Carlyle Allison was a journalist, and close friend and advisor of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. Born in Staynor, Ontario in 1907, his family moved to Winnipeg when he was a child. He attended the University of Manitoba (B.A., 1926). His journalism career started immediately after graduation: starting as a reporter and editor with the Winnipeg Tribune, 1926-1928; and reporter, bureau chief and editor with the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, 1928-1935. After a brief stint with the Montreal Gazette, he returned to the Winnipeg Tribune, progressing through the ranks as managing editor (1944), editor (1946), and editor-in-chief (1951). In 1958, he was appointed by Prime Minister Diefenbaker as a full-time (and founding) member of the Board of Broadcast Governors, the precursor to the CRTC. He served as Vice-Chairman between December 1960 and 1965, but his term was not renewed by the new Liberal government. Subsequently he worked for CJAY-TV in Winnipeg, until his retirement in 1971. He died in February 1972.

Diana Duerkop (nee Davis) graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a B.Ed. in 1969. During her time at the U of S, Duerkop was a member of the synchronized swimming team. After graduation Duerkop also worked for College of Physical Education.

Harald Finkler formerly headed the Circumpolar Affairs Directorate of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. He was responsible for the international dimension of the Department’s northern mandate, and strengthening cooperation, bilaterally and multilaterally, with Canada’s circumpolar neighbors. Multilaterally, as Director, he oversaw the provision of policy and organizational support to the Arctic Council. Moreover, Harald also acted as Canadian chair of the Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group.
Bilaterally, he guided the Directorate’s initiatives on cooperation with the Russian Federation on the Arctic. In this regard, Harald played a pivotal role in the Directorate’s longstanding contribution to Canada-USSR/Russia arctic cooperation achieved through technical assistance initiatives in building the capacity of the Indigenous Peoples of the Russian North.
Since his retirement, he continues his polar engagement as consultant on northern and indigenous issues.

Joseph Hinde was born in 1862. He married Martha Wake in Derbyshire, England in 1889 where the family was a member of the Fritchley Meeting (of Quakers). The Hindes were originally situated in Birmingham where Joseph Hinde was a coal worker and furniture mover. They had eight children: Edith, Leonard, Joseph Edward "Bob", Alfred, Winifred, Henry "Harry”, Elizabeth "Elsie" Linell, and Lydia "Daisie" Margaret. The family immigrated to Canada between 1911 and 1912 and settled near Borden Saskatchewan, where they became members of the Halcyonia Meeting of the Society of Friends. Their elder children Edith and Leonard immigrated a year ahead of the rest of the family. Once settled, the family operated a successful livestock business named Valley Springs Ranch. Initially the farm was operated by Bob Hinde (who had previously worked at Cadbury chocolates in England), however after developing severe hay allergy, the operation was taken over by his siblings Harry and Elsie. Jim Olynik (who was raised on the farm) later purchased Harry’s portion and operated it for many years, before selling to the donor, David Horn (also raised for many years on the ranch).

The family emigrated from Reed City Michigan to Spring Valley Saskatchewan in 1922 and tried to make a go of it during the worst of the Depression years, ultimately having to sell the farm and relocate to the West Coast. Henry O. Horn had four children: Charles (Bill), who died as a young adult, Elizabeth (Bessie), Clyde (David’s father), and Eleanor.

Jack Summers was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on October 9, 1919. In 1938, he joined the militia and enlisted in the Prince Albert and Battleford Volunteers. He transferred, in 1942, to the South Alberta Regiment of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division fighting in North West Europe, where he was awarded the Military Cross. Summers continued his military service after the war with the militia. At the time of his retirement from the militia in 1974, he had reached the rank of Brigadier General and Commander of the Prairie Militia. He also served as Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the Saskatchewan Dragoons, Honorary Colonel of the North Saskatchewan Regiment, a member of the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners, and as a member of the Board of Corps Commissionaires. Summers wrote extensively on military history, coauthored the book Military Uniforms in Canada 1665-1970, and authored Tangled Web - Canadian Infantry Accoutrements 1855-1985. After returning from the war in 1946, Summers also enrolled in the College of Pharmacy, University of Saskatchewan, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1949. In 1952, he completed a Master of Science degree from the State University of Iowa. Summers was a member of the faculty of the University of Saskatchewan from 1949 until 1987. He was the first director of Pharmaceutical services at the University Hospital. He was President of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (1956-1957), President of the Council of the Canadian Pharmaceutical Association (1964), and President of the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada. Summers, at the time of his death remained the only pharmacist to have presided over all three associations. He also edited the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy from 1961 to 1981. Jack Summers died January 26, 1994 at the age of 74.

