Honouring a rich legacy, and looking ahead to new ways of celebrating the bold spirit of the Waterloo community
The story of the Waterloo Magazine is a tapestry woven with threads of history, community, innovation and evolution. As the final planned issue of the magazine hits mailboxes and inboxes to make way for exciting new changes, we revisit key moments that have shaped this publication into a cherished beacon for the University of Waterloo alumni community.
For the past 60 years, the Waterloo Magazine has shone a light on remarkable Waterloo graduates who are making positive local, national and global impact. Since 1989, approximately 85 issues of the magazine have been published to celebrate major achievements and groundbreaking research from our alumni and campus community.
But the story of the Waterloo Magazine didn’t begin 36 years ago. To understand its true legacy, there is only one place to begin: at the very start.
In December 1965, with Bill Schneider (BASc ’63) as editor, the first alumni letter was produced and sent to members of the Toronto Chapter of the University of Waterloo Alumni Association. The letter featured comments from alumni and provided information on chapter activities.
Less than four years later, the publication had extended its reach to include all members of the Waterloo alumni community and changed its style and name to the University of Waterloo Association Newsletter.
“Two major purposes are attempted in the publication of this newsletter,” wrote Graham Schaefer (BASc ’63), editor of the February 1969 issue. “The first purpose is to keep alumni informed of events at the University … [and] to use the newsletter as a sounding board for opinions by the alumni on issues related to the University.”
Exactly one year later — true to Waterloo’s style of thinking differently — readers of the newsletter were informed that some changes were on the horizon.
As the University’s alumni network grew so did the need for a new imaginative way of telling stories of the people who graced Waterloo’s campuses with their innovative minds. After considering how the newsletter could better appeal to its audience, a redesign and rebranding of the publication led to the launch of the Alumni Courier in May 1970 — a newspaper style magazine.
“Now that we have improved the appearance, we hope to improve the content,” said Pete Allison (BASc ’66), editor of the inaugural edition of the rebranded publication.
The Alumni Courier was delivered with a copy of the Gazette [the campus newspaper written by staff] tucked inside. Because the publication had significantly grown since 1965, Allison and his co-editor Cory Wilson (BASc ’69) issued a call for volunteers in December 1970 to support with magazine development.
After a decade of the publication, the newsletter officially changed its format to a magazine and the University of Waterloo Courier was born in September 1980. Chris Redmond (MA ’73), editor of the first issue, described the quarterly publication as “a magazine for alumni and friends.”
Since its inception, Waterloo has established itself as a game-changer for research and innovation, so it was only right that its publication for alumni kept up with the times.
“We’ll continue to make the improvements we think are necessary to make your alumni magazine an entertaining, informative link with your alma mater.”
— Martin Van Nierop
After nine years of the Courier, the penultimate change happened: the birth of the University of Waterloo Alumni Magazine.
“You’ve probably noticed this isn’t the Courier you’re used to seeing,” said Martin Van Nierop in the inaugural editor’s letter of the magazine in April 1989. “With shorter stories, more campus capsules and expanded coverage of UW alumni, we’re hoping to make it a better read for busy, on-the-go Waterloo grads.”
And since then, the publication has continued to evolve, including to its abbreviated and longest-lasting name and format known as the “Waterloo Magazine.”
In the late 90s, with Linda Kenyon (BA ’83, MA ’87) as editor, the magazine took a new direction — the one most like what our readers know today.
“The newly redesigned publication devoted significant space to in-depth articles on research at Waterloo — something our readers had said they wanted — and there was no shortage of material to draw on,” Kenyon said.
This new approach led the magazine to win gold in the Best Magazine category in the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education’s 2003 Prix d’Excellence competition.
“It’s my proudest achievement as editor of the magazine,” Kenyon shared.
After 60 years of iteration showcasing Waterloo talent through stories that engage, inspire and connect our alumni community, we are once again evolving how we showcase Waterloo’s community of more than 255,000 graduates. After carefully considering the evolving needs of our users, we officially bid farewell to the Waterloo Magazine.
We understand how important the magazine has been, and we remain committed to promoting valuable human-interest stories that showcase the incredible Waterloo community members as they improve life in their community and beyond.
If you are a Waterloo alum and would like to receive communications, please update your e-mail to receive stories, news and updates.
This story was developed with the support of the University of Waterloo’s Special Collections and Archives.
