John Henry Ratz was born November 9, 1830 in Woolwhich Township. He married Christina Eidt with and together they had 10 children. He died July 5, 1881 and was buried in Oetzel Evangelical Cemetery in the Ratzburg area of Perth County, Ontario.

Ratz attended the Hamilton Central Collegiate Institute. He graduated with a B.A.Sc. in engineering physics from the University of Toronto, before obtaining an M.Sc. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ratz married Jean Isabel Fairles (?-1999) at Ryerson United Church on July 23.

Henry Eidt Ratz was born April 30, 1877 in the Gads Hill area of Perth County, Ontario. He was the youngest of Henry and Christina (nee Eidt) Ratz's ten children. He was the mayor of Waterloo from 1935 to 1936, in addition to numerous terms as a Waterloo city councillor and Deputry Reeve, and as Warden for the County of Waterloo. Ratz married Margaret Hill and together they had two children: Gladys Ruby and Lloyd Henry. He died in 1954 and was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery.

Ratz died March 29, 1974 in Hamilton, Ontario and was buried at Woodland Cemetery.

Clara Dunke was born April 8, 1868 in Elmira, Ontario. She married George Ratz on September 8, 1863 and together they had six children: Leroy Henry, Elmer George, Ruth Elizabeth, Roswell, Reginald Guy, and Herbert. She died April 13, 1933 in Toronto, Ontario and was buried in Elmira Union Cemetery.

Christina Eidt was born June 30, 1834 in Germany.

The Ratz family was a prominent Mennonite family hailing from the Kitchener-Waterloo area. John Ratz was the first of the family to be born in Canada. He purchased a farm in Elmira in 1855 and was eventually elected the first Reeve of Elmira in 1887. John Ratz was a miller and owner of the Ratz Brothers Company as well as having a large amount of real-estate in the Elmira area. John Ratz had 10 children including George Ratz who was married to Clara Dunke in 1863 and had 6 children. One of these children, Elmer Ratz, was the executor to the estates of John, Clara, and George. Elmer was also brother to Herbert Ratz.

Eleanor Rathbone was a leader figure in the British women's rights movement as well as being a member of parliament and a campaigner for the cause of family allowance. Born to social reformer William Rathbone V she worked for him after her graduation from Oxford investigating social and industrial conditions in Liverpool. In 1897 she joined the Liverpool Women's Suffrage Society and was Honorary Secretary and in 1913 co-founded the Liverpool Women's Citizen's Association. At the beginning of the Second World War she founded the charity now known as SSAFA which supports spouses and dependents of soldiers. When Millicent Fawcett retired in 1919 Eleanor took over as president of the National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship. After the society disbanded upon women receiving equal franchise, she became a member of parliament and was an outspoken critic of the government's policy of appeasement in the Second World War. In 1945 the Family Allowances Act, a lifetime social cause for her, came into effect and Eleanor died the next year in London.

Catharina Breithaupt Raquet was born in Buffalo, New York on February 18, 1847 to parents Liborius Breithaupt and Barbara Catharina Goetz, who had emigrated from Germany in 1843. Catharina married Jacob Raquet in New York March 3, 1864 and the couple had six children: William Jacob; Clara Maria; Edward David; Henrietta Catharine Philomene; Emilie Louise; and Joseph John Louise, living in Buffalo and the Detroit, Michigan area, where Jacob was a farmer. Jacob died March 11, 1886 in Detroit. The 1920 United States census has Catharina living in Santa Monica, California with her daughter Emilie. Catharina's death date is unknown.

Rebecca Anne Deacon was a homemaker and the second wife of Colin Rankin. Born March 23, 1850 in Dublin, Ireland to James and Catherine (nee Elliott) Deacon, she married Rankin at the age of 23 in 1873. She died in Montreal, Quebec on January 15, 1934 and was interred at Riverside Cemetery in Lindsay, Ontario.

John Ireland Rankin was a Canadian mining executive born May 18, 1879 in Lindsay, Ontario to Colin and Rebecca (nee Deacon) Rankin. After graduating from the Lindsay Collegiate Institute he worked with the Bank of Ottawa. In 1914 he joined the N.A. Timmins Corporation, later becoming managing director. Over the course of his career he held director and executive positions at various companies including Labrador Mining and Exploration, McVittie-Graham Mines Limited, and Brompton Pulp and Paper Company. At the time of his death on September 4, 1961, he was the director of Hollinger Consolidated Gold Mines and Noranda Mines.

Colin Scott Rankin was a Canadian lawyer born to Colin and Rebecca (nee Scott) Rankin in the St. Maurice District of Quebec on May 22, 1857. He was a member of the bar in Ontario and was working in Winnipeg, Manitoba as a barrister when he died at the age of 27 on August 21, 1883.

