Ira George Needles (1893 – January 6, 1986) was the second chancellor of the University of Waterloo, holding the position from 1966 to 1975.
He moved to Waterloo, Ontario, Canada in 1925 after Goodrich purchased the Ames-Holden Rubber Company, and worked at its office as an assistant sales manager, and was eventually promoted to several positions including general manager of the tire division (1930), vice-president of sales, and chairman of the board (1958).
[1] In the summer of 1956, Needles gave a speech at the Rotary Club of Kitchener-Waterloo entitled WANTED: 150,000 Engineers – The Waterloo Plan.
Needles suggested that universities and industry should work together to fill the growing need for skilled graduates.
[1][4] In 1958, he was named the first Kitchener-Waterloo Citizen of the Year by the K-W Jaycees and was a member of the Kitchener Chamber of Commerce.