leader of the Liberal party; and in 1921 he was elected to represent North York in the House of Commons, and became Prime Minister of Canada and Minister for External Affairs. When King retired in 1948, he had held office longer than any previous prime minister in the British Commonwealth. He died, unmarried, near Ottawa, Ontario, on July 22, 1950. (taken from "The Macmillan Dictionary of Canadian Biography" fourth edition. 1978.)
Martha Ann Kidd (nee Maurer) was born October 15, 1917 and resided in Peterborough, Ontario. She married Kenneth E. Kidd in October 1943. A well known and respected local historian, she was also known for her talents as an author and artist and was an authority on architecture, particularly the architecture of the Peterborough region. Martha Ann Kidd was chair of the Old Buildings Committee of the Peterborough Historical Society and a member of the Peterborough Historical Society, Peterborough's Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee, and Trent University's Friends of the Bata Library. She died on July 30, 2012.
Professor Kenneth E. Kidd was born July 21, 1906 at Barrie, Ontario as the son of D. Ferguson Kidd and Florence May Jebb. He was educated at Victoria College at the University of Toronto (B.A. 1931 and M.A. 1937). He also attended the University of Chicago from 1939 to 1940. He married Martha Ann Maurer in October, 1943. In 1935 he joined the Ethnology Department of the Royal Ontario Museum where he worked until 1981 in various positions, starting as an assistant and ending as Curator of Ethnology. He directed the excavation at Ste. Marie I, the site of a 17th century Jesuit Mission near Midland, Ontario, which was the first excavation of a historical site using modern techniques, in North America. In 1964, Kidd joined Trent University as a professor of Anthropology and in the following year he established and chaired the Native Studies Program which was the first of its kind in Canada. He retired from Trent University in 1972, and in 1973, Professor Kidd was named Professor Emeritus of Anthropology. Throughout his career, Professor Kidd was honoured with many awards. Some of these awards include the Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, 1951-52; the Cornplanter Medal, 1970; Award for Eminent Service, Trent University, 1983 (See the Trent Fortnightly Volume 13, Number 21, Thursday, May 19, 1983. Trent University Archives Reading Room); J.C. Harrington Medal, Society for Historical Archaeology, 1985; and an Honorary Degree from Trent University, 1990. He published "Canadians Long Ago" and with Selwyn Dewdney published "Indian Rockpaintings of the Great Lakes". Professor Kenneth E. Kidd died February 26, 1994, at the age of eighty-eight in Peterborough, Ontario.
James Robbins Kidd, born May 4, 1915 at Wapella, Saskatchewan, was the son of John Kidd and Muriel Robbins. He was educated at Sir George Williams University (B.A. 1938), McGill University (M.A. 1943), and Columbia University (Ed.D. 1947). Throughout his career he also received Honorary Degrees (LL.D) from the following institutions for his contributions in the field of continuing and adult education: University of British Columbia, Concordia University, Trent University, McGill University, Laurentian University, and York University. In 1941 he married Margaret Edith Easto and they had 5 children. From 1966 to his death in 1982, Kidd held the position of Chairman of the Adult Education Department at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (O.I.S.E.). He is the author of several publications including: "Adult Education in the Canadian University," "Adult Education in the Caribbean," "Financing Continuing Education," and "Adult Learning: a Design for Development."
The Keystone View Company was established in the summer of 1892 by B.L. Singley, an enthusiastic amateur photographer in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Keystone was to become the most important publisher of stereographs in the twentieth century. Keystone went on to publish several series of stereograph cards such as images of mining and mineral industries, national parks of America, the world, American history, President McKinley's funeral, World War I, Cascade Park, and the Tennessee State Centennial. By 1920, Keystone was the only major publisher of stereographs in the world. They had offices in London, Paris, Sidney, Capetown, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. Part of this prominence was derived from the sale of World War I stereograph sets, as Keystone was one of the only publishers to secure permission to photograph battlefields and military operations. Unfortunately, permission was not granted until the end of 1918, just before Armistice, so many of the photographs depict scenes taken after the end of the war. The photographer of the World War I photographs was Andrew S. Iddings. The Keystone View Company ceased regular production in 1939 but continued to manufacture views for optometric purposes. As well, they filled individual orders for stereographs until 1970. (Taken from: Darrah, William C. "The World of Stereographs." Gettysburg: W.C. Darrah Publisher, 1977.)
