Harry Willsmer was born in 1864 at Sturmer, Essex, England to William and Charlotte (Finch) Willsmer. Upon completion of his education, Willsmer held occupations including clerk, collector and farmer. He emigrated to Canada in April 1902 and settled briefly in Regina, North-West Territories (after September 1905, Saskatchewan). Between 1902 and 1906, he lived in various locations before settling permanently in Regina.

Willsmer was employed with the Government of Saskatchewan as its first chief clerk of the Department of Railways, Telegraphs and Telephones (ca. 1906-1913) and as an inspector of rural telephones with the Department of Telephones (ca. 1913-1917). He left the employ of the government briefly and was a representative for O'Hara & Co. bond brokers (ca. 1917). Subsequently, he was re-employed with the Government as an accountant with the Local Government Board, a position he held until his retirement in 1931. He was a founding member of the Saskatchewan Civil Service Association, and served as its first president in 1913.

Willsmer was active in several secret and benevolent societies. He was a past grand patron of the Grand Chapter of Saskatchewan, Order of the Eastern Star; a charter member of Floreat Lodge No. 64, I.O.O.F.; and held life membership to Wascana Lodge No. 2, A.F. & A.M.; Wascana chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Shepherds of Gabriel's White Shrine of Jerusalem; and the Scottish Rite. Among Willsmer's other hobbies were sketching, cartooning and illustrating, particularly on programmes, certificates, and greeting cards.

Harry Willsmer died in Regina on January 1, 1950. He was interred at Regina Cemetery.

Robert Gordon Williamson was born on 2 November 1931 at Oxley, Staffordshire, England. He immigrated to Canada in 1952 and was employed at a series of jobs; but while wintering at Ft. Simpson, Northwest Territories, he began recording Dené folklore as an independent initiative. This work was later published in Anthropologica, and Williamson's extensive record of scholarship in cultural anthropology and ethnology can be dated from this period forward. Between July 1953 and October 1954 while based at Pangnirtung, Baffin Island, he learned Inuktitut and extended his ethnological experience by travelling throughout Cumberland Sound. In 1954 Williamson began studying at Carleton University, earning a BA in anthropology in 1957; he earned a PhD from the Royal University, Uppsala, Sweden, in 1974. During the summers while working toward his first degree, Williamson was employed with the Department of Northern Affairs. In 1958 he joined the Department of Northern Affairs on a full-time basis, where he established their Eskimology section, founded the first Eskimo language journal, Inuktitut; and became Welfare and Rehabilitation Superintendent for the district of Keewatin, dealing primarily with social issues. He resigned in 1963, remaining in Rankin Inlet doing private research on a Canada Council grant. His career with the University of Saskatchewan began at the Centre for Community Studies, with a study of Fringe Saulteaux near Kamsack, Saskatchewan; by 1964 he had joined the department of Anthropology as a lecturer and was an associate director with the Institute for Northern Studies. He was quickly promoted: assistant professor in 1965; associate professor in 1967; full professor in 1973. In addition, Williamson served for over a decade as the director of the University's Arctic Research and Training Centre. In 1966 he was elected by acclamation in the first of his two terms as member for Keewatin to the Legislative Council of the NWT. Williamson has worked on behalf of numerous organizations, including the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, the Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, and the CBC Northern Service. He was invested into the Order of Canada in 1983. Upon his retirement from the University in 1999 Williamson was named Professor Emeritus, and at the fall 2000 convocation ceremony, was recognized with the JWG Ivany Internationalization Award.

Lillian Alexandrina Williamson was born on April 10, 1898 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. In 1914 she came to Grenfell, SK and reenrolled in the University of Saskatchewan by 1918. Lillian received a B.A. from the University of Saskatchewan in 1921, with high honours in English and French. She is also listed as having taken a summer school class for Teacher’s courses at the U of S. Her name was listed as a graduate student in the UBC 1926-1927 Calendar, also in English and French. She died in 1985 at the age 87 in Vancouver, B.C. Her death certificate lists her profession as school teacher.

David Colwyn Williams was born in Swansea, South Wales, in 1916. He received a BA (1938) from the University of Wales and both another BA and an LL.B. (1940) from Cambridge. During World War Two, Williams served with the South Wales Borderers in India, the Middle East, and Leros, where he was taken prisoner by German forces in 1943. At the end of the war, he returned to Cambridge for one year as a law supervisor, then accepted the post of Lecturer in Law at Queen's University, Belfast. While on leave in 1958, Williams earned an LL.M from the University of California, Berkeley. He accepted a position as Associate Professor at the University of Saskatchewan in 1961, was promoted to Professor in 1964, and in 1969 was named Assistant Dean of the College of Law. Williams was the author of a number of publications, notably in the fields of Public and Private International Law and Legal History. He also served with various organizations, including the United Nations Association, Canadian Institute of International Affairs, and the Advisory Group to the Minister of External Affairs. Colwyn Williams died suddenly at his Saskatoon home on December 26, 1971.