Greb Industries Limited was a shoe and boot manufacturing company based in Kitchener, Ontario. Charles E. Greb, who had moved to Berlin (now Kitchener) from Zurich, Ontario, in 1909, became the secretary-treasurer of the Berlin Shoe Manufacturing Company when it was incorporated in 1910. His son Erwin Greb joined the company as book-keeper. In 1912, Charles and Erwin acquired the company, and in 1916 it received a new charter of incorporation under the name Greb Shoe Company Limited, with Charles as president and Erwin as secretary-treasurer. In 1918, Erwin bought the controlling interest in the company from his father, who remained involved with the business in an advisory capacity.

The Greb Shoe Company, which had plants on Queen Street and at the corner of Mansion and Chestnut Streets in Kitchener, was again reorganized and received a new charter in 1930. In 1938, it acquired Valentine and Martin Limited, a Waterloo manufacturer of work boots, shoes, and dress shoes, which continued to operate as a separate business until it was merged with the Greb Shoe Company in 1951. Operations by that time were consolidated at a plant on Breithaupt Street in Kitchener. When Erwin Greb died in 1954, his son Harry D. Greb took over as company president. Erwin’s other sons were also involved in the company as directors; Arthur was in senior management and Charles was a plant manager and eventually became executive vice-president (1969-1976).

In 1959, the company purchased the Canada West Shoe Manufacturing Company of Winnipeg, including its popular Kodiak brand boots. The expansion into Western Canada began a period of tremendous growth for the company. Manufacturing facilities were expanded, and the company made several other acquisitions, including Bauer Canadian Skate; Tebbutt Shoe and Leather Company of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec; and Collins Safety Shoes of Peterborough. A skate and boot plant was eventually opened in Bangor, Maine. The most significant factor in the company’s growth through the 1960s was the popularity of Hush Puppies brand of casual shoes, which Greb began manufacturing under license from Wolverine World Wide of Rockford, Michigan, in the early 1960s. The mascot for this line of footwear, a basset hound named Velvet, was a popular symbol for the brand. In 1966, Greb Industries Limited became a publicly-traded company, and by the early 1970s it had grown to become Canada’s largest footwear manufacturer, employing 1200 people in Kitchener and another 1100 in Winnipeg, Trois-Rivieres, and Bangor. In 1974, the company was purchased by Warrington Products Limited of Mississauga.

Greb Industries Limited continued to manufacture footwear under the new owners, with several changes in operations, including the closure of several plants and a move for the head office from its Ardelt Avenue location in Kitchener to Mississauga. In 1987, Warrington sold the Greb division, which consisted mainly of Hush Puppies and Kodiak shoes and boots, to Taurus Footwear of Montreal. Production of Hush Puppies ended in 1989 when the licence was surrendered to Wolverine. The Bauer skate division, operating as Canstar Sports, had been relocated to Cambridge and sold to Nike. The last Greb plant in Kitchener, a Kodiak boot plant on Hayward Avenue, closed in 1991. In 1992, the Royal Bank took control of Taurus Footwear and formed Greb International to market the Kodiak brand domestically and internationally. In 2000 this company became Kodiak Group Holdings Inc., and in 2005, it purchased Terra Footwear in Newfoundland and has factories in Markdale, Ontario; Harbour Grace, Newfoundland; and in Asia.

