Gordon Snelgrove was a painter and teacher of Art and Art History at the University of Saskatchewan. He was born in 1867, and was appointed as a teacher of Art History at the University of Saskatchewan Regina Campus in 1936. A few years later he moved to the Saskatoon campus as the head of the Art Department, and he continued teaching there until his retirement in 1962. He passed away four years later in 1966. He is acknowledged as being perhaps the first Art Historian in Canada to receive a PhD in his discipline, and the Snelgrove Gallery on the U of S campus, which plays a role in providing learning and professional opportunities for students, still bears his name.

Johanna Tappert was born on October 4, 1892 in Meriden, Connecticut. She worked at the Lutheran College on 8th Street in Saskatoon from 1927 to 1933 as a high school teacher, Dean of the Girls Dormitory, and, eventually, Assistant Principal. She served as dorm mother for the girls and taught English to German immigrants on the weekends. At these classes, she met Ernest Lindner, who was subsequently given a room at the dorm in order to do his artwork. Johanna Tappert married Eugene Strack sometime around 1933. She died in Edmonton, Alberta on November 13, 1984.

Ernest (“Ernie”) Lindner was born in Vienna, Austria, on May 1, 1897. He immigrated to Canada in 1926, working initially as a farm labourer; but he soon earned recognition for his skill as an artist. He began teaching a night class for the Saskatoon Technical Collegiate in 1931. He eventually became a full-time instructor and Head of the Art Department at the Collegiate until 1962. From 1962 to 1988, he worked full-time as an artist. His work encompassed watercolour, pencil, and various forms of printmaking; and his subject matter was often drawn from life, particularly the natural world around his cabin at Fairy Island, Emma Lake, Saskatchewan. Lindner was a member and President of the Saskatoon Art Association and was one of the first members on the Saskatchewan Arts Board. Lindner received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1972. He was elected as a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (1977) and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada (1979). He died in Saskatoon on November 4, 1988.

Vipen Sawhney earned a B.Sc (1965) and M.Sc (1967) from the University of Panjab and PhD (1972) from the University of Western Ontario. He accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at Simon Fraser University in 1972 before coming to the University of Saskatchewan in 1975. Dr. Sawhney rose through the ranks serving as the Rawson Professor of Biology and Department Head from 2003-2007. In addition to his U of S appointment, he has been a visiting Professor and Fellow several times. Dr. Sawhney maintained a first rate research program throughout his career co-editing a book and authoring more than a hundred refereed papers. He is an internationally recognized plant geneticist focussing on understanding the processes and mechanisms controlling flower and pollen development in angiosperms using floral and male-sterile mutants in tomato, canola (Brassica napes) and Arabidopsis. By using microscopic, physiological (hormonal and environmental) and proteomic approaches, Dr. Sawhney has investigated the various factors, and their possible interactions, in plant developmental processes. His research on male sterility in tomato has been applied in the hybrid seed industry. He has received many awards and honours including the Master Teacher 2007, Earned Doctor of Science 2010 and the Award of Innovation from the University of Saskatchewan. He served as the President, Canadian Botanical Association, 2004-2006, President, International Association of Sexual Plant Reproduction and Research, 1998-2002 and Vice-President, Canadian Botanical Association, 1998-1999.

Norman Zepp was raised on a farm near Yorkton, Saskatchewan, and earned his BA from the University of Saskatchewan. While at university, Zepp met his partner Judith Varga; and he bought his first piece of Inuit art. Zepp switched his major from Education to Art History; and went on to earn an MA in Art History from Carleton University, under the supervision of George Swinton, who remained a lifelong friend of Zepp and Varga. After earning his graduate degree, Zepp was curator of exhibitions at the Mackenzie Art Gallery in Regina, and director of the Thunder Bay National Exhibition Centre and Centre for Indian Art. In 1988, he was appointed curator of Inuit art for the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), where he remained until 1994. During that time, Zepp was instrumental in building the AGO Inuit collection, including helping to facilitate several major donations, including the Williamson and the Sarick collections. Following the AGO, Zepp worked in Vancouver prior to returning to Saskatoon. He remains one of Canada’s foremost experts on Inuit art.

Clayton (Clayt) Crosby was a member of the Western Intercollegiate Championship winning team in 1933, capturing the Cairns Trophy. He competed in the broad jump and relay team.