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Watfor is a character and cartoon strip created for The Chevron by Don Kerr in 1966.[1] The character appeared in The Chevron until approximately April 1968.[2]
Watfor was inspired by the Fortran computer program called WATFOR which was developed by a group of University of Waterloo undergraduates in 1965.[3] Watfor lived in the campus pond in front of the Health Services Building.[4] It is unclear exactly what type of character Watfor is. The character refers to itself as a tad, fish, troll, and pond denizen. It may be part computer, part fish. In the comic strips, Watfor commented on campus happenings. The character was also printed on some ephemeral items such as ribbons distributed to the Orientation Committee on campus in the late 1960s.[5]
Don Kerr was a graduate student at the University of Waterloo in the department of design when he created Watfor. He had recently graduated from the University of Manitoba as an architect and came to Waterloo to further his studies, specifically around experimental colours and architectural illumination.
Cartooning was a hobby for Don Kerr. He created the FDU cartoon strip which ran in the University of Manitoba's newspaper, the Manitoban, as well as the Winnipeg Tribune. He also created Lapinette, a cartoon ad for the Bank of Montreal that ran in the majority of campus newspapers across Canada.[6]
Don Kerr married Mary Robinson, a fellow graduate student in design, in the Conrad Grebel chapel on May 20, 1967. The wedding was featured in an article in The Chevron titled, "This doesn't very often happen: Watfor sees his father married." The article includes a photograph of Don Kerr and Mary Robinson at the wedding ceremony.[7]
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[1] “Watfor cartoonist comes from Manitoba.” The Chevron, Friday, November 11, 1966 (v.7, n.15), p. 7.
[2] Photo caption, “Rescue operations for Watfor…” The Chevron, Friday , April 4, 1968 (v.8, n.37), p.12.
[3] “Watfor cartoonist comes from Manitoba.” The Chevron, Friday, November 11, 1966 (v.7, n.15), p. 7.
[4] “Large muskrat proves Watfor indeed there.” The Chevron, Friday, December 2, 1966 (v.7, n.18), p. 8.
[5] Based on information that appeared in the weekly comic strips and on items in collections held by Special Collections & Archives.
[6] “Watfor cartoonist comes from Manitoba.” The Chevron, Friday, November 11, 1966 (v.7, n.15), p. 7.
[7] “This doesn’t very often happen: Watfor sees his father married.” The Chevron, Friday, May 26, 1967 (v.8, n.3), p.1.