Charles E. Greb was a businessman and philanthropist living near Ayr, Ontario. Born in Kitchener, Greb was the youngest child of Erwin C. (1894-1954) and Clara Greb. His father and grandfather, Charles E. Greb Sr., acquired the Berlin Shoe Manufacturing Company in 1912, and in 1916 the company received a new charter and was renamed the Greb Shoe Company Limited. By the time it was sold in 1974, Greb Industries Limited had become the largest shoe manufacturer in Canada. Charles Greb began his career with the family company in 1948 as a factory worker, and went on to manage plants in Kitchener and Winnipeg. He became director of sales in 1962, and then from 1969 to 1976 he served as executive vice-president. Greb later became the CEO of Musitron Communications, which became part of Grebco Holdings Ltd., a personal investment firm. He was also director and chairman of Skyjack Inc. of Guelph, director and chairman of Virtek Vision International Inc. of Waterloo, and managing partner of Woodside Fund, a California venture capital partnership.
Greb was involved in several community organizations and initiatives, including: the National Council of YMCAs of Canada, the YMCA of Kitchener-Waterloo, the Kitchener-Waterloo Hospital Foundation, the Kitchener Chamber of Commerce, the Ontario Summer Games, Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest, Junior Achievement of Waterloo Region, Junior Achievement of Canada, and CAA Ontario. He was a member of the Board of Governors of St. Paul's College (University of Waterloo) and the Board of Regents of Luther College (University of Regina), and chairman of the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Board of Management and of the Kitchener Economic Development Board. He also received many awards, including the Kitchener Citizen of the Year (1978), a Province of Ontario Bicentennial Medal, an Ontario Volunteer Service gold award, a Canada 125th Anniversary medal for contributions to Canada, a Companion of the Fellowship of Honour YMCA Canada, the Lou Buckley Award - Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA, and the Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International.
Charles Greb’s brothers were also involved in Greb Industries Limited. Harry D. Greb (1916-1998) joined the company as a book-keeper in 1932. Upon the death of his father in 1954, he became company president and held that position until he retired in 1974. Harry Greb was president of the Shoe Manufacturers Association of Canada, the Shoe Information Bureau, and the Shoe and Leather Council of Canada. He was also a director of the Equitable Life Insurance Company and chairman of the board of Waterloo Lutheran University (now Wilfrid Laurier University), as well as a member of several organizations, including: Waterloo County Shrine Club, Kitchener Rotary Club, and Grand River and Scottish Rite Masonic Lodges. In 1971, he was honoured with an LLD degree. Harry was also an avid sailor.
Arthur C. Greb (1917-1982) joined the family company in 1935 and managed the company’s entrance into the retail business with a chain of stores called “Yellow Label” based in Vancouver. This venture was short-lived and Arthur returned to Kitchener to manage the purchasing department at the Greb Shoe Company. He retired in 1974.
Clara May Greb (1921-2006), sister to Harry, Arthur, and Charles, was a philanthropist and involved in the Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA, Junior Achievement of Waterloo Region, and the endowment foundations of both of these organizations.
Charles E. Greb, Sr. (1859-1934) was a politician and businessman in Berlin/Kitchener. Born in Zurich, Ontario, he was a carpenter by trade and operated a hardware store and hotel in Zurich before moving to Berlin in 1909 with his wife Caroline and son Erwin. He was involved with the Berlin Shoe Manufacturing Company from its incorporation in 1910 as Secretary-Treasurer. When Erwin purchased the controlling interest in the Greb Shoe Company from his father in 1918, Charles remained involved with the business in an advisory capacity, and devoted more time to politics. He served as an alderman in Kitchener from 1917 to 1921, 1924 to 1927, and 1929 to 1931; and as Mayor for two terms, from 1921 to 1922.
(Source: content of the fonds; Briggs, T. and Greb, C.E., The Greb Story, Kitchener: Grebco Holdings Ltd., 2008; and Waterloo County Hall of Fame biographies: http://tinyurl.com/nsotv4)

Maurice Green joined the University of Waterloo in 1969 as the first official photographer. During his time with the University, he served as the head of the central photographic unit and also lectured in the Department of Fine Arts. Green retired in 1990.

Methodist missionary on the Nass in British Columbia between 1876 and 1889.

Dr. Pauline Greenhill is a professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Winnipeg. She received her BA (Honours) from Trent University, her Masters from Memorial University of Newfoundland and her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin.

Between 1986 and 1991, Greenhill worked as a professor of Canadian Studies at St. Paul’s University College.

1942: Grissol founded in the Rosemont area of Montreal, Quebec by Pedro Pedralli, an Italian immigrant. In the early 1950s, the Rosemont bakery was purchased by a Mr. Chouinard.

1961: Loney's Foods, owned by entrepreneur Yves Hudon, acquired Grissol. The name of the combined entitty was changed to Les Aliments Grissol Limitée / Grissol Foods Limited and all production was brought to a common location in the Ville Lasalle area of south Montreal, Quebec.

1961: Grissol buys a cookie plant in Ste-Martine, Quebec, 30 km south of Montreal, Quebec. The plant is expanded and state-of-the-art Melba toast making technology installed.

1960s: Production at the Loney's Foods Ville LaSalle facilities was expanded to include soup, pretzels, croutons, "bric-à-brac" and breadcrumbs while Melba toast was bread sticks were produced at the Sainte-Martine plant.

1969: Grissol acquired Biscuits Viau and moved the head office of Grissol Foods to Viau's offices on Ontario Street, Montreal, Quebec.

1972: Grissol including Viau and Loney's was acquired by Imasco Foods Limited, the food arm of Imperial Tobacco company.

