The Playwrights Union of Canada started at the Playwrights Circle in 1971 with the central mandate of preserving Canadian plays. Later it became the Playwrights Co-op in 1972 and also focused on publishing works by Canadian playwrights as well as handling rights of intellectual property for playwrights and organizing tours for promotion. By 1977, member established the Guild of Canadian Playwrights to promote the power of playwrights to lobby, negotiate and improve the status of Canadian playwrights' status domestically in Canada as well as internationally. The Playwright Union came about in 1984 with the merger of the Guild and the CO-op. BY 2002 the organization was transformed into the Playwrights Guild of Canada which mediates with the Professional Association of Canadian Theaters as well as printing and publishing plays.

The Poets Club was a group establish in London, England in 1908 by Henry Simpson and T.E. Hulme with the purpose of meeting to discuss poetry. The club also published four anthologies of poetry between 1908 and 1913.

Guy Poirier is a professor emeritus in French Studies at the University of Waterloo known for scholarship on the French Renaissance and Henri III of France, including discourse and homosexuality in Renaissance France. Poirier graduated with a B.A. from Université Laval in 1983 and completed an M.A. (1986) and PhD. (1991) at McGill University. He was named a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2021.

Arthur B. Pollock was born in Linwood, Ontario on May 24, 1877. His parents, David and Barbara (nee Livingston) were both born in Scotland. He married Rachel "Racie" L. Boehmer on September 2, 1902 in Kitchener and together they had a son, Carl Arthur. Pollock founded the Pollock Manufacturing Co. in 1907, which later became Dominion Electrohome Industries, Ltd. Pollock died at home on December 16, 1951.

Porcellino is a bronze sculpture of a wild boar, located in front of the Modern Languages building at the University of Waterloo. The piece weighs approximately 700 pounds.

Porcellino is a cast of a bronze fountain originally made by the Baroque master Pietro Tacca in 1620. This cast along with four others, was produced by Marinelli of Florence in 1962. The other copies are in Florence, Italy; Sydney, Australia; Victoria, British Columbia; and California. Additional casts of the fountain created over the years can be found around the world. For many years, the original fountain by Pietro Tacca sat on the south side of the Straw Market in Florence, Italy. Today, the piece is held by the Museo Stefano Bardini in Palazzo Mozzi and a modern cast is installed by the market.

The fountain cast by Pietro Tacca was based on a Hellenistic marble statue known as Cinghiale, which was discovered in Rome and relocated to Florence in the mid-sixteenth century by the Medici family. Today, the original marble statue is in the Uffizi Museum in Florence, Italy.

Cinghiale and Porcellino have been associated with the Calydonian boar hunt from Greek mythology. Some researchers have suggested that the boar was likely part of a larger hunting scene. The unique position of the boar is noteworthy, as it is neither in repose or attack and appears as if suddenly awakened by the sound of the hunt.[1]

The Porcellino sculpture on the University of Waterloo campus was donated to the Faculty of Mathematics’ Descartes Foundation in 1978 by Dr. Henry Crapo. Dr. Crapo served as a professor in the Faculty of Mathematics from 1965 to 1977 and was known as a patron of the arts.

Upon its donation, the Works of Art Committee on campus considered installing the sculpture near Laurel Creek across from the Student Life Centre.[2] However, the committee ultimately decided to place the sculpture inside the Modern Languages foyer in January 1979.[3]

In the 1980s students used the boar as a meeting place and rubbed its nose for good luck before exams. Due to its location, the sculpture was informally adopted as the mascot for the Faculty of Arts.[4] The piece was also the subject of pranks on campus and was kidnapped by Engineering students in 1991 and dressed as a dog.[5]

In the early 1990s, Dr. Brian Hendley, the Dean of Arts, asked Ann Roberts, staff member in the Department of Fine Arts, to identify a suitable permanent location for the sculpture, where it could be securely installed using bolts and concrete. Initial ideas for potential sites included the Davis Centre Quadrangle, the Arts Quad, and East Campus Hall.[6] The decision was made to place the sculpture in front of the Modern Languages building in 1994. On June 4, 1994, the campus hosted a celebration for the unveiling of the boar as part of the annual Waterloo Weekend for alumni.[7]

Dana Harris Porter was a Canadian politician and lawyer who served fro 1960 to 1966 as the 1st chancellor of the University of Waterloo. 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.

Miss Oktoberfest 1987

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.

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.

Miss Oktoberfest 1996.

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.

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

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

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.

Miss Oktoberfest 1993.

Miss Oktoberfest 1997.

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.