Barry
Lane Beyerstein, a professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University
in British Columbia and a longtime member of the Executive Council of
the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), died on June 25.
He died
of a massive heart attack in his university office at the age of sixty.
An immense
sadness is felt by all who knew him and have been influenced by his
life and work. He was an exemplary and extraordinary human being.
Barry
Beyerstein’s contributions to the science, skeptic, and rationalist
communities are unparalleled. He was a tireless defender of science,
an activist who had been a staple in the media, television, newspapers,
and public forums. He spent several decades volunteering
his time and knowledge to CSI. He was a CSI Fellow, a member of CSI’s
Executive Council and the Editorial Board of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER,
and contributed countless articles to our many publications. He traveled
and lectured allover the world (including China) for our organization
and played an important role in our faculty lineup for the Center for
Inquiry Institute. He will be especially missed at this summer’s Skeptic’s
Toolbox in Eugene, Oregon, where he had served on a six-member faculty
panel since its inception in 1989.
Barry
was best known for his work in psychology, especially the unconscious,
the psychology of belief, neuropathology, brain states, and the like.
He also contributed to the advancement of skepticism in the fields of
graphology (he coedited with his brother Dale The write Stuff Evaluations
of Graphology— The Study of Handwriting Analysis,
Prometheus Books, 1992), psychic phenomena, near-death experiences,
alternative medicine, critical thinking, and more.
On a more
personal note, Barry was an amazing man. He was kind and down to earth,
had a wonderful sense of humor, and was definitely in touch with his
inner child. He was an absolute joy to be around.
Barry
leaves behind a beautiful and talented family who exhibit so many of
the great qualities he possessed. His wife, Suzi, has played an important
role at our events, and together they were an inspiration. Our love
and deepest sympathies go out to his family: his wife, his daughter
Lindsay, his son Loren, and his brother Dale. We will miss Barry each
and every day, but we are honored to have known and worked with him.
The Center for
Inquiry celebrated his life and work. A special tribute was organized for this
year’s Skeptic’s Toolbox at the University of Oregon at Eugene, August 9-12. We also have the honor of creating an online archive of
many of his papers and presentations on the CSI Web site.
—Amanda Chesworth and Barry Karr
Amanda Chesworth
is the educational director and Barry Karr is the executive director
of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
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