Elliot T. Grasett was a long-time resident of Blair and a collector of rare books. At the time of his death, his family donated to CFUW K-W an extensive private library containing books collected by three generations of the Grasett family. The proceeds from the sale of these books at the Montreal Rare Books Auction established the Elliot T. Grasett Fund in 1989 which produces this award.

George G. Blackburn, M.C. enjoyed a varied career as a newspaper reporter, civil servant, radio producer, documentary scriptwriter, playwright, lyricist, composer and writer. He was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces during World War II and was awarded the Military Cross. His personal accounts of his experiences as a soldier in World War II--Guns of Normandy Guns of Victory, and Where The Hell Are The Guns?--have made a significant contribution to Canadian military history. His books have received the Ottawa Citizen Book of the Year Award (1996), the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction (1996), and the C.P. Stacey Prize (1996/97). Mr. Blackburn died in Ottawa on November 15th, 2006 in his ninety-first year. The Edna Staebler Fund was established in 2000 by a generous donation given by Edna Staebler, a well known author and Past President and Life Member of the Kitchener-Waterloo club, to promote better knowledge and understanding of Canada's history. Edna Staebler was born in Berlin (Kitchener) in 1906, and graduated from the University of Toronto. After a short career as a teacher, she turned to writing. She became well known for her work in journalism, contributing articles to MacLeans, Chatelaine and other magazines. She wrote books on life in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and the Mennonite community of Waterloo County. Her cookbooks, especially Food That Really Schmecks, won her wide acclaim. She was been given many awards and honours, notably the Women's Press Club Award (1950), Honorary Doctor of Letters (Wilfrid Laurier University, 1985), and the Order of Canada (1996). She died in Waterloo on September 11, 2006 in her one hundred and first year.

Margaret Dale Philp was a Life Member and Past President of CFUW K-W and taught Latin and English at Kitchener Collegiate Institute from 1928 to 1933. Some of her illustrious students included authors Kenneth Millar (alias, Ross MacDonald) and his wife, Margaret Millar. In 1973 the club instituted the CFUW Margaret Dale Philp Fund. CFUW K-W continues to fully fund this award but it is administered by the national CFUW Fellowships Committee at headquarters in Ottawa.
In 2004, a bequest from retired K-W librarian and long-time member of CFUW K-W, Kathryn Lippert, was added to this fund and its name changed in her honour to the Kathryn Lippert/Margaret Dale Philp Fund. This bequest was an expression of Kathryn Lippert's life-long love of books and support of literacy.

Parry Michael Zehr was a young, promising violin player who began playing at age five and competed successfully in many Kiwanis (winning first place at age eight) and other competitions. He achieved honours standing in his grade eight Conservatory examinations. He was a member of four orchestras: The Separate School Youth Orchestra, Kitchener Gospel Temple Orchestra, Rockway Mennonite High School Orchestra and the K-W Symphony Youth Orchestra. Parry died as a result of a bicycle accident on September 2, 1991 at the age of 17.
The Marion Schweitzer Fund was established in 1996 by Marion Schweitzer, a Life Member of theKitchener-Waterloo club who wished to honour Parry and encourage excellence in music at the youth level. Marion Schweitzer graduated from McMaster University in 1933, qualified as a Specialist in English and taught English and French at Kitchener Collegiate Institute for eighteen years.

Lenia Chamberlain was born in Cyprus and emigrated to Canada where she lived for thirty years. She earned a BA in classics from LondonUniversity (Bedford College), England, in 1965 and an MA from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1986, concentrating on archaeology for which she earned the university's Gold Medal for academic excellence. She was a scholar in the truest sense of the term. As well as English and Modern Greek, she could read and write Ancient Greek and Latin and had a working knowledge of French and German. Her knowledge of ancient art and history and her love of books were reflected in her job in the Reference section of the Kitchener Public Library and her extensive personal library. Lenia was a member of CFUW K-W and active for many years in its main fundraiser, the annual Used Book Sale. Lenia's life was tragically cut short in 1998 by breast cancer. The Lenia Chamberlain Memorial Scholarship Fund was established by a donation from the Chamberlain family in 1998 with the hope that the annual scholarship which it provides will help other women to follow the example of Lenia's love of learning.