1975: When the Ste-Martine plant ran out of space, some production of bread and Melba toast was taken to unused space in the Viau plant.

1980: After a factory fire destroyed a large part of the Grissol operations in Ste-Martine, Grissol employees rallied round and managed to rebuild the facilities. This rebuilding allowed all Grissol products to be made under the same roof in the present Ste-Martine plant.

1983: Imasco Foods Limited, including Grissol, was acquired by Culinar Inc. of Montreal, Quebec.

1999: Montreal cheese company Saputo Inc. buys Culinar, made up of the Vachon snack cakes businesses and the CFS (Cookies, Fine Breads and Soups) Division.

Founded by Walter M. Jackson (1863-1923) around 1909. Grolier was purchased by Scholastic in 2000.

The Guild of All Arts, founded in 1932, began as a co-operative arts and crafts community with similarities to Roycroft in East Aurora, New York. During the Second World War, the Guild became "HMCS Bytown", a training school for the WRENS, and later served as a rehabilitation facility. Finally, it developed into a historic country inn with extensive gardens overlooking the Scarborough Bluffs. The Guild's hotel operations and expansion were guided and overseen in detail by Rosa and Spencer Clark.

Before retirement, David Gunby worked as a Professor of English Literature at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

[Rob?] Gurdebeke worked at the Record 1988-1989.

Sir Tyrone Guthrie was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kentucky. At age 18, he received a history scholarship to St. John's College in Oxford, England. Guthrie also began acting while he studied there. He wrote a number of books on theatre, as well as an autobiography.

James Rutherford and George Harrington Guy were sons of Harry L. Guy. H.L. Guy was general manager of the Mutual Life Assurance Company of Canada and sat on the Board of Governors of the University of Waterloo. In 1933 H.L. Guy and his wife had a home built at 110 John Boulevard in the Westmount region of Waterloo.

Laura "Lola" Emma Ahrens was born in Berlin (Kitchener) Ontario to parents Charles Andrew Ahrens and Henrietta Charlotte Roth. She married George Henry Hachborn also of Berlin on September 26, 1894. The couple lived in Berlin and had four children: Marguerite Helen (Koenig) ; Laura Isabella Hachborn; Rudolph Albert and Robert Carl Hachborn.

Laura died December 9, 1939 and was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener alongside George who predeceased her on July 1, 1934.

D. Mary Hackett was a long-standing employee of the YWCA and later the Y. Born in Wallenstein, Ontario on April 5, 1931 she graduated with honours with a degree in philosophy from McMaster University.

Hackett started working for the YWCA as a camp counselor in 1948, going on to become become Teen Program and Camp Sports Director for the Kitchener-Waterloo YWCA, and was named assistant executive director in 1954. She relocated to Ottawa in 1959, where she took a position as Club and Camp Director at Camp Daven. In 1970 she was named Executive Director following the merger of the YWCA and YMCA of Ottawa.

Hackett received numerous awards for her involvement with the Y including an appointment Companion of the YMCA Fellowship of Honours (1955); the Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee Medal (2002); and a YM-YWCA Woman of Distinction Award (Lifetime Achievement category).

Alice Egan was born in Halifax in 1872. She attended Mount Saint Vincent Academy and the Victoria School of Art and Design (later the Nova Scotia College of Art), as well as at the Osgood Art School in New York. One of her first commissions came when she was selected to paint twelve plates for the Lady Aberdeen State Dinner Set, presented to Lady Aberdeen by the Canadian Senate at the time of the retirement of her husband as Governor General in 1898. In 1901 Alice Egan married John Hagen, an official of the Halifax and Bermuda Cable Company, and in 1910 transferred with him to Jamaica where she continued to work and teach. Her work was widely exhibited in the Islands and for her contribution to art in Jamaica Mrs. Hagen was awarded the bronze, and later the silver Sir Anthony Musgrave Medals, the first woman to be so honoured. In 1916 the Hagens returned to Halifax, settling finally in 1932 in Mahone Bay, where Alice Hagen began a new career as a potter, teaching, exhibiting and winning awards. Forty-eight pieces of her handpainted china, glass and pottery were presented to the Nova Scotia government and are displayed at the Citadel Museum in Halifax. Alice Mary Hagen died in January, 1972.

Irmengarde Louisa Hagen was born in Berlin, Ontario (now Kitchener) in 1898 to Charles and Caroline Edith (nee Rehmann) Hagen. She was along time employee of J.M. Schneider Inc. Hagen died in 1999 and was buried in Preston Cemetery.