Famous Windsorites
Welcome to the Famous Windsorites portal. This unique database was started in November 2015 to help WPL better serve our customers. As library staff answer customer questions about our local history, we post our research on-line to share with everyone. This is an ongoing project. We add biographies on a regular basis and by no means is this an exhaustive list of individuals who have been associated with the area, but it is a start.
We would like to thank all of the people who have contributed to our database and if you have an individual you would like to see added to the portal, please contact our local history expert Tom Vajdik at tvajdik@windsorpubliclibrary.com or call 519-255-6770 ext. 4434.
Notable Black Windsorites & Sites
Activists
| Charles Brooks | Maynard “Sam” George | Ken Lewenza, Sr. |
| Howard Douglas McCurdy | Jack Miner | Pat Noonan |
| Walter Perry | Melvin & Betty Simpson | Dr. Henry David Taylor |
| Samuel Ward |
Artists
| Iain Baxter& | Daniel Bombardier (DENIAL) | Julia Conlon |
| Joseph DeAngelis | Frances Gage | Nancy Johns |
| Jeff Lemire | Christopher Rees | Kenneth “Ken” Saltmarche |
| Lee Rabideau | Lee Sartori | Yelena Simone |
Athletes & Sports
Authors/Writer/Journalists
Entertainment/Actors
| Steve Bacic | Matthew Bendo | Art Cervi |
| Dorothy Collins | Colm Feore | Angus MacInnes |
| Jacqueline MacInnes Wood | Dave Merheje | Sophie Nélisse |
| Oliver Platt | David Sobolov | Christian Vincent |
| Kortney Wilson |
Firsts
| Isaac Riley |
Inventors/Entrepreneurs
Law & Order
| Milton “Whitey” Benoit | Francis Wilfred Chauvin | Michael Callan |
| Harry Low | Judge Bruce MacDonald | Detective Alton C. Parker |
| Rev. Joseph Oswald Leslie Spracklin | Tecumseh | Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré |
Library Community
| Canadian Periodical Index | FRED (Bookmobile) | Dr. Peter R. Frise |
| Anne Hume | Lambie Hall | Fred C. Israel |
| Reginald Brian Land | Angus McGill Mowat | John Muir |
| John Rutherford |
Musicians/Music Producers
Notable Buildings, Things and Events
Philanthropists
| Father Paul A. Charbonneau | Sister Lenore Gibb | John Howie McGivney |
| Louis Lawrence Odette | Anthony (Tony) Toldo | Norman and Denise Young |
Politicians
Politicians (Mayors of Windsor)
| Joseph (James) Hall Beattie – 2nd | George Bennett – 19th | Thomas R. Brophey – 23 th |
| David Burr -30th | Henry Clay – 10th | The Hon. David Arnold Croll – 18th & 21 |
| John Davis -4th | Drew Dilkens – 34th | John W. Drake – 6th |
| Oscar Ernest Fleming – 1st | Eddie Francis – 33th | John W. Hanna – 8th |
| Frederick L. Howell -11th | Michael D. Hurst – 32th | Cecil Jackson – 17th |
| Arthur W. Jackson -12th | Elizabeth Kishkon -29th | D. Willis Mason – 3rd |
| John Millson – 31th | Frank J. Mitchell – 16th | Michael J. Patrick – 24 th |
| Arthur John Reaume -22th | William C. Riggs – 26th | James H. Shepherd – 9th |
| James Fariar Smythe – 5th | Charles R. Tuson – 13th | Frank Wansbrough -27th |
| Solomon White Town of Windsor) | Albert (Bert) Weeks – 28th | John Wheelton – 25th |
| Ernest Samuel Wigle – 7th & 20th | Herbert W. Wilson – 15th | Edward B. Winter -14th |
Publishers
| Biblioasis | Henry Bibb | Black Moss Press |
| Chris Edwards & Elaine Weeks (Walkerville Publishing) | Rev. Augustus R. Green | W.F. Herman |
| Palimpsest Press | Mary Ann Shadd | Urban Farmhouse Press |
Veterans
| General Isaac Brock | Ralph Mayville | Stanley Scislowski |
| Ralph Earl Scofield | Thomas Simpson | Major Fred Albert Tilston |
| George William Wiley |