Peter Šuffák was a prominent member of the Slovak community in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Alongside Andrej Potosky, he co-authored an article in the Fort William Daily Times Journal on April 12, 1958, highlighting the contributions of the Benedictine Fathers to St. Peter's Parish between 1934 and 1950. This article emphasized the establishment of a firm foundation for the parish and the nurturing of its spiritual welfare during that period.
Mary Manks Middlemore (1810-1883) was born in Ballyculter, Ireland and married Robert Middlemore (1800-1880) in Belfast, Ireland in 1827. In the 1840s, Mary, along with her husband Robert Middlemore, their son Thomas Middlemore, and her niece Mary Manks (1829-1850) emigrated to New Brunswick (St. John). Mary Manks married Thomas Middlemore in 1849 and died a year later. The elder Mary died in 1883 in St. John.
Leni Untinen became involved in the women's movement in the late 1970s when she was hired to do needs study for Crisis Homes, Inc. She was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Leni was also a founder of Faye Peterson Transition House, a lobbyist for the Northwestern Ontario Women's Decade Council starting in 1981, and then later served as the Decade Council's coordinator, c.1990s. She was a founding chairperson and board member of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northwestern Ontario, a member of the Provincial Cross Sectoral Violence Against Women Strategy Group, as well as a board member for Thunder Bay Ventures/Community Futures Development Corporation and chair of the Training Committee. She received the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada in 1992 for her work to eliminate violence against women and children, and was awarded an honourary doctorate from Lakehead University for her activism against violence against women and her community work. - Leni Untinen s'est engagée dans le mouvement des femmes à la fin des années 1970 lorsqu'elle a été embauchée pour réaliser une étude des besoins pour Crisis Homes, Inc. Elle est née et a grandi à Thunder Bay, en Ontario. Leni a également été l'une des fondatrices de la Faye Peterson Transition House, lobbyiste pour le Northwestern Ontario Women's Decade Council à partir de 1981, puis coordinatrice du Decade Council dans les années 1990. Elle a été présidente fondatrice et membre du conseil d'administration de la Société Elizabeth Fry du Nord-Ouest de l'Ontario, membre du Provincial Cross Sectoral Violence Against Women Strategy Group, membre du conseil d'administration de Thunder Bay Ventures/Community Futures Development Corporation et présidente du comité d'éducation. Elle a reçu la médaille commémorative du 125e anniversaire de la Confédération du Canada en 1992 pour son travail d'élimination de la violence à l'égard des femmes et des enfants, et a reçu un doctorat honorifique de l'université Lakehead pour son activisme contre la violence à l'égard des femmes et son travail au sein de la communauté.
The Northwestern Ontario Women’s Decade Council (NOWDC) was a feminist organization formed in 1976 to carry on the work begun by the Northwestern Ontario International Women’s Year Co-ordinating Council. The Decade Council was based in Thunder Bay. They focused on serving as a resource for, and a liaison between, area women’s group, in order to improve the economic, social and political status of women. They also provided technical assistance and resources to emerging women’s groups and to individual women working on women’s issues. This support was provided by a non-partisan volunteer-based organization composed of representatives of district women’s groups as well as individuals, serving communities of Kenora, Sioux Lookout/Hudson, Dryden, Red Lake, Atikokan, Marathon, Manitouwadge, Nipignon, Terrace Bay, Thunder Bay and surrounding townships, Geraldton and Big Trout Lake. NOWDC sponsored conferences and published materials, including audiovisual materials.
