NEWS RELEASE
REGION OF WATERLOO HALL OF FAME
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On Thursday, Alison Jackson, Chair of the Board of Governors of the Region of Waterloo Hall of Fame, announced the 2023 inductees who will take their place among more than 550 individuals and groups already recognized for making a positive difference within the Region.
“For decades, the Hall of Fame has honoured individuals and organizations for their outstanding – and outsized – contributions to our community, and this month we welcome our 2023 inductees,” Ms. Jackson says. “Waterloo Region is extremely fortunate to have benefited from people of such merit. While many of our inductees are the recipients of awards and trophies within their own spheres, they or their ancestors tell us that being honoured by the Region of Waterloo Hall of Fame is a profound privilege.”
Each year, past and present citizens who have made a beneficial impact in Waterloo Region are singled out for their accomplishments and celebrated at an induction ceremony at the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum where the Hall of Fame is featured.
The Board of Governors, comprising the Pioneer/Community Builders Research Committee and Sports Research Committee, reviews many nominations and selects four candidates each to honour and celebrate each year.
For their outstanding contribution as community builders, the Board of Governors honours:
Ingrid Berkeley
A resident of Waterloo Region, Ms. Berkeley had a distinguished 34-year career with Peel Regional Police Service. Promoted to superintendent in 2016, she became the highest ranking Black female police officer in Canada, a ranking she maintained with her 2018 promotion to Deputy Chief.
Bryan Larkin, former Waterloo Region Police Chief, describes Ms. Berkley as a trail blazer who left her mark on policing nationally.
“She has provided leadership and advocacy as well as advancing equity across Waterloo Region for the betterment of all,” he adds. “Ms. Berkeley leaves behind a legacy of leadership that will be difficult to replace.”
Margaret Jocelyn (Jo) Horner (d. 2020)
Jo Horner is being honoured for her lifetime of volunteering. After she and her husband, Michael, immigrated to Canada from England in June 1956 and settled in Cambridge (Galt), she went on to become chair of the District Health Council of Waterloo Region and a member of the Community Advisory Committee of the Waterloo Region Alcohol and Drug Assistance program.
Her concern for the welfare of women extended to her role as president of the Cambridge Family Crisis Shelter, renamed Haven House. According to Jennifer Hutton, CEO of the Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, Ms. Horner “lived a life of service to others, touching countless lives, and truly made a difference for so many people in Waterloo Region.”
John Gazzola
John Gazzola joined the City of Kitchener as Director of Finance in 1973, the first year of Waterloo Region’s two-tier government. He was appointed City Treasurer and Commissioner of Finance and became the city’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).
His fiscal prudence is evident throughout Kitchener in the new city hall, the Aud, the Centre in the Square, and a permanent market space downtown. In 2001, John left the city’s employ, ran for Kitchener Council, and won.
His legacy to Waterloo Region will be his administrative and political emphasis on fiscal responsibility, the importance of volunteering and supporting one’s community, and his modeling of the values of hard work, debate, respect, equality, diversity, and sustainability.
Mania Kay (d. 2012)
Mania Kay is being honoured for the light she shone on darkness, and her steadfast belief in the goodness of people. Born in 1920 in Oswiecim, Poland, Mania and her family of Polish Jews suffered the persecution of the Nazi regime during the Second World War. She survived the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, married Moishe Yakov, and together they emigrated to Canada in 1948 with their two daughters, settling in Kitchener.
In the mid-1980s, when Neo-Nazi groups and Holocaust deniers were proliferating, Mania established the Waterloo Holocaust Education Committee and provided workshops for local students. She did so with a heavy heart since telling her story brought back the horrors of the Holocaust – the pain, trauma, hurt and longing for her family. Despite everything that Mania had endured, she retained ceaseless, uncompromising humanity.
For their outstanding contributions to Sports, the Board of Governors honours:
Keely Brown - ringette, ice hockey, inline hockey
Keely Brown was born in Kitchener. As a goalie in ringette, ice hockey, and inline hockey, she has been a formidable competitor earning an impressive list of awards at the provincial, national, and international levels.
She helped found the National Ringette League in 2002-2003, and at the World Ringette Championships was named top player of the tournament for Team Canada, 2007; gold medal game MVP, and top goalie of the tournament, 2002. As an inline hockey goalie, she helped Team Canada capture the first of four gold medals.
After graduating from Osgoode Hall Law School, Ms. Brown became the first in-house lawyer for the Edmonton Oilers (NHL) in 2006. She now heads up the Legal Department for OEG Sports and Entertainment, which includes the Edmonton Oilers, AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, ICE District, and Rogers Place.
Mandy Bujold - boxer
Mandy Bujold – the only female boxer in history to win two Pan American Games titles – was introduced to boxing in 2004. Since then, she’s been a bold challenger both in the ring and as an advocate for gender equality in sport.
In the fly weight division, Ms. Bujold won the Canadian National Championships and a Boxer of the Year title in 2006. She carried on with 11 Canadian and three Continental Championships, bronze at the Commonwealth Games, gold at the Pan American Games in 2011and defended her title at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
Ms. Bujold represented Canada at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and was preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, when they were postponed because of the pandemic. But before the games in 2022, when she was on maternity leave, the International Boxing Association classified her pregnancy and postpartum as an injury. Ms. Bujold confronted the Association about unequal treatment of women in sport, sought a ruling at the International Court of Arbitration and won her precedent setting case. Her challenge paved the way for women to compete internationally while also beginning their families – a major victory for all women athletes.
David Edgar – soccer player
David Edgar, born in Kitchener, competed at age 9 in an open tournament in England where Manchester United Football Club offered him a scholarship. He chose to stay in Canada and from age 11, played at the provincial level.
His international career began at age 14 in 2001, when he accepted a scholarship with Newcastle United academy. At his home debut match, he scored his first Premier League goal against Manchester United. Named Man of the Match, he drew praise from his Newcastle manager for his game performance, especially noting his effective defence against Christiano Ronaldo.
In 2016, Mr. Edgar returned to Canada to play for the Vancouver Whitecaps; in 2019-2020 he played his last games as a professional with Hamilton’s Forge FC, which captured the championship that season. His national Canada Soccer team career includes the Men’s National Team from 2011 through 2019.
Leigh Hobson – road cycling racer
Ms. Hobson, born in Kitchener, excelled in the sport of road cycling. She began racing in earnest in 1995 and by 1997, was racing on her first professional team in California. Leigh advocates for women who want to pursue a professional cycling career.
In 2008, Leigh competed at the women’s cycling World Cup race in Montreal, the final qualifying event to represent Canada at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She earned the bronze medal and, significantly, a spot on the Canadian Olympic cycling team.
Her advice to women athletes: “One of the most fulfilling parts of cycling is to contribute to the success of a teammate and ultimately the success of the team. The incentive to work as a team comes down to the rider's feeling of security on that team, be it financial, social or emotional. Everyone on the team needs to feel valued and needs to have the opportunity to fulfill her own goals as well as the team goals. It's a definite challenge in women's racing.”
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