Colin Rankin, Hudson's Bay Company factor, was born July 29, [1826] in New Brunswick. He was married twice, first in 1856 to Rebecca Scott (1838-1870) and again in 1873 to Rebecca Deacon. Engaged by Sir George Simpson in March 1848, he became a Chief Trader for the Hudson's Bay Company in 1868, a Factor in 1872, and a Chief Factor in 1879. He was in charge of Mattawa Post for several years; left for Lachine in August, 1853; then to St. Maurice district; spent the winter at Kickendatch Post; was called to Montreal in August, 1854, and appointed to succeed Chief Trader Anderson in charge of Bersimis Post. In June, 1856, he was appointed to take charge of St. Maurice district, where the Company was erecting a Post and constructing new buildings. He was ordered to Montreal and appointed to Lake Superior district in 1860. In July, 1866, he was transferred to Saguenay district and there remained until November 1873, when he was ordered to take charge of Simcoe and Ottawa River districts. In 1873 he was appointed to Temiskaming district, until 1882, when headquarters moved to Mattawa, Ont. Mr. Rankin retired from the service in 1898. He was mayor of Mattawa and was a magistrate there as well (n.d.). He was also commissioned to be a Justice of the Peace in and for the North West Territories (1874). Colin Rankin died April 20, 1921.

Sheldon Lloyd Rahn was born on September 8, 1918 in just out side of Lanark, Illinois to Lloyd Nelson and C. Elizabeth (nee Carter). Following his from Cornell College, Rahn went on to earn a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and a Master of Social Work at Columbia University, completed a degree program at Wayne State University. He married Barbara Ripley Myers on May 10, 1941 and together they had three children. The family moved to Waterloo, Ontario in 1966 where Rahn was the founding Dean of the Faculty of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University. Rahn died in Tavistock, Ontario on March 23, 2014 at the age of 95.

Barbara Ripley Rahn (nee Myers) was born in Clarks Green Pennsylvania on November 17, 1916 to Marjorie (nee Clapp) and James Myers. Following her graduation from Oberlin College, she perused graduate studies in early childhood education at the Bank Street School for Teachers and later worked at schools across the United States. On May 10, 1941 she married Sheldon Rahn in New York City and together they had three children. The family relocated to Waterloo, Ontario in 1966 where Rahn served for six years as executive director of the YWCA of Kitchener-Waterloo, followed by supervising positions for Kitchener's first municipal day care centre and a regional home day care program.

President and owner of Robert C. Ragsdale Photogaphy 1952-1999.

In 1874 Robert Forbes of Scotland purchased the Randall, Farr & Co. Woollen Mill on Queen St. West in Hespeler. The company was incorporated in 1888 as R. Forbes & Co. Ltd. with Robert's sons George and James serving as president and company director respectively. In 1895 with the passing of Robert and James, George took over full operation of the company building it into the largest textile mill in the British Commonwealth. George continued to lead the company until 1928 when it was sold to the Dominion Woollens and Worsteds Co. Ltd.

Miss Oktoberfest 1997.

Miss Oktoberfest 1993.

Born April 12, 1891 to William Thomas Pyke and Annie Warner, Edgar William Pyke was a high school classics teacher who collected coins to use for teaching examples for his classes. Raised in Toronto, he attended McMaster University until his schooling was interrupted by the First World War. Edgar enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on May 20, 1916 and was sent to France. He was wounded at Vimy in April of 1917 suffering a shrapnel wound to the left arm and chest. After being invalided back to Canada he recovered at the Central Military Convalescence Hospital before returning to his studies. He graduated in 1919 and was able to secure employment as a teacher of classics. On August 4, 1925 he married Ethel Morgan of England. Edgar died in 1981 and is buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto.

Dr. Robert Prus is a professor in the Faculty of Arts, Department of Sociology and Legal Studies at the University of Waterloo.

The newspaper was founded in 1911 and ceased publication in 2010.

Ann Preston was born in Ballamacally, County Armagh, Ireland. As a teenager she began working as a servant for Dr. Reid and his family, joining them when they immigrated to North America. Landing first in the United States, the Reids eventually settled on a farm in Thornhill ca. 1830. Preston spent the majority of her adult life employed by the Reid family at their home, called Annswell, which was located at 16 Elgin Street. Once in Thornhill, Ann began attending the Wesleyan Methodist Church and was known for her religious convictions. She was called Holy Ann by locals who believed her capable of performing miracles. She died June 21, 1906 and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetry.

Miss Oktoberfest 1996.

Canadian Girls in Training is a religious international girls' organization that was founded in 1915, originally supported by the YWCA. It provided mid-week meetings of Sunday school classes and clubs for teenage girls. The organization today has over 150 groups.

Pounce de Lion served as the mascot for the University of Waterloo Student Alumni Association from 1982 to 1995 and has also been recognized as the mascot for the University of Waterloo Alumni Affairs.

