Harry Huehnergard

Explore the life of Harry Huehnergard, a local treasure to the Kitchener Waterloo area. The Man Behind the Camera.

Curated by: Ishleen Singh

Harry Huehnergard The Man behind the Camera

This exhibit will outline the life and achievements of Harry Huehnergard, a local treasure to the Kitchener-Waterloo (K-W) area. Walk through the life of Harry Huehnergard and his accomplishments throughout the years. Explore images that Harry took himself for the K-W Record. Discover an array of personal photos through the digital gallery.

Harry Huehnergard Harry Huehnergard was local to the Kitchener-Waterloo (K-W) area. He got his start as being a carrier for the K-W Record newspaper and then further went on to be the first staff photographer for the K-W Record. He was a veteran in the business of paper and photography. With over 49 years working in the field, as well as being one of the founders of the Commercial and Press Photographers Association of Canada (now known as the Professional Photographers of Canada), Harry excelled in his field. However, his achievements did not end there. He was a part of the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942 and served for Canada in Newfoundland during the Second World War. Harry photographed everything from birthdays to crime scenes, famous individuals to the general public. He was a one man show up until 1948.

Timeline

Birth: February 13th, 1921. 1921-Parents: Alister Ezra Huehnergard and Gertrude Pollakowski. 1923-First job at Kitchener Waterloo (K-W) Record. He was a newspaper carrier. 1937-Promotion at the K-W Record. He became a proof runner, paste pot filler and accounts collector. 1939-He became the first staff photographer at the K-W Record. 1939-Beginning of Second World War on September 1st, 1939. 1942-Enlisted into the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). He was located in Gander, Newfoundland where he was the Associate Editor and then Editor of “The Gander” which was the magazine for the RCAF troops. 1945-End of the Second World War.

1946-Installed the first dark room at the K-W Record location so that images could be developed on site. He was one of the founders of the Commercial and Press Photographers Association of Canada (now known as Professional Photographers of Canada) 1948-Got married to Sylvia Schendel. He had two children with her named Mark and John. 1953-Installed a wire photo machine at the K-W Record. 1977-Installed a laser photo receiver at the K-W Record. 1986-Retired after 49 years of service. 2006-January 9, 2006. The passing of Harry Huehnergard.

The Gander: The Gander was a magazine created for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Harry was the Associate Editor and then later was promoted to Editor. He wrote articles and editorial statements for the magazine.

The Gander: October-November, 1943: Editors Notes In the 1943 issue of The Gander, Harry wrote an Editor’s Note which mentioned important articles that should be read in the month’s magazine issue, along with reminders for individuals submitting copies to the magazine. He also mentioned important events that were occurring such as, the birth of a son for one of the Commanding Officer Captains along with it being the second anniversary of the formation of the RCAF Women’s Division in Canada.

The Gander: July-August, 1944. This article was written by Harry and outlines the trip to the Soulies Pond where the Soulies Secret Squadron was located. The Soulies Secret Squadron was a bombing and gunnery range. There were four men who were located at this base and their job was to record all the hits and misses of the aircrafts that practiced bombing missions. Throughout this piece Harry explains the lifestyle, duties and responsibilities of these men.

The Gander: Mid-winter 1945. In this article Harry explains his journey at the release center. He is overwhelmed with emotions in this piece. He has left Gander and is now in Old Toronto, explaining how the war has come to an end and the feeling of being released from the service of the Royal Canadian Air Force is only a feeling that one must find out for themselves.

Images taken from Gander Summer, 1945 (left) and the cover of The Gander in Summer 1945 (right).

Kitchener-Waterloo Record The K-W Record was established in 1878. It was known as the Daily News of Berlin until 1897 when it was renamed The Berlin News Record. After multiple name changes throughout the years, the K-W Record became the Waterloo Region Record in 2008. Harry began his journey with the K-W Record in 1933 when it was known as the Kitchener Daily Record.

The K-W Record: February 7,1986. A front cover article describes how Harry had transformed the K-W Record with 49 years of work. The article highlights the tasks that Harry would complete and outlines his hard work, devotion and enjoyment of working for the newspaper. From being the newspaper carrier to the first staff photographer, from implementing the first dark room to being one of the founders of the Commercial and Press Photographers Association of Canada, he had ridden shotgun in cop cars and seen everything, from riots at Queen’s Park to murders and car accidents.