File 291 - Kenneth G. Murray.

The Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation was established in 1984 by a group of citizens in Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario, led by Walter Bean. It had originally been established as a trust by The Waterloo Trust (now Canada Trust) in August, 1930. "On May 1, 1984 the Ontario Legislature passed an act incorporating the K-W Community Foundation to take over the assets and assume the responsibilities of the original foundation bearing the same name."(KWCF document, May 1, 1985). The Foundation is administered by a board of directors who are responsible for overseeing its policies and practices. Donations to the Foundation are invested, with the income from the funds distributed in the form of grants to community organizations serving a wide range of needs, including cultural, educational, health and community services.

Kenneth G. Murray was a Canadian philanthropist, salesman, and founder of the Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program at the University of Waterloo. He was born in 1924 in Chatham, Ont. and served in the Canadian Navy from 1943 to 1945. Murray was educated at the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph, Ont. and received a B.SC. (Agriculture) in 1950.

From 1950 to 1987 Murray worked for J.M. Schneider in Kitchener, Ont., starting as a salesman and becoming president, a position he filled from 1969 to 1985. He served as a director on the boards of several corporations: Homewood Health Centre and Corporation in Guelph, Ont.; Canada Trust in London, Ont.; and B.F. Goodrich, Dominion Life Insurance Co. Ltd and J.M. Schneider Inc. in Kitchener, Ont. Murray also actively supported, in person and financially, many community organizations and initiatives as well as educational facilities and opportunities in Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph. These include the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Westmount Golf Club, Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation, K-W Oktoberfest, Kitchener Chamber of Commerce, Kitchener Young Men's Club, Kitchener Public School Board and the Kitchener-Waterloo Operatic Society.

In 1993 Murray initiated the Homewood Foundation in Guelph, a fundraising and granting agency for mental health research, education and patient care. The Universities of Guelph and Waterloo have benefited from his involvement. At the University of Guelph he initiated the Science and Society Project and the Ken Murray Annual Lecture Series, was on the Board of Governors from 1971 to 1979 and served on several committees and in fundraising campaigns. At the University of Waterloo Ken Murray initiated the Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program (MAREP) in 1992.

Murray received many honours and awards in the course of his lifetime, including the Order of Canada in 2000, and The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee medal in 2002. He received honourary degrees from the University of Guelph and the University of Waterloo in 1996 and 1995 respectively.

Murray died March 2, 2019 in Guelph and was buried at Ayr Cemetery.