It is with a profound respect and admiration that we mark the passing of Jaime Smith. On October 24th, succumbing to sepsis after a hip fracture.
Jaime’s journey took him from the observatory to the psychiatrist’s office, and a legacy of thought-provoking literature. Testaments all to his voracious appetite for knowledge across disciplines.
Jaime’s many life chapters took him from a US university to the observatories of Argentina to the front lines of psychiatric care during the AIDS crisis in Vancouver and then to becoming the only resident psychiatrist in the Yukon before retiring in Victoria. His literary works that we’ve had the pleasure to publish, Meteors and Stardust, bear witness to his extensive knowledge and unique perspective as both an astronomer and a psychiatrist.
Shown in his written works in books and in his blog, Jaime’s life exemplified a relentless pursuit of intellectual growth and social progress.
Jaime’s enduring wisdom is imparted in his books, and his legacy is carried on through his three daughters, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren.
JAIME SMITH, MD, FRCPC, was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, and upon completing his undergraduate studies in humanities at the University of Minnesota, moved to Argentina to work as an astronomer at the national observatory, leaving behind the political framework of a country that he no longer supported.
Smith’s path would ultimately lead him to British Columbia, where he was a university teacher in physics, mathematics and astronomy before changing careers and receiving his MD, followed by four years of training in psychiatry at the University of British Columbia.
Smith was a participant in the fight to de-stigmatize homosexuality within the medical community and served on the front line of the AIDS epidemic in Vancouver, BC. A widower since 2011, he has three daughters, seven grandsons and four great-grandchildren.
To read more of Jaime’s writing, visit his website: https://karhunluola.wordpress.com
A native of New Westminster, Gogs Gagnon followed an early passion for computers by becoming a programmer and independent technology consultant. In the course of his career, he has developed software for Apple, IBM, and the government of British Columbia where he was the lead programmer analyst and data architect.
Now, in addition to promoting prostate cancer awareness, Gogs devotes much of his time to writing. His next book is a coming-of age memoir set in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia during the 1970s.
The father of three children, Gogs lives with his wife and their two dogs in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, BC.
You can follow along with Gogs journey on his website at www.gogsgagnon.com
Duane Lawrence lives in Vancouver and enjoys regular walks in beautiful Stanley Park. It was during one leisurely stroll in the park that he decided to write about the animals that live there. Recently retired, he taught high school French for 20 years in Canada and 1 year in London, and taught English in Japan for 9 years. Besides English, Duane speaks French and Japanese.
Duane has previously written 2 early chapter books for children in the primary grades. They are Sammy Squirrel & Rodney Raccoon – A Stanley Park Tale and Sammy Squirrel & Rodney Raccoon – To The Rescue. Due to popular demand, this picture book version titled Sammy Squirrel & Rodney Raccoon – Far From Stanley Park was done for preschool children who enjoy looking at illustrations and are just beginning to read.
Learn about Duane’s books at DuaneLawrence.ca
Gordon Clover was born in London, England. He taught art in both the UK and New Brunswick, where he also worked as a freelance illustrator of books and magazines. He worked at the Edmonton Journal before moving with his wife to British Columbia.
A long-time resident of North Vancouver and then Victoria, Gordon continued illustrating children’s books well into his eighties.
Born and raised in Sicily, Italy, Santo Mignosa studied clay in several Italian institutions after working for his father creating commercial roof tiles and bricks.
Arriving in Canada in the 1950s, Mignosa continued his studies, entered numerous national and international exhibitions and embarked upon a distinctive teaching career at the University of British Columbia’s Kootenay School of Art and at the University of Calgary. He was an active participant in national and provincial ceramic organizations and regularly presented workshops for ceramic groups and local schools.
In his mid-eighties, Mignosa continues his sculptural and drawing practice at Art in the Country in Aldergrove, British Columbia. Amid an ark of animals big and small, Santo is currently investigating the abundance of flora and fauna on a country farm that inspires and nurtures. Here he shares his life with Susan Gorris, a painter and sculptor.
Dr. Brian Hayden is an author and archaeologist who has conducted research on four continents, with a passion for understanding past cultures—especially hunting and gathering societies—and the reasons for their changes. Born in New York, he obtained a Certificate of Prehistory at the University of Bordeaux, studied stone-tool making with Australian Aborigines, and earned a doctoral degree in Archaeology from the University of Toronto. For 30 years, he worked with native groups in the interior of British Columbia, recording their traditional uses of food resources and excavating the prehistoric winter village at Keatley Creek; he has also worked extensively with complex hunting and gathering societies in the region, including short fictional reconstructions of life in the prehistoric Lillooet area.
Now a Professor Emeritus of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University and Honorary Research Associate of the Anthropology Department at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Hayden lives on Cortes Island in coastal British Columbia. He has published numerous professional journal articles and books, including works on the Old Stone Age in France and a landmark synthesis of prehistoric religion (Shamans, Sorcerers, and Saints: The Prehistory of Religion, Smithsonian Publications, 2003). His later books include The Power of Feasts (Cambridge University Press, 2014) and The Power of Ritual in Prehistory: Secret Societies and the Origins of Social Complexity (Cambridge University Press, 2018). His research has been recognized by induction into the Royal Society of Canada.
You can find further information about Brian on his website.
Jan Krijff was born in the Netherlands and emigrated to Canada in 1968. He has a BA in Economics from the University of Calgary, and a master’s degree in history, from Leiden University in the Netherlands. Jan has previously published 100 Years Ago: Dutch Immigration to Manitoba in 1893; Een Aangename Vriendschap (An Amicable Friendship); Dutch Gentlemen Adventurers in Canada (with Herman Ganzevoort), and Greetings from Canada: Postcards from Dutch Immigrants to the Netherlands 1884–1915. The latter received an honourable mention for history in the Indie Fab awards.
Karen Green was born in southern Alberta. She has a BA and an LL.B from the University of Alberta, having practiced law in Edmonton and, more recently, in Vancouver where she worked in human resources and labour relations for various organizations. For twelve years, she also served as a part-time chair of review panels under the B.C. Mental Health Act. She is the co-author of Greetings from Canada and contributed to Dutch Gentlemen Adventurers.