Professor David Kettler received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University. He began teaching Political Studies at Trent University in 1971. During his tenure, Kettler was instrumental in setting up the Social Theory program. He was on the Julian Blackburn College Academic Advisory Board from 1976 to 1979. In 1987 he began teaching Cultural Studies. He retired from Trent in 1991.
The Honourable William Kerr, 1836-1906, was born at Ameliasburgh, Prince Edward County, Upper Canada, a son of Francis William and Olive Shelley Kerr. He attended school at Newtonville and later, Victoria College at Cobourg, Ontario where he received his B.A. in 1855 and his M.A. in 1858. Subsequently, Victoria College honoured him with a L.L.D. in 1887. William Kerr carried on his legal studies in the office of Smith and Armour (later Chief Justice of Ontario) in Cobourg. He was called to the Upper Canada bar in 1859 and practised law in Cobourg. He became a Q.C. in 1876. In 1896 he was elected a Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario. During his career, Mr. Kerr maintained his lasting association with Victoria College as a member of its Board of Regents, then as a senator. In 1885 he was appointed the University's Vice-Chancellor. He was heavily involved in the many land transactions undertaken by the University in Northumberland and Durham Counties. Mr. Kerr began his political career as a Town Councillor of Cobourg, from 1862 to 1867 and as the town's mayor, from 1867 to 1873. In 1874, he was elected as a Liberal member of the House of Commons for Northumberland West. He was unseated by petition on September 26, 1874, but was re-elected at a by-election on November 17, 1874. He was later defeated in both the 1878 and 1882 elections. On March 15, 1899 he was called to the Senate. Mr. Kerr was a Methodist by religion. On November 12, 1858, he married Myra J. Field, daughter of John Field M.P.P. They had seven children, three daughters and four sons. The oldest son, William F. Kerr became a partner in his father's law practice to form the firm Kerr and Kerr of Cobourg. After the Senator's death on November 22, 1906 in Toronto, William F. carried on the firm with a series of partnerships. John Wesley Kerr, the Senator's brother, was also a lawyer in Cobourg. He was called to the bar in May 1860 and was commissioned as a notary public in the same year. On June 27, 1870, he married Eva Fraser. It is possible that during his career he was Clerk of the Peace for the United Counties of Northumberland and Durham. He died on September 4, 1903.
Walter Kenyon was a noted Ontario archaeologist, and curator of Canadian archaeology at the Royal Ontario Museum for twenty-five years.
Judge John de Navarre Kennedy, son of Gilbert and Alice Kennedy, was born on May 31, 1888 in London, England. He graduated from Cambridge University with a B.A. in 1909. In 1914, Kennedy married Elsie Margaret Pinks and they had one daughter, Anne Macomb (Mrs. Dudas). In 1970, after the death of his first wife, Kennedy married Marjorie Helen Troop. Kennedy was called to the Bar in B.C. in 1918, and in Ontario in 1921. He practised with the law firm Manning, Mortimer and Kennedy in Toronto. Judge Kennedy held the position of judge in the Court of Peterborough from 1952-1963. Kennedy was well-known for his work in the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies where he was president, and in the Humane Trap Development Committee where he was chairman. He was also involved in several recreational activities, such as painting in watercolours, exhibiting his works at the Roy Canadian Academy, National Gallery of Canada. Kennedy is author of "In the Shadow of Cheka", "Crime in Reverse", "Aids to Jury Charges", and several other books and publications. He was also the editor of Chitty's Law Journal. In 1978 Kennedy received the Queen's Jubilee Medal. Kennedy died December 3, 1979.