Commonly referred to as Pounce, the mascot officially received his name in 1987, following the "What's My Name?" contest. A panel of judges, which included students, alumni, faculty, and staff, selected the winning entry from over 200 submissions. The winning entry was submitted by Professor Don D. Roberts. Prior to the contest, the mascot was nameless.

Pounce was said to have jumped off the University of Waterloo crest and has been described as a six-foot, cuddly, furry-faced lion. He is brothers with King Warrior, the University of Waterloo Athletics mascot, and Jerome, St. Jerome’s University’s mascot. Pounce is reportedly the older and wiser of the brothers.

During his tenure, Pounce participated in many events on and off campus representing the spirit of the University over all faculties with his friendly demeanor.

In addition to personal appearances, caricatures drawn in Pounce’s likeness were used by the alumni association to promote events and activities on campus. These caricatures were drawn by campus artist Frank Esch. Esch drew Pounce in dozens of poses, from holding a tennis racket to a newspaper in his paws.

By 1987, these caricatures were so popular that some began to copy his picture without permission. As a result, the Alumni office applied to obtain a trademark for Pounce and issued a UW News release asking people to please request permission to use Pounce’s image.

Two lion costumes were used for Pounce between 1982 and 1995, both of which are held by the University of Waterloo Archives.

In the early 1990s, plush toys of Pounce were available for purchase in the Open Door gift shop in South Campus Hall. The small plush could be bought for $17.99 and the larger twelve-inch plush toy could be purchased for $21.99.

Miss Oktoberfest 1987

Dana Harris Porter was born to Dr. George Dana Porter and Lena Harris of the Massey-Harris family in Toronto, Ontario on January 14, 1901. He attended the University of Toronto for his B.A. which he completed in 1921. In September of that year he traveled to England to study at Balliol College, Oxford from which graduated with his M.A. in 1923. He then returned to Canada, and records show that he intended to study for the Ontario Bar. He was called to the bar in 1923 and began practicing litigation law at Fennel, Porter and Davis. During his time at law school he met Dorothy Chaplin Ramsey Parker (born 1905) the daughter of Admiral A.R. Parker. Dorothy had been born in Hong Kong and raised mostly in England having taken many trips to Canada as a child and youth where she stayed with her Uncle the Honourable J.D. Chaplin, an M.P. in St. Catharines. By December of 1928 the couple’s relationship was becoming serious and they were engaged in June 1929. Dorothy was visiting England at the time, and she returned to Canada for their October 5, 1929 wedding. In 1931 their first son, Dana Jr. was born and a second, Julian, followed in 1936.

During this time Porter continued to work at his firm and in 1943 he made the decision to enter into provincial politics. In the 1943 election he ran as a Progressive Conservative in the Toronto riding of St. George, which won him a place in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He would hold this seat until 1958. During his political career he served under three premiers and in a variety of positions. From 1944-1948 he was the Minister of Planning and Development during which time he was instrumental in the airlifting of British immigrants to Canada. From 1948-1951 he was the Minister of Education and was Provincial Secretary and Registrar from 1948-1949. In 1949 Porter ran for head of the Progressive Conservative Party at the 1949 Provincial Tory Leadership Convention, but lost to friend Leslie Frost. Instead, Porter became Attorney General of Ontario, a position he held until 1955. His last role in the Provincial Government was that of Treasurer and Minister of Economics from 1955-1958. Throughout these years he was also a member of numerous standing committees on a broad range of topics.

In 1958 the Progressive Conservatives came into power at the national level with Diefenbaker becoming Prime Minister and Porter stepped down from politics to accept his appointment as Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Appeal. During his tenure he also headed the Royal Commission on Banking and Finance from 1961-1964 and presided over a number of important trials, such as the lifting of the ban on notorious novel Fanny Hill.

Porter also had a number of personal interests and activities that kept him busy. He spoke at a variety of events in Ontario and Canada at large, including convocations, meetings, luncheons etc. He was also an amateur Shakespeare historian and was particularly interested in the Sonnets. He wrote a number of essays on the possible order of the Sonnets, and on the identities of the Dark Lady, the Fair Youth and the Rival Poet. Although an attempt was made to have one of his works published, the furthest that came of it was printed and bound editions that he had made and sent to friends and critics. His literary endeavors did not end with Shakespeare as he also wrote a play and three essays on politics in Canada.
Porter’s dedication to academia lead to many accolades including being installed as the First Chancellor of the University of Waterloo in 1960. He was also on the Board of the University of Toronto and was awarded Honourary degrees from such institutions as McMaster University. The Dana Porter Library at the University of Waterloo was dedicated to and named after him on October 27, 1967, and his portrait hangs in it.

In 1967 Porter stepped down from his position largely due to his failing health. On May 13 of the same year he died of cancer in Toronto.