Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Barry Beyerstein Died June 26, 2007

Barry Beyerstein -- psychologist, educator, skeptic and friend -- died suddenly last week. The news left us all stunned; Barry was not often here in the DC area -- he was a professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. But just this April he dined with NCAS friends, while he was in town for a Center For Inquiry meeting, and we looked forward to many future visits.

If you are a regular reader of Skeptical Inquirer, you may remember his articles on graphology or mechanisms of belief or alternative medicine or near death experiences -- or that pesky myth about how we use only 10% of our brains. If you had met him -- perhaps at a CSICOP conference -- you would remember his charm, his humor and his gentle wisdom. We can hardly believe that we have lost his voice.

On behalf of NCAS, we extend our deepest condolences to his wife Suzi, children Lindsey and Loren, and the rest of the family.

His daughter Lindsey posted a personal remembrance on her blog, where you can leave condolences.

Please also see this tribute currently on the CSICOP.org home page:

Barry L. Beyerstein (1947 - 2007)
A Great Man. A Great Teacher. A Great Skeptic. An Extraordinary Human Being.

A Small Selection of Barry's Contributions:
Selected Articles & Book Chapters
Lectures & Presentations
Why Bogus Therapies Seem to Work
The Disappearing Writing Guru, Sweetwater, and Chicken McNugget
Traditional Medicine & Pseudoscience in China
2004 World Skeptics Congress