Gene Kelly was born as Eugene Curran Kelly on August 23, 1912 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvannia, U.S.A. His father, James Patrick Joseph Kelly, was born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario. Gene Kelly was educated at Pennsylvannia State University and he graduated in 1933. He had a number of different jobs before work as a dance instructer placed him on the stage. He played in "Leave it to Me", "The Time of Your Life" and "Paul Joey" in New York Theatre as well as many other theatres. When he was thirty he started to appear in movie films such as various musicals for MGM, where he found success with Judy Garland in "For Me and My Gal". In 1951 Gene Kelly received an Oscar for his contribution to dance in film. Gene was married three times and three children. Gene Kelly died on February 2, 1996. (Taken from: Thomson, David. "A Biographical Dictionary of Film." New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1981.) Gene Kelly's aunt, Mary Anne Kelly, married Richard Sheehy and at one point they lived at 751 George St. N. in Peterborough - the Stratton, later, Sheehy and even later Sadleir House.
"Kawartha Rail-Trail is a community based non-profit organization committed to the public ownership of abandoned Canadian National Railway (C.N.R.) lines in the Kawartha Lakes Region for recreation, conservation, and heritage purposes."(Taken from Kawartha Rail-Trail brochure in this accession). To date, Kawartha Rail-Trail extends from Lindsay in the west to Hastings in the east and Lakefield in the north. Kawartha Rail-Trail is a small part of the national Canadian Rails to Greenways Network and the Ontario Trail Council. Kawartha Rail-Trail has the potential to link its development to other developments existing in adjacent areas.
The Kawartha Artists Gallery and Studio (KAGS), founded by Dorothy Martin, was a not-for-profit artist collective located in Peterborough, established in June 1990 in the basement of the Peterborough Public Library’s De La Fosse branch. Some of the well-known, founding members include George Elliot, Poul Thrane, Ann Cossar, John Norton, and Neil Broadfoot. For a $25 membership fee, they offered the opportunity for artists to access to exhibition space with a hanging fee and no commission on sales, individual painting space, storage space for materials and unfinished work, and use of worktables, easels, work areas, kitchen and washroom facilities. They showcased demonstrations during exhibitions, held workshops for young children and adults, and hosted various art events and contests. They aimed to bring together local artists, both professional and aspiring, to support the growth of arts and culture in the surrounding area.
The Katchewanooka Herald is a handwritten newspaper created by agricultural students on Colonel Samuel Strickland's farm (the Agricultural College) during the mid-1800's. An article found in the February 15th, 1858 issue implies that the first volume covers the issues beginning April 14, 1856 and ending February 15, 1858. However, there are issues dated 1855. The words "Volume IInd" [Volume Two] are found in large script for the first time on the issue dated March 1st, 1858.
The Kanawa Canoe museum was located in Haliburton, Ontario. The director and founder was Professor Kirk Wipper of the University of Toronto. The Canadian Canoe Museum was taken over by a Board of Directors centered at Trent University beginning in 1990. This steering committee was set up in 1980 to investigate "the feasibility of establishing the Kanawa International Museum at Trent". A management consultant was subsequently hired to advise on the location and future development of Kanawa. Kanawa is now known as the Canadian Canoe Museum.
The Journal of Canadian Studies started off as an idea for a "Learned Journal" similar to the Queen's Quarterly but called the Trent Quarterly. As ideas were formulated by President T.H.B. Symons and others it came about that the need for a learned journal in Canadian Studies was necessary to the field of Canadian Studies. On 1 June 1964 during the first meeting of the Committee of the Learned Journal it was decided to call the new journal The Journal of Canadian Studies. Professor S.G. Denis Smith was chair of the meeting and other members in attendance at the meeting were Dean M.G. Fry, Mr. J.D.P. Martin and Professor J.S. Pettigrew. In the press release on 7 July 1964 issued by Trent University the Journal was to cover such Canadian topics as history, politics, anthropology, art, literature, theatre, economics and sociology. The Journal solicits manuscripts ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 words in length, English or French, dealing with some aspect of Canadian Society or history and of general as well as specialized scholarly interest. The first editor of the Journal was Denis Smith and the associate editor was Bernard R. Blishen. A number of Trent faculty members, such as Kenneth E. Kidd, T.H.B. Symons as well as Ronald J. Thom, sat on the editorial and advisory boards. The Journal was "founded in the belief that the life and history of Canada, still largely unexamined, deserve[d] common study by persons of many approaches and attitudes." (Journal of Canadian Studies Vol. 1, page 2). The symbol used to represent the Journal of Canadian Studies is Samuel de Champlain's astrolabe which he had lost in 1613 while crossing a portage in the upper Ottawa River valley. The astrolabe now resides in the Canadian Museum of History. From 1966 to 2015, the Journal of Canadian Studies was published quarterly by Trent University. Beginning with Volume 49.3 (Fall 2015), it became part of the University of Toronto Press’s Journals publishing program.
