The BC Flag (Main Mall and Agronomy Road) will be lowered today, Tuesday, January 24, 2012, in memory of James Carmen Avis, who died suddenly, at the age of 63 in Florida on December 20, 2011.
Jamie joined the MA program in the UBC Department of Philosophy in 2007, after a successful career as a lawyer and entrepreneur. He was very active in the department, participating in philosophy of science reading groups, departmental seminars, and social gatherings. His main area of study was in philosophy of science, and the intersection of the latter with metaphysics. He thought about foundational problems of physics and biology, and more recently was writing a paper on the problem of free will.
In his personal life, Jamie was a skilled sailor, an accomplished guitarist and singer, and a voracious reader. Jamie approached his hobbies and academic pursuits with equal vigor, and could often be found working on his papers while on his sailboat, “The Oyster Catcher.”
For many of us in the UBC philosophy community, Jamie was a warm and kind friend who was stimulating and pleasant company — we will miss him greatly.
A commemorative service will be held for Jamie today, January 24th in the Penthouse room of the Thea Koerner Graduate Centre from 12:30pm to 2:30pm.
For further information please contact: Prof. Paul Bartha, Head, Dept. of Philosophy, UBC (pbartha@exchange.ubc.ca).