Former Pitzer College and Claremont McKenna College vice president James B. Jamieson died in his home in San Luis Obispo on Sept. 18, according to an email from Pitzer President Melvin Oliver and an obituary in the San Luis Obispo County Tribune. He was 88.
Jamieson began as an associate professor at Pitzer in 1968, then served as vice president of advancement from 1973 to 1983 and acting president from 1978 to 1979, Oliver said in an email to the community. Jamieson also was a CMC vice president from 1984 to 1987, according to the Tribune.
Jamieson’s ties to the Claremont community extend beyond his professional career — after serving two years in the Air Force, he received his bachelor’s degree from CMC and master’s from Claremont Graduate School in 1958, according to the Tribune.
During this time Jamieson also met his future wife, Perry McNaughton, who attended Scripps College, according to the Tribune.
They married in 1959, shortly before moving to Providence, Rhode Island, where Jamieson received his doctorate in political science from Brown University, according to the Tribune. There the couple welcomed their first son, Jeff, in 1960, before moving back to California. Their second son, Dalton, was born in Claremont in 1966.
In 1987, Jamieson and his family relocated to San Luis Obispo, where he served as the executive director for the Performing Arts Center at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), the Tribune said.
A celebration of life will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly, according to the Tribune.