Professor Roger Jones is Professor Emeritus of Trent University. He was a faculty member of the Biology Department for 32 years and retired in 2000. Professor Jones was a member of Trent's Nature Areas Committee.
Richard Johnston was born August 8, 1946 in Pembroke, Ontario. He was raised near Peterborough, Ontario and educated at Trent University, where he worked as an administrator and counsellor after earning his Bachelor of Arts in History and English. He later became a community worker and administrator, specializing in the problems of the elderly. He also worked as an organizer for former NDP leader Stephen Lewis, and ran for the party leadership in 1982, finishing second to Bob Rae. He served as chair of the NDP caucus, and chair of the Legislature's Social Development Committee. He also participated in select committees on the constitution, health care and education. He represented Scarborough West from 1979 to 1990, serving his last three years as the New Democratic Party's critic on education; colleges, universities and skills development; and women's issues. He was also the party's spokesperson for the disabled, and was responsible for issues affecting Metro Toronto. During his six years as Community and Social Services critic, Richard fought both inside and outside the legislature on behalf of the poor. In 1982, he publicly highlighted the plight of the poor by going on a one-month "welfare diet," living on the report called "The Other Ontario", which exposed the extent of the province's hidden poverty. In early 1987 he and his colleagues presented their report to an independent social assistance review committee. The report, called "Toward a New Ontario", recommended an overhaul of the existing social assistance system and a series of other policy changes to bring a new independence to Ontario's disadvantaged. He was a strong advocate of disarmament and in 1986 was able to move the Ontario legislature to declare Ontario nuclear-weapons-free. Also in 1986, Richard travelled to Nicaragua where he helped build a school and medical facility. From 1991 to 1995 Richard was chair of the Ontario Council of Regents. In 1996 he became a member of Trent University's Board of Directors and in 1998 became President of Centennial College in Scarborough, Ontario.
Julie Johnston, née Dulmage, is an internationally known author of children’s novels, plays, and short stories. Born in 1941, Johnston was raised in Smith Falls, Ontario. She then moved to Toronto to attend the University of Toronto where she received her degree in Occupational Therapy in 1963. She married her high school sweetheart, Dr. Basil Johnston, in the same year. After a few years of working in hospitals in Perth and Kingston, followed by adventures in Europe, they eventually settled in Peterborough, Ontario in 1970. At this time, Johnston stepped away from her career as an occupational therapist to raise their four daughters, Leslie, Lauren, Melissa, and Andrea.
Her love of writing began at a young age, writing school plays and short stories that lead to neighbourhood productions for her daughters and their friends. Johnston eventually began taking classes at Trent University in 1975 and graduated with a degree in English in 1984.
Encouraged to pursue a writing career, Johnston began submitting short stories to writing competitions in Canada. In 1979 her first submission was a play titled “Frost” that won first prize in the Ottawa Little Theatre’s annual Canadian Playwriting Competition, sparking her pursuit of a career in writing. The next two decades were full of positive experiences and many challenges. Johnston was signed to Stoddart Publishing and published her first novel “Hero of Lesser Causes," which won a Governor General’s award for Children’s Literature in 1992. Her next novel, "Adam, Eve and Pinch-Me," was published in 1994 and also won the Governor General’s Children’s Literature award. Stoddart Publishing eventually dissolved, and Johnston published five more books with Key Porter Publishing. These books were titled, "The Only Outcast," "Love You Like a Sister," "In Spite of Killer Bees," "Susanna’s Quill," and "Accidental Lives."
In addition to two Governor General’s awards, Johnston has many other accolades that she earned during her career. She was awarded an Honourary Degree of Letters from Trent University in 1996. She also won Mr. Christie’s Book Award and the Violet Downey Book Award for "Hero of Lesser Causes" in 1993. Johnston also served on review committees and gave numerous workshops and speeches, including the Margaret Laurence Lecture at Trent University in 1997.