Irene Anna Poelzer was born on 21 April 1926 in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. She took vows as a Catholic nun, entering the convent in 1950 and becoming Sister Mary Ruth. She earned her BA (1950), B.Ed (1964) and M.Ed (1968) from the University of Saskatchewan, an MA (1969) from Seattle University, and PhD (1972) from the University of Oregon. Irene taught at the Loretto Abbey Girls’ School in Toronto, in Fort Erie, and was principal of Sedley High School prior to joining the University of Saskatchewan as an assistant professor of Educational Foundations in 1970. Other than one year at Dalhousie (1975-1976), she remained at the University of Saskatchewan for the rest of her career. In 1985 she earned the rank of full professor.

She authored or co-authored three books, Saskatchewan Women Teachers, 1905-1920: Their Contributions (1990), Metis Women’s Perception of Social Reality in Seven Northern Saskatchewan Communities (1983) and In Our Own Words: Northern Saskatchewan Metis Women Speak Out (1986); published a book of poetry, Women of Exodus II, wrote several articles and chapters in books, and was regularly invited to speak at conferences. She was a founding member of the Women’s Studies Research Unit, and had helped to develop a course on women and education (in 1973) that ushered in feminist scholarship at the University (and was the first continuing undergraduate course of its kind in Canada). Upon her retirement from the University in 1993, Irene was named Professor Emerita. Irene died on 12 January 2018.

Stan Rowe was a professor of Plant Ecology at the University of Saskatchewan. A prominent Canadian ecologist, Rowe won the J.B. Harkin Conservation award in 1994 for his significant contribution to protecting Canada’s parks and wilderness areas. The Canadian Botanical Association established an award in his name, honouring his contribution as the first Chair of the Ecological Section of the Association. He retired in 1990 and passed away in 2004. (from Home Place: Essays on Ecology by Stan Rowe, 2002)

Born on a farm near Viceroy, Saskatchewan in 1928, Margaret (Kesslering) Weiers graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a BA (English) in 1949. As an early feminist, social reformer and fierce nationalist, she embarked on a 40-year career in journalism that began with the Regina Leader-Post and ended with the Toronto Star. In 1969, she won the Canadian Women’s Press Club Memorial Award for best news story. Weiers was the first journalist to receive a special award from the American Association on Mental Deficiency. She left the Leader Post in 1955 and joined the Canadian foreign service, serving as vice-consul for the Canadian Consulate General in New York City and a press officer for the Canadian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly. In 1957, she married Robert Weiers (U of S BA’47, BEd’48, BComm’52). Marriage marked the end of her foreign service career, as the Department of External Affairs required women officers to resign after they married. In 1960, the Weiers went to Ghana on a 15-month foreign aid assignment. While her husband helped set up a school of business at the University of Accra, Margaret Weiers worked as a freelance writer for radio and television. They returned to Canada and in 1963 she joined the staff of the Toronto Star. For the next three decades Weiers worked as a reporter, a feature writer and most notably a member of the Star’s editorial board. Weiers retired from the Star in 1991. She went on to write a book about women in the Canadian foreign service. Published in 1995, Envoys Extraordinary: Women of the Canadian Foreign Service chronicles the experiences of 22 female career officers struggling to succeed in a predominantly male world. Among her many honours was an Honourary Doctor of Letters at 2010 University of Saskatchewan spring convocation.

John James McConnell was born in Trenta, Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland in 1925. Two months prior to his first birthday, his family immigrated to Canada, where they farmed in the Sanctuary and Dinsmore area of Saskatchewan. McConnell attended the University of Saskatchewan, earning a degree in Agricultural Economics (1951). He began a 21-year career with the Saskatchewan public service, working for the departments of Co-operation and Co-operative Development, and Agriculture. During this period he hosted a radio show, “Good Listening for Good Farming,” and a television show, “Rural Route Saskatchewan.” His interests in print and other media prompted him to get his MA in Communication Arts from Michigan State University (1968). McConnell also worked for the federal civil service, in Ottawa and Saskatoon, for Agriculture Canada. He retired in 1984. John McConnell died on 25 January 2016 in Saskatoon.